University of Minnesota Athletics
Student-Athlete Profile: Senior Forward Kelly Stephens
2/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Ever again? Now those are some strong words, but one thing is for certain: Golden Gopher fans will never have the pleasure of witnessing an integral part to that famous first line don the Maroon and Gold after this year wraps up. That key component is senior forward Kelly Stephens.
The free-spirited Stephens, who brings an unrivaled toughness to the forward position, has had a banner career in her four years at the U of M. In her time, she has dazzled fans with her ability to pass, shoot, and score, while also leading her teammates with her easy going yet up-beat personality. Even with her Gopher career coming to a close in the quest for back-to-back national championships, she remains one of the most captivating and positive people one could come in contact with. Stephens is so focused on helping the team get back to the NCAA championship that she hasn't even slowed down to think about it all.
"To be honest, I don't even think about it," Stephens commented. "I know it's a reality. I understand that it's coming to a close. But I love playing here and I love Ridder Arena. It doesn't get much better than this and I'm just trying to enjoy the moment while I'm there. I'll deal with it when it comes to an end, and just take it as it is."
Stephens has always sort of taken life as it is. Only once she takes it, she makes the most of it. Growing up in Shoreline, Wash., an area not known as a hockey hotbed, Stephens had no choice but to hone her skills by playing hockey with guys. One season she lived in Calgary playing on a boys' team at a private school, experiences that have played a major part in making her the tough player she is today.
"I'm not naturally a tough person and playing with guys growing up taught me a lot about the game, physically and mentally," she said. "But playing with guys you have that feeling that someone is coming behind you, and you hear the footsteps. So there was definitely a transition coming from guys to girls. I did get knocked around a bit, but I also like to throw my body too, so it goes both ways; it's a different style of play."
Stephens held her own so well that it ultimately led to a stint with the Vancouver Griffins of the National Women's Hockey League, where she received even more attention, ultimately earning her a spot on the U.S. National Select team. From that point, Stephens explains her path to Minnesota as "a lot of little random events coming together."
Coming from the Northwest, it was her attendance at USA hockey festival camps that helped Stephens catch the eye of Golden Gopher coaches. She explains the situation as follows, "A lot of coaches in Canada called places down here and said, `Hey I have this American girl up in Canada, have you seen her?' It was a she's in the wrong country sort of thing. So, I got a lot of help from people, networking for me you could say."
It is safe to say that Golden Gopher fans, coaches and players are happy that networking occurred. Since her arrival on the U of M campus Stephens has been on an assault of the record books. Through 30 games in 2004-05 she has 16 career game-winning goals, 91 goals, 109 assists and will finish her career with well over 200 points. The statistical onslaught picked up at a rapid pace during her junior season where there were only four games in which she didn't record a point, had 19 multi-point games and had an astounding plus/minus-ratio of plus 57. Putting up these numbers benefited the team as well who held a 30-1-0 record when Stephens scored a point. This season she has continued to put up big numbers with already over 50 points and the team has been ranked number one in the nation all year. As modest as she is lively, the statistics do not amaze her.
"Honestly, that's not a big thing for me," Stephens said. "You can measure players by points and statistics, but at the same time there are so many other players who are so influential that don't get those numbers, so statistics have never been a focus of mine. It is nice to hear that things are going well, but I think the greatness of a player can be measured in other ways."
One stat that is unique to Stephens is penalties. It is not often to see a forward spend as much time in the box as number 18, and it has been a trend throughout her career, but with the new officiating emphasis Stephens has had the penalty box door opened for her quite a bit. This is surprising in one sense because the Golden Gopher co-captain is not a dirty player, but she explains it as the process of still getting used to the transition to women's hockey. A process, which to her credit has improved a great deal in the latter half of the season, as she learns to play within the rules consistently.
"The officiating has changed, but I think it's better because they are calling more of the cheap stuff like contact to the head and checking from behind, which I'm in favor of," Stephens explained. "A lot of it with me is that because of guys' hockey, I'm used to bracing myself constantly. Whenever I catch a pass or don't have the puck, I'm ready to be hit most of the time because that's how it always was for me. A lot of girls don't brace themselves because they don't need to. They've never had the fear of getting hit. It's one of those things that works for and against me. A girl will run into me and fall, and I'll go in to the box because it looks like I threw a hit, even though I was really just bracing myself so I didn't fly."
Even with the her unfortunate trips to the penalty box, Stephens remains one of the most dominating and fun to watch collegiate hockey players. As for life after hockey, Stephens who "lives in the moment" is not quite sure what the future holds. Before she settles down she'd like to travel and see Australia and Europe, and will spend time boogie boarding on the West Coast, or snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains. Even with the exciting plans that lie ahead, Stephens will never forget the her memorable times at the U of M.
"I'm going to miss the hockey. This has been the most fun four years of hockey I've ever had. I'm going to miss the atmosphere and the feeling you get everyday being part of this great team," Stephens said.
As the last few weeks of the hockey season wind down, Golden Gopher fans will be able to catch a last glimpse of number 18 with the trademark long, blonde, braided ponytail whisk in front of the net to score yet another goal, and they too will miss the hockey. The fans, as the coach put it, may never see a line as talented as this season's first line ever again.
But to those who know Kelly Stephens, the women's hockey staff, the coaches, her teammates, and friends, they will miss more than the brilliant hockey career. They will miss the bright smile, the "going through the motions" in warm-ups, and the one-of-a-kind personality that is Kelly Stephens. But here's a suggestion to all those just mentioned, wait to tell her that, because until she has back-to-back NCAA championships, she doesn't want to hear it.
story by Dominic Ladd, athletic communications graduate assistant Great teams are made up of great players, and over the last couple of seasons, the University of Minnesota has been the team to beat in women's collegiate hockey. The players, most noticeably the first line, have created quite a buzz in Minneapolis, as well as nationally. That first line, which consists of three players on the U.S. National Team, deserves all the credit they're receiving. Just ask coach Laura Halldorson, who recently stated, "I want people to come watch them. They won't see a line of this caliber maybe ever again."
Ever again? Now those are some strong words, but one thing is for certain: Golden Gopher fans will never have the pleasure of witnessing an integral part to that famous first line don the Maroon and Gold after this year wraps up. That key component is senior forward Kelly Stephens.
The free-spirited Stephens, who brings an unrivaled toughness to the forward position, has had a banner career in her four years at the U of M. In her time, she has dazzled fans with her ability to pass, shoot, and score, while also leading her teammates with her easy going yet up-beat personality. Even with her Gopher career coming to a close in the quest for back-to-back national championships, she remains one of the most captivating and positive people one could come in contact with. Stephens is so focused on helping the team get back to the NCAA championship that she hasn't even slowed down to think about it all.
"To be honest, I don't even think about it," Stephens commented. "I know it's a reality. I understand that it's coming to a close. But I love playing here and I love Ridder Arena. It doesn't get much better than this and I'm just trying to enjoy the moment while I'm there. I'll deal with it when it comes to an end, and just take it as it is."
Stephens has always sort of taken life as it is. Only once she takes it, she makes the most of it. Growing up in Shoreline, Wash., an area not known as a hockey hotbed, Stephens had no choice but to hone her skills by playing hockey with guys. One season she lived in Calgary playing on a boys' team at a private school, experiences that have played a major part in making her the tough player she is today.
"I'm not naturally a tough person and playing with guys growing up taught me a lot about the game, physically and mentally," she said. "But playing with guys you have that feeling that someone is coming behind you, and you hear the footsteps. So there was definitely a transition coming from guys to girls. I did get knocked around a bit, but I also like to throw my body too, so it goes both ways; it's a different style of play."
Stephens held her own so well that it ultimately led to a stint with the Vancouver Griffins of the National Women's Hockey League, where she received even more attention, ultimately earning her a spot on the U.S. National Select team. From that point, Stephens explains her path to Minnesota as "a lot of little random events coming together."
Coming from the Northwest, it was her attendance at USA hockey festival camps that helped Stephens catch the eye of Golden Gopher coaches. She explains the situation as follows, "A lot of coaches in Canada called places down here and said, `Hey I have this American girl up in Canada, have you seen her?' It was a she's in the wrong country sort of thing. So, I got a lot of help from people, networking for me you could say."
It is safe to say that Golden Gopher fans, coaches and players are happy that networking occurred. Since her arrival on the U of M campus Stephens has been on an assault of the record books. Through 30 games in 2004-05 she has 16 career game-winning goals, 91 goals, 109 assists and will finish her career with well over 200 points. The statistical onslaught picked up at a rapid pace during her junior season where there were only four games in which she didn't record a point, had 19 multi-point games and had an astounding plus/minus-ratio of plus 57. Putting up these numbers benefited the team as well who held a 30-1-0 record when Stephens scored a point. This season she has continued to put up big numbers with already over 50 points and the team has been ranked number one in the nation all year. As modest as she is lively, the statistics do not amaze her.
"Honestly, that's not a big thing for me," Stephens said. "You can measure players by points and statistics, but at the same time there are so many other players who are so influential that don't get those numbers, so statistics have never been a focus of mine. It is nice to hear that things are going well, but I think the greatness of a player can be measured in other ways."
One stat that is unique to Stephens is penalties. It is not often to see a forward spend as much time in the box as number 18, and it has been a trend throughout her career, but with the new officiating emphasis Stephens has had the penalty box door opened for her quite a bit. This is surprising in one sense because the Golden Gopher co-captain is not a dirty player, but she explains it as the process of still getting used to the transition to women's hockey. A process, which to her credit has improved a great deal in the latter half of the season, as she learns to play within the rules consistently.
"The officiating has changed, but I think it's better because they are calling more of the cheap stuff like contact to the head and checking from behind, which I'm in favor of," Stephens explained. "A lot of it with me is that because of guys' hockey, I'm used to bracing myself constantly. Whenever I catch a pass or don't have the puck, I'm ready to be hit most of the time because that's how it always was for me. A lot of girls don't brace themselves because they don't need to. They've never had the fear of getting hit. It's one of those things that works for and against me. A girl will run into me and fall, and I'll go in to the box because it looks like I threw a hit, even though I was really just bracing myself so I didn't fly."
Even with the her unfortunate trips to the penalty box, Stephens remains one of the most dominating and fun to watch collegiate hockey players. As for life after hockey, Stephens who "lives in the moment" is not quite sure what the future holds. Before she settles down she'd like to travel and see Australia and Europe, and will spend time boogie boarding on the West Coast, or snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains. Even with the exciting plans that lie ahead, Stephens will never forget the her memorable times at the U of M.
"I'm going to miss the hockey. This has been the most fun four years of hockey I've ever had. I'm going to miss the atmosphere and the feeling you get everyday being part of this great team," Stephens said.
As the last few weeks of the hockey season wind down, Golden Gopher fans will be able to catch a last glimpse of number 18 with the trademark long, blonde, braided ponytail whisk in front of the net to score yet another goal, and they too will miss the hockey. The fans, as the coach put it, may never see a line as talented as this season's first line ever again.
But to those who know Kelly Stephens, the women's hockey staff, the coaches, her teammates, and friends, they will miss more than the brilliant hockey career. They will miss the bright smile, the "going through the motions" in warm-ups, and the one-of-a-kind personality that is Kelly Stephens. But here's a suggestion to all those just mentioned, wait to tell her that, because until she has back-to-back NCAA championships, she doesn't want to hear it.
story by Dominic Ladd, athletic communications graduate assistant
