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26 Lateral movement on the blue line is one area Madeline is working on this season as she prepares for college hockey. "Making good decisions, whether that's making a pass back door, or creating chanc- es for my forwards in front of the net," Madeline said. "I've noticed the older you get, the better the forwards are at blocking shots and getting in those lanes as quickly as possible. So you need to find a way to get it through." NOT JUST HOCKEY Despite what many people think, Madeline says, she does not just play hockey 24/7. She's been in choir, soccer, math club, skiing and snowboarding, and even jug- gling club (she can juggle five balls at a time). She's also captain of the Blake golf team. "I see more and more kids so focused on one sport at a young age and that's not the way I was brought up," said Madeline, who plans on studying pre-med at the University of Minnesota. "That's not the way my whole family was raised. I think that's super important—to be well balanced and do a lot of different activities. "When something becomes a chore, I don't think that's a good thing. I've never really felt like, 'oh, I have to go to hockey.' It's more like, 'oh, I want to go to hockey. I love hockey.' I wouldn't play if I didn't like it." PRESTIGIOUS INVITE Madeline has already answered numerous calls to represent her country. She helped Team USA capture three straight IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship gold medals in 2016, 2017 and 2018. This past December, she was invited to the 2018 U.S. Women's National Team Evaluation Camp at USA Hockey Arena. In other words, she earned the opportu- nity to play with and against the top players in the country, includ- ing the Olympians she watched win gold less than a year earlier. On top of that, she got to play with Lee Stecklein, who was coached by her uncle Vic and played with her cousin Hanna Brodt at Roseville. "We were D part- ners for a game, which was really cool. So it kind of just comes full circle and it was real- ly special to lace up the skates with her," Madeline said. "I don't think she gets enough attention or credit for how amazing of a play- er, but more importantly as a person, she is. She's been someone that I've looked up to for a long time. So when I was probably 10, 11, 12 years old, I would always go to their high school games and watch them." DREAMER OF DREAMS Madeline has her sights set, but takes noth- ing for granted. "Madeline is one of the most dedicated hockey players I have ever coached," Reid said. "She trains every single day and is totally committed to being the best player she can be in an effort to contribute to the team's success." She still uses the 2018 Olympians as fuel, but insists on forging her own path. "With all the pressure on them, they used it to their advantage and they capitalized on their opportunities," she said. "Watching them play was super exciting, but at the same time, I want to be there someday, and I want to have that same experience and same feel- ing. I want to do that in the future." Herb Brooks was a dreamer. The 1998 and 2018 gold medalists were dreamers. Count Madeline in as a dreamer. "It's definitely something I dream about doing someday," she said. "But dreaming isn't everything. That's just dreaming. You have to put in all the hard work for that. So when I was watching it on TV, I was actually thinking more of, what does it take to get there? What do I have to do? How do I prepare myself ? "That's what dreaming means to me." Shakopee's Gracie Ostertag (left), Wethington (center) and Red Wing's Taylor Heise (right) celebrate 2018 gold. M H J O N L I N E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 1 9 26 Wethington finished the regular season with 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points in 25 games. "Name a skill and she has it." – Blake head coach Shawn Reid on Madeline Wethington