Carmen MacDonald of Pictou recently broke a goaltending record at St. Lawrence University. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The netminder from Pictou became the all-time saves leader for the St. Lawrence University Saints women’s hockey team during a game against Princeton earlier this month with 3,067 saves throughout her career.
“It’s pretty great,” she said.
MacDonald said the coaches noticed earlier in the season that she was getting close to the record, and thought that she might break it. “I’m happy I got the opportunity to do that.”
She said she had hoped to try to leave something behind from her time at the school. “It means a lot, especially just having something to look back on. Knowing people are going to challenge something I’ve set is quite an amazing feeling.”
She says her success in hockey comes from the support she’s received during her career, from both her teammates and her parents.
“It comes a lot from my team and all the support they give me both on and off the ice. And the same from my parents – they always encouraged me to do better, train harder and focus in practice – and that’s continued here.”
The Saints are currently tied for fourth place with Cornell University in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
Set to graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, MacDonald is unsure of her future plans, but said she would love to someday do marketing for a sporting company or work for a custom goaltender equipment company.
As a junior last season, MacDonald finished with a .932 save percentage, a 2.01 goals-against average and a 13-13-3 record. She posted 35 or more saves in five games in 2013-2014, which includes a season high of 51 in a 1-1 game against nationally ranked Cornell.
In her freshman year, her team won the ECAC championship, and she earned MVP honours, finishing with a .929 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average. She was also named to the All-Rookie squad, recording six shutouts in the post-season with a .958 save percentage.
Before becoming a member of the Saints, MacDonald attended Westminster School, and was part of the 2010 and 2011 New England championship winning team. In 2010, she won the U-18 World Championship as part of Team Canada.
On Twitter: @NGNewsCarol
