Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1457826
M H J O N L I N E . C O M | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 26 Kucera agreed to bring the proposition to Stilwell. "I had heard rumblings on the dorm f loor that this was a possibil- ity," said Stilwell. "But I just thought, there's no way this is going to happen. This can't be real. There's no way this ends up happening. And then, sure enough, my tennis coach asked to meet with me, and he just explained the situation and asked if I would be interested. "He explained the risks that could potentially happen and all of that and let me figure it out. We met with the hockey team and met with quite a few people in our meeting so it was a little overwhelming just how many people had a say in this situation, but we talked it out scheduling-wise, what I will do, what I won't, and all that both teams would do to help me. "It moved very fast. I believe I found out on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and I was on the ice Saturday, and we played Ohio State on Thursday, so just very fast moving—I don't know if I even processed it if I'm being honest. Just kind of went with the f low." STARTING IN GOAL… Harrington and brass worked to get clearance for Stillwell to make sure she would be compliant to join the hockey team. Luckily, she had already been NCA A sanctioned through tennis. And still, the plan heading into a weekend bout with Ohio State, then the No. 2 women's team in the country, was to have Stilwell as a backup to Frank. "And then we get word from our athletic trainer that Frank didn't pass concussion protocols so she can't play," said Harrington with a laugh. "So, all of a sudden, we have Avery, and we're going to Ohio State, and I don't know what's going to happen." With just three team practices and one tutor practice, Stilwell was told she was starting. "I laughed. I was like, are you serious? How is that possible," recalled Stilwell. "I left tennis practice and went to the rink to do full recovery with their athletic trainer since I was sore using muscles that I hadn't used in months since I last played in high school. "It was all just really crazy." M H J O N L I N E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 2 2 26 Stilwell was a five-time all-conference tennis player, four-time all- conference hockey goalie, and all-star softball catcher for Litchfield. Photo / Contributed by the Stilwell Family