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Photo by: Bruce Kluckhohn
Five Minutes with Madeline Wethington
10/2/2019 9:30:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Freshman defense Madeline Wethington chats with the Voice of Gopher Women's Hockey Dan Hamann.
MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota freshman defense Madeline Wethington chatted with the Voice of Gopher Women's Hockey Dan Hamann before game two of Minnesota's season-opening series with Colgate last weekend. Wethington discussed the thrill of scoring her first collegiate goal, her family ties to Gopher women's hockey, her hidden talent of juggling, and more.
Dan Hamann: Today I'm joined by freshman Madeline Wethington from Edina, Minnesota, who played her high school hockey at the Blake School and scored her first goal in her first game for the Gophers. First of all, Madeline, take us through that play. What did you see, what happened, and what was your reaction to the puck going in?
Madeline Wethington: We actually just watched it in video so that gives me a reminder of the play, but I took a one-on-one and rushed the play. Emily Oden did a good job of coming back and grabbing the puck. Ultimately it got turned over and became a two-on-one in front of the net, and I was able to step up on it and go around their forwards. I saw that I had a lot of time and space, so when I have that, I try to go as fast as I can up the ice. I noticed the gap of their defense was a little too much, and as a defensemen myself, I know that's the worst feeling, knowing that your gap isn't tight enough, because ultimately you can end up screening your own goalie, so I knew that was the right time to shoot the puck. Not only did I know that I had a better chance of getting it through, but there was also a screen happening. It was pretty cool when it went in, and a great moment for sure.Â
DH: Your transition to the Division I game has been absolutely seamless so far. We saw you last week in the exhibition games, and then last night you carried yourself with a lot of confidence, even as a freshman. Where does that confidence come from?
MW: Thank you. I think it's because I've been fortunate enough to play with a lot of these girls already, so it's been easy to become acclimated quickly because I know a lot of them so well. They've done a really good job of taking me under their wing and making me feel as comfortable as I possibly can. I know what I'm capable of and have played some high-end hockey with some really good players, including ones on this team, so I've been taking it game by game for sure.Â
DH: Some would say you were born to play this game. Your mom was the first coach at St. Cloud State University, you have two aunts, Chelsey and Winny that played here and now play on the Minnesota Whitecaps, your uncle, Vick, who played at St. Cloud State University, and your grandfather, Jack, is the general manager of the Whitecaps. Did you see hockey growing up and absorb it as a passion too, or was it more of a natural progression?
MW: Some would say I didn't really have much of a choice, but they definitely tried to put me in as many sports as possible. I played golf all the way through high school and played soccer too, so I tried to play a bunch of different sports but ultimately just fell in love with the game of hockey. It's such a team sport and I really enjoy becoming close with a lot of teammates. Hockey has also taught me a lot of great values, and I think having a family background was a really important part of why I chose the University of Minnesota as well. I'm so grateful to be able to walk these halls and see my aunts in some of the pictures.Â
DH: How surreal was it to go head-to-head with them last weekend? Has that ever happened before?
MW: It was definitely surreal. I've played against them multiple times, so it wasn't crazy, but putting on the Minnesota jersey and hearing the rouser play, and then seeing them on the other side of the rink with their Whitecaps jerseys on was kind of weird. I remember as a five-year-old, I was watching them play in the stands, cheering the rouser with my grandma and family. I've known the rouser ever since I was really little and cheering them on, so to be able to be cheered on, hearing the rouser play, and playing against them  was really cool.Â
DH: You've mentioned some of the other things you did in high school, such as participation. What other interests do you have or activities do you enjoy when you step away from the ice?
MW: I'm really family-oriented. I have three younger siblings, all of them girls and they all play hockey, and we enjoy spending time at our cabin, especially during the summer. It's nice having the opportunity to spend time together, whether that's going out on the boat, wake-surfing, skiing, tubing, or any other lake activity. I really like to read and listen to music. I also did juggling all throughout my middle school years, so you can catch me doing that in pre-game warm-up. I like to hang out and do a bit of homework here and there too (laughs).Â
DH: Where did your juggling interest originate from?
MW: We did have a unit of juggling in elementary school, but there was a club called JugHeads that you could join, and there were over a hundred kids in it. It was a really positive thing to be a part of and everyone was family-oriented and became really close with everyone in the club. So I did that from fifth grade until high school, where it became too hard to balance with sports, but I learned a lot. I can juggle five balls and pass at least seven or eight clubs. I really loved it and I think it made me more persistent. There's a lot of determination that goes along with juggling, and then the obvious hand-eye coordination payoff as well.Â
DH: I'll have to check out those skills the next time we sit down with each other. Thanks so much for sitting down with me today.Â
MW: Thank you very much. I'm so excited for the next four years.Â
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Dan Hamann: Today I'm joined by freshman Madeline Wethington from Edina, Minnesota, who played her high school hockey at the Blake School and scored her first goal in her first game for the Gophers. First of all, Madeline, take us through that play. What did you see, what happened, and what was your reaction to the puck going in?
Madeline Wethington: We actually just watched it in video so that gives me a reminder of the play, but I took a one-on-one and rushed the play. Emily Oden did a good job of coming back and grabbing the puck. Ultimately it got turned over and became a two-on-one in front of the net, and I was able to step up on it and go around their forwards. I saw that I had a lot of time and space, so when I have that, I try to go as fast as I can up the ice. I noticed the gap of their defense was a little too much, and as a defensemen myself, I know that's the worst feeling, knowing that your gap isn't tight enough, because ultimately you can end up screening your own goalie, so I knew that was the right time to shoot the puck. Not only did I know that I had a better chance of getting it through, but there was also a screen happening. It was pretty cool when it went in, and a great moment for sure.Â
DH: Your transition to the Division I game has been absolutely seamless so far. We saw you last week in the exhibition games, and then last night you carried yourself with a lot of confidence, even as a freshman. Where does that confidence come from?
MW: Thank you. I think it's because I've been fortunate enough to play with a lot of these girls already, so it's been easy to become acclimated quickly because I know a lot of them so well. They've done a really good job of taking me under their wing and making me feel as comfortable as I possibly can. I know what I'm capable of and have played some high-end hockey with some really good players, including ones on this team, so I've been taking it game by game for sure.Â
DH: Some would say you were born to play this game. Your mom was the first coach at St. Cloud State University, you have two aunts, Chelsey and Winny that played here and now play on the Minnesota Whitecaps, your uncle, Vick, who played at St. Cloud State University, and your grandfather, Jack, is the general manager of the Whitecaps. Did you see hockey growing up and absorb it as a passion too, or was it more of a natural progression?
MW: Some would say I didn't really have much of a choice, but they definitely tried to put me in as many sports as possible. I played golf all the way through high school and played soccer too, so I tried to play a bunch of different sports but ultimately just fell in love with the game of hockey. It's such a team sport and I really enjoy becoming close with a lot of teammates. Hockey has also taught me a lot of great values, and I think having a family background was a really important part of why I chose the University of Minnesota as well. I'm so grateful to be able to walk these halls and see my aunts in some of the pictures.Â
DH: How surreal was it to go head-to-head with them last weekend? Has that ever happened before?
MW: It was definitely surreal. I've played against them multiple times, so it wasn't crazy, but putting on the Minnesota jersey and hearing the rouser play, and then seeing them on the other side of the rink with their Whitecaps jerseys on was kind of weird. I remember as a five-year-old, I was watching them play in the stands, cheering the rouser with my grandma and family. I've known the rouser ever since I was really little and cheering them on, so to be able to be cheered on, hearing the rouser play, and playing against them  was really cool.Â
DH: You've mentioned some of the other things you did in high school, such as participation. What other interests do you have or activities do you enjoy when you step away from the ice?
MW: I'm really family-oriented. I have three younger siblings, all of them girls and they all play hockey, and we enjoy spending time at our cabin, especially during the summer. It's nice having the opportunity to spend time together, whether that's going out on the boat, wake-surfing, skiing, tubing, or any other lake activity. I really like to read and listen to music. I also did juggling all throughout my middle school years, so you can catch me doing that in pre-game warm-up. I like to hang out and do a bit of homework here and there too (laughs).Â
DH: Where did your juggling interest originate from?
MW: We did have a unit of juggling in elementary school, but there was a club called JugHeads that you could join, and there were over a hundred kids in it. It was a really positive thing to be a part of and everyone was family-oriented and became really close with everyone in the club. So I did that from fifth grade until high school, where it became too hard to balance with sports, but I learned a lot. I can juggle five balls and pass at least seven or eight clubs. I really loved it and I think it made me more persistent. There's a lot of determination that goes along with juggling, and then the obvious hand-eye coordination payoff as well.Â
DH: I'll have to check out those skills the next time we sit down with each other. Thanks so much for sitting down with me today.Â
MW: Thank you very much. I'm so excited for the next four years.Â
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