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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Five Minutes with Crystalyn Hengler
2/12/2019 6:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Gophers freshman Crystalyn Hengler chatted with the Voice of Gopher Women's Hockey Dan Hamann.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Freshman defense Crystalyn Hengler chatted with the Voice of Gopher Women's Hockey Dan Hamann before game one with Minnesota Duluth. Catch up with the Eden Prairie, Minn., native.
Dan Hamann: And welcome back to Gopher Women's Hockey. Today I'm joined by freshman defenseman Crystalyn Hengler, out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Crystalyn had her first career goal as a Golden Gopher last weekend, and it was a pretty one on the power play. Crystalyn, if you could walk us through how it happened, what were your thoughts as you saw that puck hit the back of the net?
Crystalyn Hengler: I got the pass from Taylor Williamson, took a few strides into the slot, and at that point, I thought, "Oh shoot, I'd better shoot!" because there was a girl right in front of me. So I did, and luckily for me, the goalie was screened, so it went right past her.
DH: Were you picking that side? When you heard it clink off the pipe at first, were you worried that it wasn't going to go in?
CH: Yeah, I actually thought it got tipped out and the goalie saved it. Usually I like to shoot off that side, but it was kind of dangerous, because if I missed the net, the puck would have went around the boards and resulted in a breakout for them.
DH: All in all, it was a really good weekend for your team and I don't think, I just talked with Coach Frost, anyone could have imagined those two games would turn out that way. What was your reaction to the weekend?
CH: To be honest, I was a little scared because with traveling and knowing that they were going to come out strong, because they had just been swept by Duluth. We knew that we had to buckle down and play our best. Fortunately, it was really good hockey.
DH: Those first two minutes on Friday were a little tenuous, right?
CH: Yeah, for sure (laughs). It was a little scary.
DH: So what changed, in your opinion, on Friday? When you guys got the power-play goal 1-0, it seemed like you put Ohio State on their heels, it seemed.
CH: I think that we knew that once we got shots on net and controlled our play, rather than playing at their level, just playing Gopher hockey, we knew that we could get stuff done.
DH: It was a lot of fun seeing not only you, but many people get in the score book as well. There were a lot of celebrations out there. What was the most memorable one for you last weekend?
CH: Either Grace Zumwinkle's shot or Taylor Heise's top-shelf goal. That was pretty sweet. It was also the insurance goal, like the third goal in the game, but her second. It was awesome.
DH: You have played quite a bit defensively, and we talked about this early in the season. With so many numbers on this team, somebody has to sit out. Early in the season, you were a healthy scratch, but you asserted yourself in the line-up to a point where the coaches couldn't take you out. Did you have the confidence coming in this year that you could make a significant impact with this team?
CH: It wasn't guaranteed to be given a spot with the numbers we had, especially with Gracie Ostertag coming in as a defender. I knew that I had to compete to earn my spot. I had to work for it, and I was told that when I was being recruited, but I'm glad things turned out the way that it did.
DH: So am I (laughs). On the power play, you're not necessarily an offensive-minded defenseman, and not one to shoot regularly, although Frost wants you to do that a little bit more frequently. Talk about your role on the power play unit and your initial reaction to being told you were going to be on the power play.
CH: Earlier in the year when I was first put on, that was the reason why. And then a couple of games ago, they started doing a different power play with Taylor Williamson, and then when I was put back on it, they wanted more shot volume, so I think that I'm on it not necessarily for the most accurate of shots, but for getting shots on net that can create chaos for the penalty kill.
DH: And I think earlier in the season when the coaching staff started emphasizing getting those shots to the net, especially off face-offs. They brought up statistics about how many times you get the puck back if you take those shots. That to me seemed like a point of the season where it was taken to another level. How do you see it?
CH: Yeah, I agree. I think once we get the puck to the net in the five to eight second range off the face-off, it creates a lot of chaos for them and for us. Getting the puck back, like Coach Johnson has been telling us after we shoot, is important. Especially on the power play, to keep the possession with the two minutes you get.
DH: How are classes? You have your first semester under your belt, how did things go? What kind of classes are you taking now?
CH: It went pretty well! There were a lot more readings assigned than I expected. That's not really my thing. This semester, I'm taking introduction to chemistry, biology with a lab, a digital media history class, and online psychology. It's kind of a heavy load, Ky told me that, but with it being my second semester, I'll hopefully get used to that.
DH: What's a normal day like for you, on top of the practice and lifting schedule?
CH: I usually have 8:00 am classes. After that I'll eat brunch, and then I'll have another class. I work out two days a week, and then after workout, I'll either have another class or downtime before practice. After practice I'll eat dinner, then I'll have tutoring, and sometimes after I have that I'll stay longer at Athlete's Village to get study hours in.
DH: That is a full day right there. I don't think many people, including me, would be able to handle that. It was awesome to see you get your first goal; I think I celebrated as much as the team did. Continued success to you, and let's go get those Bulldogs.
CH: Awesome. Thank you, Dan.
DH: That was Crystalyn Hengler, my guest today, and this is Gopher Women's Hockey.
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| Listen to Hengler's interview. |
Dan Hamann: And welcome back to Gopher Women's Hockey. Today I'm joined by freshman defenseman Crystalyn Hengler, out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Crystalyn had her first career goal as a Golden Gopher last weekend, and it was a pretty one on the power play. Crystalyn, if you could walk us through how it happened, what were your thoughts as you saw that puck hit the back of the net?
Crystalyn Hengler: I got the pass from Taylor Williamson, took a few strides into the slot, and at that point, I thought, "Oh shoot, I'd better shoot!" because there was a girl right in front of me. So I did, and luckily for me, the goalie was screened, so it went right past her.
DH: Were you picking that side? When you heard it clink off the pipe at first, were you worried that it wasn't going to go in?
CH: Yeah, I actually thought it got tipped out and the goalie saved it. Usually I like to shoot off that side, but it was kind of dangerous, because if I missed the net, the puck would have went around the boards and resulted in a breakout for them.
DH: All in all, it was a really good weekend for your team and I don't think, I just talked with Coach Frost, anyone could have imagined those two games would turn out that way. What was your reaction to the weekend?
CH: To be honest, I was a little scared because with traveling and knowing that they were going to come out strong, because they had just been swept by Duluth. We knew that we had to buckle down and play our best. Fortunately, it was really good hockey.
DH: Those first two minutes on Friday were a little tenuous, right?
CH: Yeah, for sure (laughs). It was a little scary.
DH: So what changed, in your opinion, on Friday? When you guys got the power-play goal 1-0, it seemed like you put Ohio State on their heels, it seemed.
CH: I think that we knew that once we got shots on net and controlled our play, rather than playing at their level, just playing Gopher hockey, we knew that we could get stuff done.
DH: It was a lot of fun seeing not only you, but many people get in the score book as well. There were a lot of celebrations out there. What was the most memorable one for you last weekend?
CH: Either Grace Zumwinkle's shot or Taylor Heise's top-shelf goal. That was pretty sweet. It was also the insurance goal, like the third goal in the game, but her second. It was awesome.
DH: You have played quite a bit defensively, and we talked about this early in the season. With so many numbers on this team, somebody has to sit out. Early in the season, you were a healthy scratch, but you asserted yourself in the line-up to a point where the coaches couldn't take you out. Did you have the confidence coming in this year that you could make a significant impact with this team?
CH: It wasn't guaranteed to be given a spot with the numbers we had, especially with Gracie Ostertag coming in as a defender. I knew that I had to compete to earn my spot. I had to work for it, and I was told that when I was being recruited, but I'm glad things turned out the way that it did.
DH: So am I (laughs). On the power play, you're not necessarily an offensive-minded defenseman, and not one to shoot regularly, although Frost wants you to do that a little bit more frequently. Talk about your role on the power play unit and your initial reaction to being told you were going to be on the power play.
CH: Earlier in the year when I was first put on, that was the reason why. And then a couple of games ago, they started doing a different power play with Taylor Williamson, and then when I was put back on it, they wanted more shot volume, so I think that I'm on it not necessarily for the most accurate of shots, but for getting shots on net that can create chaos for the penalty kill.
DH: And I think earlier in the season when the coaching staff started emphasizing getting those shots to the net, especially off face-offs. They brought up statistics about how many times you get the puck back if you take those shots. That to me seemed like a point of the season where it was taken to another level. How do you see it?
CH: Yeah, I agree. I think once we get the puck to the net in the five to eight second range off the face-off, it creates a lot of chaos for them and for us. Getting the puck back, like Coach Johnson has been telling us after we shoot, is important. Especially on the power play, to keep the possession with the two minutes you get.
DH: How are classes? You have your first semester under your belt, how did things go? What kind of classes are you taking now?
CH: It went pretty well! There were a lot more readings assigned than I expected. That's not really my thing. This semester, I'm taking introduction to chemistry, biology with a lab, a digital media history class, and online psychology. It's kind of a heavy load, Ky told me that, but with it being my second semester, I'll hopefully get used to that.
DH: What's a normal day like for you, on top of the practice and lifting schedule?
CH: I usually have 8:00 am classes. After that I'll eat brunch, and then I'll have another class. I work out two days a week, and then after workout, I'll either have another class or downtime before practice. After practice I'll eat dinner, then I'll have tutoring, and sometimes after I have that I'll stay longer at Athlete's Village to get study hours in.
DH: That is a full day right there. I don't think many people, including me, would be able to handle that. It was awesome to see you get your first goal; I think I celebrated as much as the team did. Continued success to you, and let's go get those Bulldogs.
CH: Awesome. Thank you, Dan.
DH: That was Crystalyn Hengler, my guest today, and this is Gopher Women's Hockey.
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