A different kind of dance
Concordia sophomore Katelyn Dold is no dancer. She’s smooth. Sure. Quick and well balanced. Naturally. But the MIAC women’s hockey leading points scorer suffered through her one and only recital, bawling from start to finish, before trading her slippers for skates at age five. And lucky for head coach Ace Gregg and the rest of CC hockey team, she’s stuck with it.
As of Friday, Feb. 5, Dold’s 15 points in the conference and 23 points overall make her name the first in a list of nearly 200 MIAC players with at least one point. Even more remarkable is the fact that Dold’s 14 assists account for 60 percent of her overall scoring and have resulted in 25 percent of the team’s total goal tally. Add to that nine of her own goals, and Katelyn Dold has had a hand in 42 percent of the team’s goals scored. Present these numbers to Dold, and she’ll shrug.
“It’s nice to see that, but it’s not what I’m aiming for,” Dold said. “It’s not an assist unless someone scores, and you don’t score without someone passing the puck. The success is mutual.”
This season, the team has given new meaning to the team-first mentality embodied by Dold, with all but two players (not counting goaltenders) notching at least one point. And as a team with 13 freshmen on a roster of 23, CC has proven that hard work and focus have the potential to trump any amount of inexperience.
Concordia freshman defenseman Ali Nelson credits the guidance from the team’s few upperclassmen and its emerging sophomore class for her relatively quick adjustment to college hockey.
“Our two captains are really good leaders,” Nelson said. “And with not as many upperclassmen there to influence us, it’s been really great to have them.”
Without a large number of upperclass players, Dold and other younger players have had to step into roles generally filled by more veteran personnel. Skating on a line with another sophomore is Kayla Hendrickson and junior Emily Sell, Dold has found her role on the team and along with it the form she recalls from her earlier playing days.
“I feel a lot more confident,” Dold said. “I know where I stand on the team.”
As for the team, CC is two games into an eight-game homestand that features perennial conference powerhouse Gustavus Adolphus College. Both Dold and Nelson stressed the importance of maintaining focus over the next few weeks.
In terms of her long-term hopes for the program, Dold sees trips to the conference tournament and beyond. And with any luck, Concordia may see Dold and the Concordia women’s hockey team doing something the 5-year-old Dold would certainly disapprove of: dancing.
