Athlete of the Week

To say that Nicolette Franck, SM '04, loves ice hockey would be an understatement. Since she began playing at the age of the 12, the sport has occupied virtually every aspect of her life.

ANDREW HEI/YH Nicolette Franck, SM '04 Women's Hockey Hometown: Burlington, Ontario, Canada Major: Undeclared, but interested in Cognitive Science and Psychology Pre-game music: Limp Bizkit Favorite pro sports tem: Toronto Maple Leafs Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption Role models: Her dad Favorite class: Death, with Shelly Kagan

Franck credits her father, a hockey fanatic, and the boys in her Burlington, Ont. neighborhood for sparking her interest in the sport. Hockey, she claims, was "a part of growing up."

Franck's first position was as a forward, and she did not find her niche as goalkeeper until age 13. Not only did Franck love playing in the net, but she also discovered that it came naturally. Franck then dedicated herself to the position, competing in a wide range of club, road, and school teams.

In high school, Franck played goalie on the varsity boys' ice hockey team, earning numerous league and tournament championships. She was named "Athlete of the Year" in high school five times.

Franck attributes much of her success at Yale to the experience of playing on a boys' team, which helped her to mature and prepared her for the faster and more physical style of hockey played at the college level. "Girls' and boys' hockey are two very different styles of play, and I really feel that participating in both has prepared me to play much, much better at the college level," she said.

While many freshman athletes find it difficult enough to make the transition from high school to collegiate play, Franck has comfortably adapted to her role on the team. In the team's 4-2 loss to Harvard on Sat., Feb. 10, this rookie collected 30 saves. Such statistics are hardly an anomaly for Franck: she had 35 saves against Dartmouth on Sat., Feb. 3 and 38 saves against Niagara on Sun., Jan. 21. She leads the Bulldog goalies with a total of 432 saves, while maintaining a save percentage of 0.889.

One game performance stands out in Frank's Yale career. In the team's first match-up against Ivy rival Princeton, Yale defeated the Tigers 3-1. While the Ivy victory itself was sweet for the team, it was also Franck's first collegiate win. She made 39 saves, 17 of which occurred during the second period alone. She observed that winning against the Tigers felt "just like winning a championship."

When asked about the pressures of her position, Franck explained that a goalie must not only remain physically strong, but always mentally prepared. "I love the pressure," she said. "It's a learning process that requires training both mentally and physically."

The pressure will not subside for Franck during the remainder of the season. The Bulldogs battle New Hampshire on Sat., Feb. 24, and Maine on Sun., Feb. 25. Earlier in the season, Franck had 34 saves against New Hampshire and 27 saves against Maine. Based on this rookie's stats, fans can count on a similar performance this weekend. Photo by Rebecca Rosenthal.

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