Nothing that the University of Wisconsin women's hockey team will see on the ice this year will faze senior defenseman Molly Engstrom. No loud crowd, harsh environment, strong competition, fast skaters, two or more goal deficit or poor ice conditions will be enough to drive Engstrom to lose her cool.
Why? Because she is a senior? Because she is an assistant captain?
No, because she has seen it all.
Engstrom has seen the best that women's hockey has to offer the past two years, having been selected to participate with the United States National Team on several occasions, and after playing with and against the best her sport has to offer, she fears nothing that can happen on the ice.
"She gained a lot of confidence," said head coach Mark Johnson, no stranger to international play himself, being part of the 1980 "Miracle" U.S. Olympic Team. "She found out that she can play at that level against the best women in the world and do quite well. You can just tell the confidence level was high when she got out there."
Engstrom agrees that her confidence level was higher after competing against the top female ice hockey players in the world.
"My first experience was not this past summer, but the summer before," said Engstrom, who was able to skate with some players that she grew up watching and idolizing.
"Then I was picked for [the U.S. World Championships Team] and played in that last year. I have to admit, when I came back to play U-22 this year, I was much more confident," Engstrom said. "I think coming in as a rookie, I looked up to all those players, but I respected them even more. It wasn't in awe respect, like 'Oh, my god!' It was like, 'OK, I want you to teach me something,' because I know that they are at the elite level. I love that team. They pushed each other everyday and they pushed me, and it made everybody better."
Engstrom is a seasoned veteran of international competition, having participated in a bevy of international games for Team USA, both as a member of the national team that collected silver at last year's IIHF Women's World Championships and as a player on USA's U-22 team the past two summers. Engstrom has tried to take what she has learned and bring it back to the University of Wisconsin to try to impress the lessons upon her teammates, to give the Badgers any extra edge they can get.
"Playing at a higher level [internationally], you definitely want to bring what you learn at that level back with you," Engstrom said. "Bring it to your own team to make everybody on your team better. You always want to push your teammates, and if you can bring any asset to them, it is big."
Team captain Carla MacLeod, also a veteran of international competition, although for Team Canada, agreed wholeheartedly.
"Anytime you can go out there and play against the top players in the world, you're going to learn from it," MacLeod said. "You might get burnt in a drill or something, but that is what those opportunities allow. They allow you to realize where your weak points are as a player and to work on them."
Engstrom added that the level of play is much higher and the competition much more heated. She implied that success on the international level generally meant that there was success at every other level along the way.
"The international game is a much different game. It's very fast. The competition, knowing you are competing for your country against other countries, just adds to the experience," Engstrom said. "Internationally against Canada, I mean, the USA and Canada are the best teams in the world. I don't think there is any comparison when you put a team from the WCHA head-to-head with a Nation Team. The elite level of the players, it is a different level for a reason. The pace of the game is much faster. You've got to be on your toes."
Engstrom will continue her career for the U.S. this fall as one of 15 players selected to the U.S. National Team, which will begin competition Nov. 10-14, when the U.S. will attempt to defend its gold medal at the Four Nation's Cup, which will take place in Lake Placid, N.Y. Engstrom will then likely continue to play for the United States in the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
With Engstrom and the Badgers in the hunt for an NCAA title this year, the question begs to be asked: Which would you rather have, a gold medal or an NCAA title?
"If I had to choose? I can't compare that," Engstrom said, laughing at the difficulty of the decision. "The NCAA [title], that is the gold medal for college hockey. Both would be nice."
The Badgers are lucky to have a player who can aid them in the toughest moments with a poise that can only be gained through playing in the highest pressured environments imaginable.
Engstrom feels that she is the lucky one, being able to live a dream not many players are afforded.
"It's an experience," Engstrom said. "That's the highest level you can get to at this point in women's hockey, and I'm fortunate to be able to compete at that level. I'm very honored to wear the USA jersey every time I put it on."
