Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1511424
N O V. / D E C . 2 0 2 3 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 17 MHJ // Has anything about the college expe- rience surprised you so far? EB // The games are a lot faster and more physical. You're also definitely a lot busier. We have a lot on our plate with classes and balancing out homework. But it's a lot of fun. You have to do well with time management, so it's definitely a big change from high school. MHJ // How did you get into hockey? EB //My dad played in college and I have an older brother who played. I grew up in Sartell and we lived on a pond. That 's when I really started to love the game. My brother and my brother's teammates and some neighbors and I would play. F POSITION: Sartell COLLEGE: HOMETOWN: University of St. Thomas THE BOERGER FILE S H O O T S : L e f t HEIGHT: 5' 7" FUN FACT: Ella was Andover High School's Athena Award Winner for playing hockey, golf and tennis YOUTH HOCKEY: Sartell Youth Hockey The car ride home after winning the State Championship was crazy…I couldn't wait to get home and talk to my parents about it. We had a team sleepover that night, too. It was so much fun. I'll never forget that night." W hen it was a weekend, everyone would come over and we would be on the ice for hours. My dad bought some super nice boards and would always be working on the ice to make it better. MHJ // What would you tell your younger self? EB // I would tell my younger self to control your attitude and effort. Show up at the rink every day and have a good attitude and work your hardest. Just enjoy your time. You can only play hockey for so long. MHJ // How special was it to win the State Tournament not once, but twice? EB // It was an unreal experience. Such a great group of girls that were on those teams. The car ride home after winning the state champi- onship was crazy. I was a freshman. Everybody was so happy and some people were crying in disbelief. I couldn't wait to get home and talk to my parents about it. We had a team sleepover that night, too. It was so much fun. I'll never forget that night. MHJ // Tips for younger players? EB // Definitely focus on shooting and stickhan- dling. The really good players all have a really good stick, so working on that on your own time will really help. MHJ // Why does Minnesota continue to produce the most girls' hockey players? EB // I feel like it's the sense of community and opportunity we have in hockey here. Youth hockey, the State Tournament, it brings so much attention to the game in Minnesota. And there have definitely been a lot of standout players, like Natalie Darwitz, Winny Brodt-Brown. It sets the bar high for girls in Minnesota. MHJ // How can we grow the girls' and women's game even more? EB // I think the older players coming back to their communities and being around the young- er players really helps. At Andover, at least once a week a couple of us girls would skate with the 8Us or do shooting lessons with them. One or two nights we did a movie night in our locker room.