|
Pudsey becoming a weapon
 Media Credit: Danielle Tallman SCSU sophomore Melanie Pudsey has become the women’s hockey team’s biggest offensive weapon. She currently leads the team in goals scored.
|
|
Although the women’s Husky hockey team owns a 1-6 record, the team is finding depth from different players.
One of those players is sophomore forward Melanie Pudsey. Growing up in Erin, Ontario, Pudsey’s love for the game of hockey began at the ripe old age of six when she first started to play.
“I decided I wanted to play hockey really young, but my parents thought there were only boys’ leagues to play in,” Pudsey said.
At the age of 12, a friend of Pudsey’s mother found a league for women in the neighboring city of Orangeville. Pudsey played for Orangeville for a few years, until moving to Toronto and playing in leagues there and then finally playing for the Beatrice Junior Aeros two years ago. During her one season with the Aeros, she helped them win the Provincial Tournament and was named Athlete of the Year during the 1999-00 season.
Everyone has somebody they look to for advice or coaching. Pudsey is no exception. She lists her dad, George, as the person who has helped her most with her game.
“It would definitely be my dad,” Pudsey said. “He’s driven with me to every game, in fact he’s barely missed one game. Even when I’m here (at SCSU), he flies down to the games as much as he can.”
Pudsey also stated that her mom was a big influence on her game, but said her dad was the one she went to whenever she had a problem on the ice.
After her stint with the Aeros, the hockey gods brought Pudsey to SCSU.
In her freshman season, Pudsey battled an ankle injury that hampered her play the entire season.
“I played the entire season with my ankle injured last year, which didn’t help,” she said. “But in the off-season I worked on it and now I’m a lot stronger and my ankle is too.”
Pudsey finished her first-year campaign with five points (four goals and one assist). Two of those were power play goals. She scored her first career collegiate goal on, ironically, the first shot of her collegiate career against Wisconsin. She tacked on two more goals later in the season in games against Providence and New Hampshire.
This year she’s gotten off to a fast start. In three games she has two goals, which leads SCSU in goals scored. Her first goal this season came in her first game back from a shoulder injury she suffered in an exhibition game against her former team, the Aeros. Her second goal came in the Minnesota series two weekends ago.
Husky head coach Jason Lesteberg feels that Pudsey brings a lot to the table for the team.
“She loves the game of hockey,” Lesteberg said. “On the ice she’s got very good hands, good vision and good feel for the game.”
Pudsey thinks that Lesteberg is helping bring her game to the next level.
“I think he’s pushing me to be the best I can be,” she said. “I think it’s helping that we have a lot of support from him and the assistant coaches.”
Lesteberg went on to say that he felt that Pudsey had great stick handling and is one of the team’s biggest workhorses with a great knack for scoring goals.
Although Pudsey is only a sophomore on the team, Lesteberg feels she can be a star on the team.
“She needs to work on a few things, which we’ve talked about,” he said. “She’s only a sophomore and she has a long road ahead of her. When you have that and you’ve got the drive, you’re only going to get better.”
|
|
|
|
Privacy Policy Network Advertising Article Syndication
|
|
