My Words: Better Every Day

I’ll never forget having the Olympic silver medal put around my neck. I was sad, frustrated and angry all at once.

How else was I supposed to feel after my favorite dream had been shattered?

How else was I supposed to respond after years of grinding, pushing my body mentally and physically — sometimes to a breaking point — left me feeling so empty?

How else was I supposed to react knowing I was about to walk into a dressing room where my best friends and I would feel disappointment and pain like never before?

Receiving the silver medal that February night in Beijing, China, was a devastating moment in my life. It represented a great opportunity lost not just for me, but everyone connected to the U.S. women’s national hockey team. 

With the gold medal on the line in the Winter Olympics, we lost to our archrivals from Canada 3-2. To this day I believe we were the better team, that we did everything we could to win, that we deserved it. Reality apparently had a different take.

Did I really make all those sacrifices — missing countless events with family and friends — just to feel this awful after my first Olympic experience?

It took me about a month of feeling dejected to realize that my silver medal held a great deal of importance and value. Most of all, it’s a testament to the incredible support of my family.

Speaking of family, mine grew in a wonderful way last spring when I decided to finish my college career at Wisconsin.

I was in the process of trying to make the Team USA roster when I made the difficult decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Four of the best years of my life were spent at Boston University — I made some friends for life, learned a lot about myself and got a degree — but with a year of eligibility remaining I thought it was the right time to make a change. I did so after hours of discussion with those closest to me. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly.

I didn’t want it to be a distraction during our pre-Olympic preparations, but when word got out that I was looking at other options, everyone in the Team USA residency camp started pitching their schools. Honestly, I always knew it would be Wisconsin, a place that didn’t recruit me out of high school, but one I couldn’t resist for a lot of reasons.

Six NCAA titles and 12 Frozen Fours since 2006 speaks volumes. That’s the definition of a winning culture. Hockey fans know that Wisconsin is one of the top teams, if not the top team, in the country every year. That’s what I’m excited to be a part of — competing with such a skilled group of women. Every time I’ve been on the ice here, every player is ready to compete and give 100 percent.

Looking around the Team USA dressing room during the Olympics, I couldn’t help but notice all the Badgers. Hilary Knight is a future Hall of Famer and Brianna Decker is one of the best players in the world. Abby Roque is a tremendous scoring threat. Alex Cavallini is an elite goalie. Even little Caroline Harvey, who’s just 18 and now my teammate with the Badgers, is already one of the best defenders in the world. 

When Hilary found out about my plan to transfer, she didn’t mess around. “You have no option,” she said. “You’re going to Wisconsin.” I’m thankful to her because she told me all the little things that I’m going to want to know, how the coaches and resources helped her get where she is today and how I can benefit from them as well.

Of course, playing so many games against Team Canada you see all the Wisconsin women there, too. Our gold-medal game had 10 players who skated for the Badgers, which is amazing. Knowing what this program has done for so many of these women’s lives is inspiring.

It’s not every day that you get to play in front of sellout crowds like we do at LaBahn. My first experience there, during our home-opening series with Lindenwood, was incredible. It was extra special that I had a lot of family and friends on hand. 

Winning a national championship here at Wisconsin would be something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, but that’s not my focus right now. My focus is on playing one game at a time and striving to get better — a better line mate, scorer, defender and ambassador. With so many quality resources here and so many great teammates, my hope is that I can come out of here a better player than when I entered.

A lot of people have asked about the crazy year my family has had in 2022, going from the Olympic finals to the Stanley Cup finals in a few months. Due to pandemic restrictions, my family couldn’t go to China, so being together to watch JT and the Avs win it all was a dream come true.

Yes, I got to lift the Cup, which I’ll never forget. Hopefully it’s just a warm-up for the Compher family. JT was able to have the Cup for 18 hours. In that time, he shared it with the people of Northbrook and the kids who skate in our local youth program. The amount of love that was in the room that day was amazing and I’ll cherish it forever.

About that silver medal: I think about it almost every single day. It’s what fuels my fire. It’s what I think about when I’m in the weight room and when I’m on the ice.

Obviously I’m not going to win an Olympic gold medal tomorrow and that’s not the goal. My objective here with the Badgers is to get one percent better every single day, so when and if my chance comes around to play in the Games again, I do get that gold.

Looking back on that team that played in Beijing, we were lucky to have great leaders who stood up and spoke about how proud we were of each other because we gave everything we had and did everything we could with what we had. I’m so thankful for all the older girls who led us and showed us the ropes. We learned so much from them.

It’s a cause that members of the U.S. national team have made a major priority going forward. It’s designed to help young kids, especially girls, try hockey for free and give more children a chance to learn how playing the game could help them develop good social habits and a sense of accomplishment. Hopefully they will learn to love the game and all it has to offer.

I’m in the process of lining up some corporate sponsors and having the fundraisers in the spring and summer. If I can get one person to embrace the sport I love, I’ll feel fulfilled. My goal is to leave the sport better than when I began playing.

I’m definitely thankful for that silver medal. It has brought so many good things, so many great people, into my life. That includes my new family at Wisconsin.

But let me be clear: That silver medal may have some silver linings, but I want the gold.

Did you enjoy reading this? Read more My Words stories from the Badgers here.