University of Minnesota Athletics
Holy Moley, What a Goalie; Sophomore Jody Horak
2/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
This season has been much of the same in terms of Horak's performing abilities. Currently the Golden Gophers are 19-2-0 when she is in net. Horak is ranked No. 1 in the nation with a .934 save percentage. She is steady, consistent and someone who Minnesota can count on as the last line of defense. Stopping the opponent is a welcomed challenge for Horak. She is the type of player who thrives under pressure. This season Horak has seen more playing time, which has also meant increased pressure from a year ago. She has handled the transition very well.
"I do not think fans realize how difficult it can be for a sophomore to come back strong following an exceptional freshman year," Minnesota goalie coach Jeff Moen said. "If things do not go well, you always have the excuse that you are a freshman. When you become a sophomore, there is a lot more pressure because now a high level of play is no longer hoped for, it is expected."
The expectations to perform at a high level are what Horak works hard to achieve. She never backs down from a challenge and is very intense during games and practice. According to Moen, she smiles (literally) while doing conditioning drills. One can only hope that she is visualizing the shocked look on the faces of her opponents when she denies them a goal. That feeling has to be satisfying. But staying consistent with her performance from last season seems to be the most fulfilling aspect of her game.
"There is always pressure when you come off a successful season like we had last year," Horak said. "But especially on the goalie because we are the last line of defense."
She is the lone player who sits in the net, enjoying the best seat in Ridder Arena. Horak sees the game being played in front of her and most of the time she sits back and watches her teammates do their thing. Don't get me wrong; Horak does protect Minnesota's goal, as her statistics have shown. She has also proven to be one of the best at her position in women's college hockey.
"Jody is very accountable, she doesn't just go through the motions," Moen said. "Her statistics are very impressive, but they aren't of too much importance to her. Her focus is on the team and its overall success."
"I like to play a lot of games and I always want to be in the net," Horak said. "I want to have an impact on the team and our successes throughout the season. It has been a lot of fun to play as many games as I have this season."
Last season Horak traded goaltending duties with fellow teammate Brenda Reinen . This season Horak has received the honor of being the starting goalie, one that separates herself from the rest. Goalies are different in the fact that they are very superstitious when it comes to hockey. Horak tries to deny the idea.
"I really do not have any superstitions, but a lot of hockey players do," Horak explained. "I guess the only thing I do is put my equipment on the same way before every game. I tie my left skate before my right and my right knee pad before my left." I guess it is true what people say about hockey players, especially goalies. "Hockey players are very superstitious, especially goalies," Horak commented with laughter.
"Jody has logged the majority of the playing time this year," commented Moen. "Certainly there is more responsibility, but she is the type of player who plays her best under pressure. She has a great approach to the game. I have never seen her intimidated and she welcomes challenging situations. She is a quiet leader who leads by example."
Her hard work and numbers have proven to be important combinations for Minnesota and their continued success. "Jody is a very technically sound goaltender and that is what allows her to be as consistent as she is," Moen said. "She works very hard and tries to get something out of every practice."
Horak tries to get something out of every game as well. Visualization is a huge aspect of a goalie's game and to be able to see the puck and visualize what went right and what went wrong, is a huge benefit for any goalie.
"I play goals over in my head," Horak said. "It helps me to learn from my mistakes and move on to the next opportunity to stop the puck."
Horak is ready for that opportunity to stop the puck when Minnesota faces interstate rival Minnesota Duluth this Friday and Saturday.
"UMD is our toughest competition and biggest rivals," Horak commented. "They are a talented team with a lot of depth." UMD may have a lot of depth, but they do not have Minnesota Golden Gopher Jody Horak as their last line of defense.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Lisa J. Hardy The phrase "holy moley what a goalie" comes to mind when thinking about Minnesota sophomore Jody Horak. She had an amazing rookie season tallying a 14-2-2 win-loss-tie record with four of those wins coming by the way of a shutout. Horak was second in the nation with a .947 save percentage and an .833 winning percentage. For her accomplishments, Horak was named to the All-WCHA First Team and was selected as the WCHA Rookie of the Week twice. She joined teammate Brenda Reinen, as US College Hockey Online's Defensive Players of the Week for their tremendous wins over Minnesota Duluth last January.
This season has been much of the same in terms of Horak's performing abilities. Currently the Golden Gophers are 19-2-0 when she is in net. Horak is ranked No. 1 in the nation with a .934 save percentage. She is steady, consistent and someone who Minnesota can count on as the last line of defense. Stopping the opponent is a welcomed challenge for Horak. She is the type of player who thrives under pressure. This season Horak has seen more playing time, which has also meant increased pressure from a year ago. She has handled the transition very well.
"I do not think fans realize how difficult it can be for a sophomore to come back strong following an exceptional freshman year," Minnesota goalie coach Jeff Moen said. "If things do not go well, you always have the excuse that you are a freshman. When you become a sophomore, there is a lot more pressure because now a high level of play is no longer hoped for, it is expected."
The expectations to perform at a high level are what Horak works hard to achieve. She never backs down from a challenge and is very intense during games and practice. According to Moen, she smiles (literally) while doing conditioning drills. One can only hope that she is visualizing the shocked look on the faces of her opponents when she denies them a goal. That feeling has to be satisfying. But staying consistent with her performance from last season seems to be the most fulfilling aspect of her game.
"There is always pressure when you come off a successful season like we had last year," Horak said. "But especially on the goalie because we are the last line of defense."
She is the lone player who sits in the net, enjoying the best seat in Ridder Arena. Horak sees the game being played in front of her and most of the time she sits back and watches her teammates do their thing. Don't get me wrong; Horak does protect Minnesota's goal, as her statistics have shown. She has also proven to be one of the best at her position in women's college hockey.
"Jody is very accountable, she doesn't just go through the motions," Moen said. "Her statistics are very impressive, but they aren't of too much importance to her. Her focus is on the team and its overall success."
"I like to play a lot of games and I always want to be in the net," Horak said. "I want to have an impact on the team and our successes throughout the season. It has been a lot of fun to play as many games as I have this season."
Last season Horak traded goaltending duties with fellow teammate Brenda Reinen . This season Horak has received the honor of being the starting goalie, one that separates herself from the rest. Goalies are different in the fact that they are very superstitious when it comes to hockey. Horak tries to deny the idea.
"I really do not have any superstitions, but a lot of hockey players do," Horak explained. "I guess the only thing I do is put my equipment on the same way before every game. I tie my left skate before my right and my right knee pad before my left." I guess it is true what people say about hockey players, especially goalies. "Hockey players are very superstitious, especially goalies," Horak commented with laughter.
"Jody has logged the majority of the playing time this year," commented Moen. "Certainly there is more responsibility, but she is the type of player who plays her best under pressure. She has a great approach to the game. I have never seen her intimidated and she welcomes challenging situations. She is a quiet leader who leads by example."
Her hard work and numbers have proven to be important combinations for Minnesota and their continued success. "Jody is a very technically sound goaltender and that is what allows her to be as consistent as she is," Moen said. "She works very hard and tries to get something out of every practice."
Horak tries to get something out of every game as well. Visualization is a huge aspect of a goalie's game and to be able to see the puck and visualize what went right and what went wrong, is a huge benefit for any goalie.
"I play goals over in my head," Horak said. "It helps me to learn from my mistakes and move on to the next opportunity to stop the puck."
Horak is ready for that opportunity to stop the puck when Minnesota faces interstate rival Minnesota Duluth this Friday and Saturday.
"UMD is our toughest competition and biggest rivals," Horak commented. "They are a talented team with a lot of depth." UMD may have a lot of depth, but they do not have Minnesota Golden Gopher Jody Horak as their last line of defense.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Lisa J. Hardy
