Olympics: RMU's McLaughlin in 'different role'
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Brianne McLaughlin speaks with a Quebec television crew Thursday at the Main Press Center.
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Brianne McLaughlin is used to being much busier than she will be at these Olympics as the No. 3 goaltender for the U.S. women's hockey team. And not just because she was Robert Morris University's four-year starter.
While with the Colonials, she was pelted with a veritable ton of vulcanized rubber, setting an NCAA record with 3,809 saves and four times topping 50 in a game as a senior.
In stark contrast ...
"This is kind of a different role," McLaughlin said in an interview at the Olympics' Main Press Center. "I've never been fighting for a position. At Robert Morris, I always knew I'd be the one playing."
Not that she was complaining. Her exuberance at being chosen for her first Olympics at age 22 is eminently visible through a bright smile, playful laugh and her words.
"It's good to mentally build on this, I think. Here, all three of us goalies get along so well. We're very supportive of each other. If I get in a game, they're behind me. I try my best to push them, stay late after practice to allow the shooters to work on things. And, hopefully, in the next couple of years, I'll be able to push for a starting position."
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For now, that position belongs to Jessie Vetter, with Molly Schaus as the backup. The U.S. begins preliminary-round play at 3 p.m. today against China at UBC Thunderbird Arena, and it is highly unlikely, given the tournament's compact nature, that McLaughlin will see any time, barring injury.
First Published February 14, 2010 12:01 am
