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Erika Lawler may be the smallest person on the ice, but she often has the biggest impact.
Listed generously at an even five feet, Lawler has consistently made her presence felt on the ice, despite her small stature.
"If you watch us play, you will notice her," head coach Mark Johnson said. "And that is a good thing."
Even though Lawler often plays against opponents who are more than a foot taller than her, she hardly notices the difference.
"I never think about how much shorter I am than someone else," Lawler said. "Although on a faceoff it can be kind of funny when I am lining up against someone a lot bigger than me and I am at their stick length. But usually, I really never think about it, and if I did think about it, it would probably just hurt me rather than help me."
Though she was never the tallest kid growing up, Lawler has been destined to play hockey from a young age.
"I come from a family that plays a lot of hockey," Lawler said. "My dad played hockey in college, and my aunt played hockey in college, so it is just a family thing I guess. My dad coached me when I was younger, and I have just loved playing hockey ever since I can remember."
The Badgers were lucky Lawler committed to Wisconsin. Originally from Fitchburg, Mass., Lawler never thought she would come to UW. However, she visited Madison by chance when she came to watch the Badgers play the Gophers and figured she should give Wisconsin a look.
"Wisconsin was my fifth choice originally," Lawler said. "When I came here I was like, 'Wow. This place is amazing.' Whether it is the coaching staff, the facilities or the campus, everything about this place had a great feel to it."
Ever since coming to UW, the junior has experienced plenty of success. During her freshman campaign, Lawler scored 32 points, sixth best on the team. The next season, she led all sophomores with 38 points. But perhaps best of all, her team won the NCAA Championship both years.
Despite her success, Lawler is not concerned with her point totals.
"I am not thinking about how many stats I am putting up," Lawler said. "As long as I can look myself in the mirror after the game and know that I tried my hardest, I consider it a good game. I try not to let points scored define me as a player."
"She always seems to be in attack mode," Johnson said. "She is a very good skater. She likes to have the puck, and when she doesn't have the puck, she will go and get it."
Equally important has been Lawler's leadership on and off the ice. As a junior and one of the team's more experienced players, Lawler has embraced the increased responsibility.
"Erika is definitely a leader," fellow linemate Meghan Duggan said. "Not only is she an upperclassman, but she is a really vocal person on the ice. She knows hockey probably better than anyone on this team. Often times before coach comes in the locker room, she will say 'Guys, we really need to do this,' and then Coach (Johnson) will come in and say the exact same thing."
"If you look at our forwards, she has probably been our most consistent forward since the beginning of the year," Johnson said. "She plays every game like it is her last one and she plays tenaciously. I think that rubs off on the other players and helps them learn."
Besides her play on the ice and her leadership off it, Lawler may have helped UW with a little recruiting of her own. Duggan, a sophomore and last year's WCHA Rookie of the Year, went to the same boarding school as Lawler — Cushing Academy — and roomed with Lawler during high school.
"Just because I am here, it does not mean that [Meghan] decided to come here," Lawler said. "However, I would always talk to her about how much I loved it. So when she is talking to someone who keeps raving about their school, she might have thought that it was worth checking out.
"Once you get here and see how amazing this place is, it is an easy decision."