Drake's Take: The Freshmen Five

Hey, Badger fans! I hope you all enjoyed the special weekend of celebrating a Badger hockey legend, UW women's hockey coach Mark Johnson! This weekend the team is heading up to the University of Minnesota Duluth to take on the Bulldogs.

This season we have five freshmen who have made a positive impact on our team, both on and off the ice sheet. This week I talked to them about where they call home, why they started playing hockey, as well as why they chose to become Badgers!

First, we will start with New York native Cami Kronish. Cami is a goalie who grew up in New York City.

"I started playing hockey because I thought the gear was cool and I was a huge Henrik Lundqvist fan."

"I chose Wisconsin because of the school spirit, amazing facilities, and unmatched coaching," explained Kronish.

Next is forward Britta Curl. Britta comes from Bismarck, North Dakota. Britta started playing when she was three years old.

"I started playing hockey because my dad built us a rink in the backyard every year and I wanted to play with my older brother."

"I chose Wisconsin because of the history of great teams, players, and people, I wanted to be a part of that," said Curl.

Defenseman Nicole LaMantia is from Wayne, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. Nicole started playing hockey because her dad, uncle John, brother Dean, and cousin Jack all played hockey growing up.

"Hockey has always been around my family so after being at the rink a lot and looking up to my cousin and brother; I wanted to play as they did."

"I chose Wisconsin for the excellent academic opportunities it offers and the great women's hockey program. Most importantly, the proximity to home played a huge role in my decision. For anyone who knows me well, my grandparents are two of the most important people in my life and having them at every home game of my college career is important to me. Being close to home allows my family to be here supporting me and I love having them there," LaMantia said.

Next, we have redshirt forward Jesse Devito. Jesse calls Rumson, New Jersey her home.

"When I was younger, I was actually a figure skater but brother played hockey. I always went to his games and was so fascinated by the game, that I wanted to play so badly. At around age six, I switched to ice hockey."

I chose Wisconsin because it offers both an amazing athletic and academic opportunity. I also love the campus, the first time I visited UW, I felt at home," said Devito.

Last but not least is forward Sophie Shirley. Sophie is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Shirley started playing hockey when she was 5.

"My older brothers were a huge influence for me growing up, and when they started to play hockey, I knew that I wanted to play as well.

"I chose Wisconsin because of the amazing facilities and the atmosphere that I felt watching my first Badger game," explained Shirley.

These five freshmen have been a great addition to our squad this year, and we can't wait to watch them excel throughout their careers here at Wisconsin.

We are excited to hit the ice for another set of games this weekend against the Bulldogs! We hope you all can follow along.

As Always, On Wisconsin!

-Delaney

University of Wisconsin Athletics

Drake's Take: The Freshmen Five

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Britta Curl

Cami Kronish

Nicole LaMantia

Sophie Shirley

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