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herself a nd the ment a l side of the game away from the ice, looking more at film. " Work ing on those things throug hout the of fsea son wa s a big focus of m ine," sa id Hug hes. An extended offseason gave more oppor- tunities. COVID -19 restrictions pushed the camp, which was originally scheduled for August in Lake Placid, N.Y., back two months and 1,000 miles west. Delays in the NCAA season made an October camp possible, according to USA Hockey director of women's national programs Katie Million. " We kept an open mind about when we could possibly get together again and what would be the safest route. Taking into account all the protocols and test- ing and bringing people in — not only players but staff too — from all over the country and different hot spots, we just kept working on a plan to hopefully get back on the ice together," she said. "It seemed that we found a really great window (in October) in that the virus wasn't spiking and things weren't too bad." Working with lead physician Dr. Ally Howe, Million and USA Hockey came up with its own protocols and testing to safe- ly conduct a camp during the pandem- ic. Constantly in touch with the USOPC and USA Hockey Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Stuart from the Mayo Clinic, the end result involved taking pieces of proto- cols from all different entities and making one that was their own. "We had a lot of support from a lot of different reputable people and companies," said Million. "Honestly, the protocols and testing that we put in place seemed to work well. We were very successful with the camp and through all of our testing, (there were) zero positive cases. To me, that was a win." While it was a new experience staying away from others, quarantining and not getting to fully catch up with those they hadn't seen for a while, being on the ice felt normal. For Heise, who has been a leader in her age group and part of USA Hockey since she was 15 and coached by Julie Chu, it helped playing with some of the best players in the world. Wanting to get 1 percent better each day, the University of Minnesota junior for- ward was happy having the chance to be evaluated for the first time in months. She also enjoyed being camp teammates with Olympians Brianna Decker and Kacey Bellamy. "Being able to really connect with people who truly have the same love of the game as you is really interest- ing," Heise said. "I feel if I look at myself and keep trying to get better as a person and as a hockey player, it's much better than me comparing myself to other people because that sometimes brings you down and brings a negative attitude. I just try to take things day by day." Hughes, meanwhile, noted the speed and difference playing against older players who Photo / UMD Athletics M H J ON L I N E . C O M | J A N / F E B 20 2 1 22 Former Centennial star and UMD junior Gabbie Hughes is one of the WCHA's top scoring threats. "You always know that someone out there is working harder than you, but to go and see that everyone is still improving in their game, it makes you realize that you got to keep going and work harder than everyone else." –GABBIE HUGHES