University of Minnesota Athletics
Featured Player: Anne Schleper
10/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Oct. 12, 2011
This weekend, the Gophers welcome in St. Cloud State to open up WCHA play and one Gopher is facing her hometown team. Defenseman Anne Schleper grew up in St. Cloud and fell in love with the game of hockey playing on the ponds of central Minnesota.
"I lived in a cul de sac next to Rotary Park in St. Cloud. My mom would have to drag me off the rink at 10 o'clock at night." Schleper said, "My older brother was really generous and allowed me to play with his friends, it was really fun." Now Schleper is a key cog in the Gophers' blueline.
Schleper first realized that she could play hockey in college when her dad took her to a Huskies women's hockey game while she was in middle school. "I went to a (women's hockey) game with my dad because he wanted to take me. At the time, I wasn't really thinking about playing hockey in college as an opportunity, but I went and said, 'Dad, I can play with them, I can do this!' That's where my inspiration came from."
Anne went to high school at St. Cloud Cathedral where she was a three-sport athlete, playing soccer, and softball, in addition to hockey. She believes playing multiple sports in high school helped her develop athletically and personally. "A lot of my favorite memories come from playing sports in high school, I think it is very important to be a multi-sport athlete growing up. It helps you with cross-training and you get to meet different people and bond with different groups." She captained the hockey team in both her junior and senior seasons.
Schleper is now a leader among the Gophers' defense. As a veteran, she remembers how former teammates helped her when she was a younger member of the team and hopes to pass on her experience and wisdom on to the younger defenseman on the 2011-12 Golden Gophers. "It is going to be key for me to take a couple of the younger defenseman under my wing and help them develop. We have a lot of players that have the ability to be great hockey players."
Anne is one of the top offensive-defensemen in the country and says offense is a big part of what makes her successful. "I enjoy joining the rush with the forwards. I like being on the power play and penalty kill, but it is important for me to remember that defense always comes first." The Gophers have a strong defensive group and elite goaltending which allows defensemen like Anne jump into the attack with confidence that the defensive zone is being covered.
Schleper confidently stated that each game is a chance to play with her teammates in the sport she loves and be regardless of the opponent, but did admit that games in St. Cloud provide her an extra spark of adrenaline. "It is fun to play in front of my family and friends that are in St. Cloud and can't always make it to the Twin Cities." Anne has had a lot of success in St. Cloud while wearing the maroon and gold. In six games at the National Hockey Center, the senior has posted 10 points and the Gophers had victories in five of those games. "Any time you are playing in front of close family and friends energy is ramped up a little bit. My energy really comes from playing the game that I love." The Gophers will travel up I-94 to St. Cloud on February 3rd and 4th and Anne will look to add to her totals vs. her hometown Huskies.
Anne has been honored by being named an All-American and earning spots on Team USA, along with a number of other accolades. She is humbled by each one of them. "I have been absolutely blessed with the opportunities I have been given through hockey. For the awards I have received, all the glory goes to God." Last spring Schleper went to Switzerland for the World Championship and won a gold medal with Team USA.
Entering her senior season with the Gophers, Anne says what she will remember most are the friends she has made and the people she has met. "My team is awesome and being a part of the whole Gopher community is awesome. Now, being a senior, I know who to talk to. It has been a lot of fun, that is for sure." Schleper has already had memorable moments during her Gopher career and she hopes there are more to come in her senior season.
Story written by Josh Brennock
