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4 more Minnesota girls

Dani Cameranesi
“Dani grew up skating with the boys in the Wayzata youth ranks. Among her teammates was Benilde-St. Margaret's senior Grant Besse. Two concussions forced Cameranesi out of the boys' game prior to the Bantam level. Rules preventing eighth-graders from playing varsity hockey at Wayzata led to her choosing Blake.”

'Electric' Blake Girls' Hockey Star Skates With An Edge
Read more: http://m.startribune.com/electric-blake ... 191752931/


Alysa Thomas
Blaine was dealt a huge blow to the already slim roster when Alysa Thomas left the final regular season game with a concussion and didn’t return to the ice. “Alysa was a good influence and leader on the team,” Gratz said. The small roster played one game with seven skaters and one goalie. “That’s our season,” Gratz added. “We made it work and beat every team the league at least once.”

Blaine U19 Girls Hoist State Hockey Title
Read more: http://abcnewspapers.com/2015/03/31/bla ... key-title/


Zandra Floeder
“Sophomores Ellen Lenz and Laura Carlson tallied first period goals, but three unanswered goals by Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato gave the Dragons the 3-2 win, their first of the season.

The Dragons were 0-8 so far this season.

The Tigers were without goaltender Zandra Floeder (concussion) and freshman Fallon Macemon (personal). Lenz also didn't skate the final two periods after aggrevating a previous injury.”

Winless Dragons Stun Girls' Hockey
Read more: http://m.crowrivermedia.com/hutchinsonl ... l?mode=jqm


Emma Berthiaume
Hutch seemed to have all the momentum at the end of the second period, but the Cardinals weren’t ready to let their season go. They scored a quick goal at 1:21 in the third period, and then the game came apart when they scored three more goals in a span of less than three minutes.

Hutch’s two-goal lead had turned into a two-goal deficit. The Tigers pulled their goalie in the final minute, which led to an empty-net goal in the last second. It was a gut-wrenching twist of fate for Tiger fans and the team.

“Losing Emma Berthiaume to a concussion at the end of the second period didn’t help,” Fabel said about the third-period collapse. “I don’t know if that rattled the girls a little or got them off their game. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what happened in the third period. If we just let down or didn’t have the drive.”

This loss will undoubtedly sting for awhile. The Tigers have gone 0-2 in their last two state trips and are 2-10 overall in five state appearances. The only team they’ve been able to beat is New Ulm in the 2010 and 2011 tournaments.

Cardinals comeback ends state run
Read more: http://m.crowrivermedia.com/hutchinsonl ... l?mode=jqm

Allison Eder-Zdechlik
“The Gusties started the third period a player down after senior Leah Johnson (Chanhassen, Minn.) was called for cross-checking at the 19:28 mark in the second period. That didn’t phase Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.) who, playing in her first game since Nov. 22 against Hamline after suffering a concussion, was able to score a shorthanded goal just :31 seconds into the third period to even the game at 2-2 and swing the momentum back to Gustavus’s side. Twelve minutes later, Eder-Zdechlik found the back of the net again off assists from Erica Power (Fy., Lakeville, Minn) and Kaitlyn Klein (Fy., Plymouth, Minn.) to put the Gusties in front 3-2, which is where the score would remain for the game’s final eight minutes.”

Eder-Zdechlik Powers Women’s Hockey Past No. 6 UW-River Falls
Read more: https://athletics.blog.gustavus.edu/201 ... ver-falls/


Emma Rucinski
“The second period saw a total of 18 shots on net with both teams converting. Alla Traun (Edina, Minn./Minnesota Thoroughbreds (JWHL)), finding Rucinski crashing towards goal, served up a beautiful pass which Rucinski buried into the back of the net for her first goal as a Valiant. Rucinksi's aggressive nature and feverish style of play has been a huge boost for the Valiants since she made her return from a concussion and it finally paid off as she got the Valiants on the board first at the 15:03 mark of the second period.”

Rucinski Scores First Collegiate Goal As Valiants Tie Beacons 1-1
Read more: http://www.govaliants.com/news/2014/2/1 ... 41248.aspx
4 more Minnesota Girls

Natasha Turrubiates and Allison Freese
Willmar is down to nine skaters on its varsity roster, plus goalie Johnika Wodash and JV goalie Peyton Setrum. The JV team has 10 skaters, but Kaylee Chester and Natasha Turrubiates are sidelined with concussions, Chester by an auto accident.

Fourth-year varsity defenseman Allison Freese has been off skates since Nov. 26 with a concussion. It’s her third and she hasn’t been able to pass the clearing test and doesn’t expect to come back until next season.

Willmar Notebook: Hockey By the Numbers
Read more: http://www.wctrib.com/content/willmar-n ... ey-numbers

3 more Mn Girls

Erin Deters
“Sophomore Brittni Mowat started both games in net for Bemidji State against Minnesota after redshirt freshman Erin Deters missed the game with concussion symptoms.

Scanlan said he wasn't sure how he'd divvy up the goaltending duties this weekend but the two been good in their rotation this season.

"Brit was outstanding," he said. "I think all of our goalies have worked hard. There's a good competition going there, but her play that weekend was outstanding. If she can continue to play like that, it's going to be awful tough to take her out, that's for sure."

Bemidji State Ready for Rivals North Dakota
Read more: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/w ... rth-dakota


Heather Horgen and Johannah Kohorst
“There were a pair of scary moments in the game.

In the second period, Grand Rapids-Greenway captain Heather Horgen was pushed into the boards head-first and was motionless on the ice for nearly 10 minutes. In the third period, teammate Johannah Kohorst also hit her head on the boards and also spent several minutes on the ice without moving.

Both players were helped off the ice without a stretcher, but Kohorst has a concussion, according to her coach, and received her medal from the bench wearing a neck brace.”

Class 2A Championship: Eden Prairie 5, Grand Rapids-Greenway 3
Read more: http://www.twincities.com/ci_8348074

Jenna Pietrantonio
“At first, it didn’t seem so bad.

It was Sept. 30, 2013, and Jenna Pietrantonio, playing for the Nepean Wildcats of the Nepean Girls Hockey Association, turned her head to receive a pass.

When she looked forward again, “their defence was right there like a brick wall,” says Pietrantonio, a 19-year-old first-year cognitive sciences student at Carleton University. It was a mighty collision, but aside from a sore jaw, Pietrantonio at first seemed none the worse for wear.

“I took two shifts off, just to make sure I didn’t have any headache or anything,” she says, then played the rest of the game.

The headache didn’t hit until afterwards. “As soon as I got in the car, I was, ‘Oh boy — this is definitely another concussion.'” It was far more intense than a normal headache, she says. “It feels like your brain has a huge bruise.”

Pietrantonio had suffered a serious concussion playing hockey in 2009, when she was in Grade 8, but kept playing and didn’t tell anyone for a month. She finally told her parents when the headaches and dizziness worsened.

At the time, protocols for sports concussions were primitive or non-existent. Though Pietrantonio didn’t play hockey for three months, she continued to go to school, watch TV and hang out with friends, likely prolonging her recovery.

She didn’t immediately tell her parents after her second concussion either, because it would mean the end of hockey for her. The next morning she went to school, but after lunch, “I felt like I’d been hit by a truck,” she says. “I was wobbling in my walking. I felt nauseous. I had a really, really bad headache.”

That night her father, Rocco, took her to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, where she was diagnosed with a concussion.

This time, the treatment was much different. She was off school entirely for three months. She spent her days lying in a dark room with no texting, no music, no TV. “I had to stay in my room all day, every day,” she recalls. “I couldn’t even talk to my family.”

As the symptoms persisted, depression settled in. Without hockey, she lost her social network. “All your teammates, you’re like sisters,” she says. “For three months, I didn’t see them. You always feel alone. It took a while for me to become happy again.”

She returned to St. Pius High School after the Christmas break, but only for half days until April. Luckily, her teachers understood what she was going through and made accommodations.

Today, 20 months after her concussion, things are much better. But Pietrantonio still can’t do a lot without triggering a headache. “I can do up to 25 minutes of walking, and even after that I get some symptoms of headache or a little dizziness after I stop.”

She also has trouble concentrating or remembering things and remains sensitive to light and noise. “Basically, everything will give me a headache.”

The depression has loosened its grip, but hasn’t entirely faded away. “Some days,” she says, “I feel like it’s kind of come back, and I just don’t want to do anything at all.”

Jenna Pietrantonio's Long, Hard Road Back From Concussion
Read more: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new ... concussion

Manon Rheaume
“Ice hockey is a physical game, especially for the goalies. Protecting the goal is like being a target in a shooting gallery. Manon’s father improvised a fiberglass chest protector for his maturing daughter. Despite padding and a face mask, goalies routinely get injured. While playing in the Atom league, Rheaume suffered a concussion in a collision with another player and woke up in the hospital. It wouldn’t be her last painful encounter with a player or a puck. The puck, made of hard rubber, comes flying at the goal as fast as a baseball thrown from the pitcher’s mound. When it makes contact, it hurts. Former NHL goalie Ken Dryden observed that the pain from being hit by pucks is constant and cumulative over a season. He compared it to getting pummeled by a skilled boxer.”

From the book Icons of Women’s Sports, Volume 1, page 458, written by Steven J. Overman and Kelly Boyer Sagert
Read more: https://books.google.com/books/about/Ic ... 7D0zbnx3MC


Kim Martin (and Haley Irwin)
“Injured list grows

The Bulldogs are down to nine forwards after two more injuries this week.

Irwin, the second-line center, is out after getting a concussion in Monday's practice.

Third-line center Tawni Mattila is inactive after spraining her left shoulder in Wednesday's practice, while wingers Emmanuelle Blais (high ankle sprain) and Samantha Hough (knee) remain out of the lineup.

Martin suffered a concussion late in the Oct. 6 St. Cloud game, but felt no repercussions during the week and will start in net today.”

UMD Kills 22 St. Cloud State Penalties
Read more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/conten ... -penalties


Florence Schelling
“Northeastern typically features Swiss junior Florence Schelling in net, but she has been out of the Huskies line-up recently because of a concussion. Senior goaltender Leah Sulyma is a more than adequate substitute for Schelling, so no matter who the Terriers face this weekend, they will have to be on top of their game.”

W. Hockey To Play Northeastern Three Times in Five Days
Read more: http://dailyfreepress.com/2011/02/11/w- ... five-days/


Morgan Talbot
“Fox Cities coach Jeff Fox wasn't surprised with the way his team reacted to adversity.

"The girls did a nice job of responding," said Fox. "I told them it's probably the hardest thing you're ever going to get in sports, getting scored on in the last second to get tied. But the girls have been resilient all year with the injuries we've had and have been able to fight through things."

One of those injuries was a season-ending concussion to starting goalie Morgan Talbot a few games ago. For the regional game, Fox elected to make a daring move and shift his leading scorer, Ally Fox, into the net. The move paid off. Fox had a solid game in the net with 20 saves, and the Stars were able to generate just enough offense to win.”

Mork Shines For Stars In Win Over United
Read more: http://www.postcrescent.com/story/sport ... /23724261/

More Goalie stories

Stephanie Loukes and Daniela Paniccia
The bigger obstacle faced by the Hornets was the loss of both their goalies to concussions before the season even began. Stephanie Loukes was the first to be felled when she was whacked over the head with a stick in the Stoney Creek tournament two weeks before the season. A week later, Daniela Paniccia was run over late in a pre-season game.

“Basically, we went with midget call-ups to start the season,” said rookie head coach Jackie Kendrick. “At that point, they hadn’t even played midget yet, so we had two goalies who the last time they faced shots in a game, it was in bantam. That’s a big jump.”

Hornets Overcome Adversity To Remain In Contention In PWHL
Read more: http://m.insidehalton.com/sports-story/ ... on-in-pwhl


Molly Tissenbaum
“While Tissenbaum is no stranger to concussions, with four injuries to the brain in her hockey career, she is back on skates and just finished a superb season as backup goalie for a Harvard squad that lost to Minnesota, 4-1 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship in Minneapolis.

“After the accident, I had an instant feeling that things were bad and I was convinced my hockey days were over,” recalled Tissenbaum who, when she’s not at school, resides in the York Mills and Bayview area. “There were nightmares, headaches and wearing sunglasses all hours. It’s something that will never go away.”

Determined to succeed and passionate about hockey, Tissenbaum was given the green light to play. An honours student in high school, and winner of an award from the National Society of High School Scholars in Canada, Tissenbaum firmly believes she made the right choice.

“I am very fortunate to be able to play for a great school,” said Tissenbaum, who appeared in seven games this year and had a save percentage of .912. “As for the concussions, my family warned me about returning to the ice and suggested that it might be time to just be a student.”

Harvard Hockey Goalie Molly Tissenbaum Able to Continue Playing After Concussion Setback
Read more: http://m.insidetoronto.com/news-story/5 ... on-setback

More Molly Tissenbaum click on the link below to see the video, it needs to be seen but be aware it could be unsettling.

Molly Tissenbaum
“As Molly Tissenbaum, a hockey goalie at Harvard University, can attest, kids sometimes need to be protected from themselves.

“If I had a dollar for every time I heard, ‘Suck it up and play through it’ during my career, I wouldn’t be on a student budget,” she says. “All of us seem to feel the team can’t win without us, and that’s a great feeling to have, because you feel like you’re important and contributing. But there’s no win that will ever be more important than your ability to function.”

In Grade 9, Tissenbaum played through a concussion with a berth to the provincial championships on the line.

“I knew I was doing the wrong thing, but it didn’t matter at that point,” says Tissenbaum, now 21. “I was still too young to realize that your brain isn’t something you can put in a cast and hope it will get better.”

Diagnosed after the fact with post-concussion syndrome, Tissenbaum endured what she calls six months of torture. She struggled to complete simple math assignments, alienated her friends and generally lived in an incoherent blur.

Her mother, Lisa, remembers it like this: “She was Jekyll and Hyde. As brilliant as she had been, she couldn’t come up with any answers at school. She was so frustrated by it. She was like the Tasmanian Devil. Not the real one, the one we all know from the Warner Bros. cartoon. Things were all over the house. She couldn’t remember where anything had been put, so she would just whirl around looking for what it was that she thought she put down, and it was always right beside her. She was not on her game at all.”

PART 1: Remembering Rowan Stringer, whose cautionary tale should enact new concussion protocol in Canada
Watch Molly’s video and read more: http://www.edsonleader.com/2015/11/24/p ... for-change

In her own words

http://www.theinvisibleinjury.net/blog/ ... /11/prolo1

more stories

Tara Gray
“Minnesota Duluth senior defenseman Tara Gray of Toronto, Ontario, suffered a concussion in the third period of Saturday’s home win over Minnesota. She was racing toward a puck in the defensive zone, with a Minnesota player, and went face-first into the end boards, she said Tuesday at the DECC. She was briefly hospitalized and is out indefinitely. That leaves No. 3-ranked UMD (7-1) with just two true defensemen (sophomore Mariia Posa and freshman Noora Jaakkola) for a Friday-Saturday series at Bemidji State.”

UMD Women Lose Tara Gray to Concussion
Read more: http://rinkandrun.areavoices.com/2010/1 ... DbFJY.dpuf


Tara Watchorn, Jenelle Kohanchuk, Kasey Boucher, Alissa Fromkin, Marie-Philip Poulin
While the No. 5 Boston University women’s hockey team has statistically had a rough couple of weeks after losing three out of its last four games, the team has actually been up-and-down all season thanks in large part to a rash of injuries.

Before the school year even began, the Terriers (6-4-1, 1-1-0 Hockey East) had a major headache when senior defenseman Tara Watchorn suffered a concussion over the summer. While Watchorn finally laced up her skates when BU went on the road to play University of Wisconsin, the Terriers have since had three more concussion-ridden players miss important games.

Senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk, senior defensemen Kasey Boucher and junior goaltender Alissa Fromkin have all experienced concussion-like symptoms and missed playing time because of the injury.

According to BU head coach Brian Durocher, whether or not the three players will make their way back to the lineup this weekend is dependent on how they do over the course of the next few days.

“We’ll know a little more today, a little more tomorrow and hopefully come Thursday have a pretty good indication that there are no setbacks and people are ready to join us,” Durocher said.

Kohanchuk’s concussion holds significant importance to the Terriers because of her expanding role on the team since sophomore forward Marie-Philip Poulin suffered an abdominal injury at the beginning of the season.

Where in the world is Marie-Philip?

While BU has been attempting to handle the concussion situation, the lingering issue of Poulin’s absence has continued to impact the team.

The Terriers do have a light at the end of the tunnel, though, as Poulin has started to ease her way back into exercising.

Poulin, who scored 24 goals and was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year last season, has started doing light bicycle workouts.

“She’s on the slow path back,” Durocher said. “It’s not anywhere near the high tempo that you need as a Division I athlete. It’s more constant monitoring from the training staff and coaches.”

According to Durocher, Poulin is expected to return in January.

Durocher also hopes that the second half of the season will fare better for the injury-ridden team.

“With Marie-Philip, Jenelle, Kasey, Alissa Fromkin, it starts to become a pretty big list [of injuries] and I hope the injury gods will pay us back in the second half of the year,” Durocher said.”

Injury Plagued Women’s Hockey Still on Top
Read more: http://dailyfreepress.com/2011/11/09/in ... ll-on-top/


Kathleen Ash
2014-15: Appeared in three games but had season come to an end due to concussion.

Player Profile
Read more: http://msumavericks.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5148&path=


Kate Christoffersen, Abby Miller, Amanda Yost
“Mo Stroemel knows there’s a problem.

The Penn State Lady Icers coach believes there’s a couple areas of concern with concussions in women’s ice hockey.

Three Lady Icers sustained concussions during the last three weekends of the season, all occurring in different games.

Amanda Yost was one of the players who suffered a concussion, and felt the effects off the ice. Yost, whose senior season was cut short after her head injury during the Senior Day game, had to keep recounting money at work on Feb. 20, the day after she got her second career concussion with the Lady Icers.

“I was typing numbers into the calculator and they were just random numbers that I don’t even know where they came from,” recalled Yost, one of the managers of CVS on North Atherton Street. “It wasn’t what I counted or anything. I had no recollection of actually typing in the numbers.”

During a New York Times interview last year, University of North Carolina researcher Jason Mihalik said women’s ice hockey holds the highest rate of concussions, surpassing NCAA football and men’s ice hockey.

And the Lady Icers have had to deal with the findings by Mihalik this year.

Back-to-back hits at Liberty on Feb. 11 resulted in sophomore defender Kate Christoffersen’s fourth career concussion, which forced her 14-year hockey career to an end abruptly. Yost’s concussion came the following weekend against the same team. The next weekend, junior defender Abby Miller sustained a concussion in the Eastern Collegiate Women’s Hockey League (ECWHL) playoffs against Rhode Island.

Stroemel said he remembers the Lady Icers had more concussions two seasons ago.”

Women's Ice Hockey Deals with Concussion Issue
Read more: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archives/a ... 6f249.html

Olivia Jakiel
“Olivia Jakiel – PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome). Has taken leave from (Wisconsin Badgers) team.”
Read more: http://board.uscho.com/archive/index.ph ... 6-p-8.html


Taylor McGee
“The primary news items with any roster release, of course, are the comings and goings and this roster confirms that forward Katie Zinn and defender Taylor McGee have both left the program after their freshman seasons. McGee, who arrived at PSU from Taft School, was sidelined with a concussion for a chunk of the season but was still generally a solid regular when healthy, playing in 23 games and collecting a pair of assists.”

Women’s Roster Released
Read more: http://thankyouterry.blogspot.com/2013/ ... eased.html


Micayla Catanzariti
“On January 28th and 29th, Gilmour split a pair of games at Culver Academy, winning 3-2, then losing by the same score...the Lancers scrimmaged Honeybaked (the team of Birdie Shaw and Jordin Pardoski) twice on Saturday...Catanzariti is presently recovering from a concussion.”

Commit Cycle
Read more: http://thankyouterry.blogspot.com/2012/ ... women.html


Kristi Kehoe
“Northeastern played the final 24 minutes of Tuesday’s game without Kristi Kehoe, their leading scorer, who left the ice with assistance from the trainer after crashing into the end boards. She is day-to-day with a concussion, and her status for the Huskies’ home-and-home series with Connecticut Jan. 23 through Jan. 24 was unknown as of press time.”

Two losses drop Northeastern to .500
Read more: http://huntnewsnu.com/2009/01/two-losse ... rn-to-500/

One Class of 2016 Senior Mankato Maverick
When it was suggested that Harrington has a tough time losing – at hockey or golf, or trivial pursuit, for that matter – the man known as “Bah” interrupted. “Mark is as competitive as I am. He just does it with a different demeanor than me.”

The friends and ex-teammates will come at this weekend’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association series with different perspectives. Johnson’s Badgers, an NCAA Frozen Four finalist last year, are unbeaten in eight games this season, have outscored opponents 42-2 and have registered a program-record (and WCHA record-tying) six-straight shutouts in league games.

Harrington’s Mavericks have yet to win a WCHA game and are 2-7-1 overall. The Mavs dropped a pair of games last weekend at Ohio State while skating 17 freshmen and sophomores. “We have two seniors and one hurt her ankle and the other had a concussion,” said Harrington. “We have a lot of growing pains, but our team is getting more accustomed to the pace of the league and getting better each week. But here comes Wisconsin who hasn’t allowed a goal to anyone and we are averaging 1.1 goals a game.

“I just hope Mark takes it easy on us,” Harrington said. The tone in his voice said Harrington’s team won’t roll over for the Big Red.”

Forever-linked Johnson, Harrington To Go Head-to-head From The Bench
Read more: http://minnesotahockeymag.com/golden-boys/


Shera Vis, Jodi Helminen and Megan Jedinak
“You can’t help but feel bad for Minnesota State head women’s hockey coach Jeff Vizenor.

A year after enduring a tough nine-win season last season, Vizenor hit the recruiting trail hard and landed a trio of Minnesota’s best high school players, and perhaps the greatest line in the history of women’s high school hockey. South St. Paul’s Ashley Young, Maggie Fisher and Felicia Nelson were the most heralded recruits to set foot in Mankato, perhaps ever.

In any sport.

Throw in a talented group of returning underclassmen like Amanda Stohr, Shera Vis and sophomore goalie Brit Kehler, and nine wins by January looked to be disappointing.

But before the puck had even dropped Oct. 7 in the season opener at Mercyhurst, the Mavericks were feeling the effects of the injury bug.

If you’re looking for damage, look no further than than Vizenor’s prized class of recruits: Four freshman, 81 games missed.

Young, one-third of the freshman SSP trio, could barely hold a hockey stick. Damaged from a previous injury, Young’s shoulder was so sore she didn’t even make the trip to Erie, Penn. to take on Mercyhurst.

Her debut came the following week at All Seasons Arena against North Dakota, a game that may live in injury infamy. The appearance by Young was her only of the season.

Nelson also limped away from the game, dislocating her kneecap and suffering cartilage damage that has lingered throughout the season. After playing on and off until two weeks ago, Nelson will miss the remainder of her freshman season, tallying 10 goals in just 26 games.

Another pair of freshmen, Jenna Hewitt and Andrea Herold, sustained shoulder injuries during the season. Hewitt was lost for the season during the second game of the Mercyhurst series. The injury, although different from Young’s, had the same effect; both missed more than 30 games in this, their freshman seasons. Herold has missed eight games with her injury, but is back on the ice as the season winds down.

“If you ever said this was going to happen, I don’t know if anybody would believe you,” Vizenor said. “I can’t find any specific reason why, I guess it’s just one of those things that happens.”

Even leading scorer Maggie Fisher has suffered her share of bumps and bruises. The freshman has not missed a game, but has missed large chunks of some; with injuries spanning from bumps and bruises to a sprained ankle – which she is currently fighting through.

“You can’t go out there and play differently,” Fisher said. “We just go out and play. We can’t worry about if we are going to injure ourselves.”

The injuries have also given team trainer Elizabeth Hughes a little more work this season. Last year, on average, the second-year trainer would work about 20-25 hours per week. With all of the injuries this season, her numbers are near 35 hours per week, sometimes more. But for Hughes, she says getting her players back on the ice and healthy is her primary concern.

“There have been a lot of injuries this season, but also a lot of dramatic ones,” Hughes said. “You will get your sprains and strains, but these have been major injuries where people are out for a long time with surgeries.”

And of course, it’s never good when your athletic trainer is the busiest member of the team.

“It’s just been crazy this year. It seems like every weekend, someone new is getting hurt,” Hughes said. “It’s like ‘Oh my gosh, how many more?’”

Up a class, fellow SSP graduate Amanda Stohr hurt her shoulder during warm-ups for a game in Duluth Dec. 2. She missed only four games, but was assisted by the fact that after the series in Duluth, MSU played host to Minnesota followed by a four-week lull in the schedule because of winter break. Had the injury occurred early in the season, Stohr’s loss would have been huge, as teammates and coaches consider the sophomore as the heart of the team.

Another injury that happened at the right time was the concussion suffered by Shera Vis. Because of the timing, Vis was able to make it back in time for the second half of the season, and has not missed a game this year.

The freshest injury of the bunch belongs to another second-year player, Jodi Helminen. Helminen was injured Saturday against Minnesota-Duluth after she was hauled down and awkwardly slid into the boards. Post-game x-rays would not tell the entire story, but she will, in all likelihood, miss the entire playoffs, no matter how far MSU goes.

“A kid like Helminen gives up her body every game, and maybe you’re just bound to have some bad bounces or have an injury when you play that hard,” Vizenor said. “I’d rather have our kids play hard and risk injury than play soft and be healthy.”

The injuries have forced Vizenor into some unique line combinations. During the last Duluth series, Vizenor dressed only three healthy forward lines and two healthy lines of defense. After the Helminen injury, the Mavs were down to eight usable forwards. A team at full strength rotates through 12 forwards, and has at least two or three more that would be healthy scratches.

Vizenor has had to go to drastic measures just to make sure he has enough firepower up front to create healthy lines. After a rash of midseason injuries, Vizenor asked Lyndsay James, a senior who hadn’t played on the team in over a year, to come back. He also shifted defenseman Andreanne Thibault from the blue-line to forward, a challenge that was a difficult adjustment for the sophomore.

“It’s a completely different game,” said Thibault, one of just eight players to appear in every game. “There is less pressure playing forward and you have to skate all the time and be fore checking.”

The defensive core has also seen its share of tough luck this season, losing three players to injury or off-ice issues.

Among them, Lindsay McCulloch’s wrist injury, which has knocked her from action for a second-consecutive season. The senior assistant captain missed all of last season with the injury and played in only half the games this season before submitting to the pain once again. The loss was big for the young Mavericks, who have missed McCulloch’s steady leadership on the ice.

McCulloch’s loss on the blue-line has been amplified also by the losses of juniors Megan Jedinak and Autumn Conway. Jedinak suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Wisconsin and is questionable for this weekend’s series at Minnesota. Conway was lost for the season for personal reasons, joining junior Alycia Wilson, who played in 15 games before leaving the team.

“This whole season has just been a strange situation,” Vizenor said. “I don’t ever foresee it ever happening again, but I guess you never know.”

By the end of the season, injured players will miss more 120 games, a stat that has Vizenor and other coaches shaking their heads.

“I think they feel bad for me,” said Vizenor. “They just can’t believe we are that banged up.”

Bruised, Battered And Broken, The Minnesota State Women's Hockey Team Enters The WCHA Playoffs With A Host of Players Fighting Through Injury - Or Not Playing At All.
Read more: http://www.mnsu.edu/sports/bluelineclub ... /mash.html

4 gophers

Emily West
“The prior series between the Gophers and Bulldogs saw them combine for 22 penalties in a 3-0 Minnesota loss, and the Saturday game ended with junior Emily West suffering a concussion in what Frost described as “the incident.”

“You knew going into the game that they were going to be watching things a little more closely,” junior Terra Rasmussen said. “We didn’t think we were going to have three girls in the box right off the bat.”

Win Or Go Home: No. 3 Minnesota Hosts Clarkson For Only 2nd Time
Read more: http://www.mndaily.com/2010/03/10/win-o ... cktabs_6=1


Kelli Blankenship
“Multiple concussions abruptly ended Kelli Blankenship’s hockey carreer. They also left her with chronic headaches, dizziness, short term memory, and a sensitivity to loud noises.

“I feel like I have no concept of time,” said Blankenship.

Blankenship played Gopher Women’s Hockey for four years at the University of Minnesota. This season she played semi-professional hockey with the Whitecaps. About four weeks ago Blankenship suffered two concussions

“I was feeling fuzzy. I got up I got the bench the goalie asked if I a was feeling alright. I said just give me a couple of minutes I think I’ll be ok. Coach said rest up and get back out there because we only had 10 players. So I continued to play. In the next game I got my head knocked a little bit.. And after that game I couldn’t do it any more,” she said.

New Study Finds Girls Have Unique Symptoms and Risk
Read more: http://brainchampions.org/new-study-fin ... s-and-risk


Becky Kortum
2011-12• Junior Season: Played in 28 games, compiling two goals and three assists for five points • recorded her first point this season with an assist vs. UNH (11/18) • Recorded her first goal of the season at St. Cloud State (2/4) • Scored a goal vs. North Dakota in a 5-2 victory at Ridder Arena (2/18) • missed eight games early in the season due to illness • missed the WCHA tournament and NCAA Quarterfinal due to injury • Academic All-WCHA.
Player Profile
Read more: http://m.gophersports.com/m/sports/w-ho ... 60163.html


Kate Flug
“We won our game against Germany 7-1 and will be playing tomorrow in the gold medal game either against Sweden or Canada. In our game earlier today Maryanne Kennedy-Menefee scored twice and Kate Flug also added two of her own. This was Flug's first game back from a concussion she suffered when we scrimmaged the Zlín (sic) boys team.”

Alex Carpenter’s Online Blog
Read more: http://www.bceagles.com/news/2012/1/7/C ... many_.aspx

5 UMD Bulldogs

“Five concussions. One separated shoulder. One bruised rib from a charge. A common injury report a day after a college men's hockey series, eh?

But it's Minnesota Duluth's women's hockey injury scorecard, after 16 games (13-1-2). Bulldogs women's hockey coach Shannon Miller is concerned -- saying her players are being abused -- and has sent a letter to the WCHA requesting that it put an immediate stop to excessive physical play throughout the league.

Miller said roughhouse play is being directed specifically at her players, as two-time defending NCAA champions.

"My hope is that WCHA will step up and show some leadership, to get people headed in a more positive direction," Miller said.

Miller said it's unfortunate that the Bulldogs have been hit from behind four times and have had suffered serious injuries each time.

"Because we're back-to-back national champions we should be a target, but not a target of physical abuse," Miller said.

Miller said her biggest concern is the safety of all players, not just her Bulldogs.

"Everyone should be able to play the game and still feel relatively safe," Miller said. "But right now my players are playing the game and don't feel physically safe, which is really unfortunate."

Miller said she has received about 50 e-mails since her club's recent two-game sweep of the Gophers in Minneapolis.

"Most of the e-mails were from Gophers fans apologizing for the behavior of their team," Miller said. "Just because we're a good team, we shouldn't be physically abused. Most people don't want this in the women's game. There is body contact allowed, and we like aggressive, physical hockey. But there's a line that separates men's and women's hockey, and that line is being crossed right now."

If the WCHA doesn't act to redirect the direction the women's game is headed, Miller said, "then teams with the biggest, strongest and fastest players will have no choice but to play that style of hockey or be injured, which is the situation that we're being pushed into right now. I'm not an advocate of body checking (in women's hockey)."

Pounding On The 'Dogs
Read more: http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/content/pounding-dogs
more college stories

Jenny Hempel and Sanna Peura
“The Bulldogs had to play without both Jenny Hempel and Sanna Peura, both of whom were sidelined by incidents at Ohio State. "Both of them got concussions from cross-checks to the head," said Miller. They may also miss the Harvard series. With line-juggling necessary, Miller asked her forwards who they'd most like to play with, and when Sikio and Erika Holst said they'd like to play together, that was an easy move. Not only did Sikio get four goals against UNH, but Holst had six assists for the weekend, setting up all three goals in the 3-0 opener, and notching three more assists Sunday.”

Bulldog Women Complete Historic Sweep of UNH
Read more: http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/content/ ... -sweep-unh

Michelle Doherty
“The Saint Michael's women's hockey team (2-7-1, 1-4-1 ECAC East) fell to Potsdam State 5-2 on Friday in the first of two non-conference games at the Maxcy Ice Arena this weekend.

The Purple Knights struck first and took an early lead on freshman Michelle Doherty's (Chelmsford, Mass./East Coast Wizard) first career goal just 1:32 into her first collegiate game. Doherty, who was sidelined for the first nine games while recovering from a concussion, netted her first goal on an assist from junior leading-scorer Madelena Santore (Millington, N.J./New Jersey Rockets/Rutgers Univ.).”

Women's Hockey Drops 5-2 Contest At Potsdam
Read more: http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/wice ... 01210_wice


Sasha Van Muyen
“Both games went south. Harvard answered Smith’s goal 1:48 later to take a 2-1 lead into intermission. Brown lost Sasha Van Muyen ’10, who had assisted on the goal, to a concussion late in the middle frame, and both she and blueliner Samantha Stortini ’11 would sit out the Dartmouth game. The Crimson scored on a quick transition early in the third and tacked on a power-play goal with 32 seconds left.”

Two Strong Performances, But Without A Win
Read more: http://www.browndailyherald.com/2010/02 ... out-a-win/


Katie Jacques
Freshman Katie Jacques has suffered two concussions this season. Amazingly, she scored four of the six goals against St. Ben's on Friday, including the game winner in overtime. Freshman goalie Jill Leonetti made 54 saves in preserving the win for the Cobber women. Jacques added another goal in Saturday's game, the Cobber's only score of the afternoon. Freshman Shyla Wilson made 69 saves in net for the Cobbers.

Women’s Hockey Gains First Ever MIAC Victory
Read more: http://dept.cord.edu/sports/sportsbacku ... 12100.html


Katie Daniels
“With only 18 skaters on the roster, RPI has had little room for injury this season. The injury bug bit the Engineers on Saturday as they were forced to play with just 15 skaters and three regular defensemen. Forward Clare Padmore has been out since the second game at Syracuse last weekend, while defensemen Katie Daniels has been out of the lineup since suffering a concussion at Syracuse last Saturday and Amanda Castignetti sprained her neck at Union on Friday night.”

Union Home & Home
Read more: http://www.withoutapeer.com/2010/12/wom ... c.html?m=1


Meagan Beck
“It was an innocent collision during a pregame skate prior to the Union women's hockey team's game against Dartmouth on Nov. 30.

But for junior defenseman Meagan Beck, the collision may prove to be the end of her career.

Beck suffered a concussion, her third in college and sixth of her hockey career, from the collision. The Niskayuna native has decided to sit out the remainder of this season.

"It's been six weeks, and I've kind of gotten over the everyday headaches," said Beck, who was the Dutchwomen's co-most valuable player last season, and was the team rookie of the year in 2005-06. "But I'm having trouble reading, and trouble focusing.

"Classes [started Monday], so that will be a good testing point to see where I really am, how my focus and concentration is."

Beck and two other players were involved in the collision.

"Before games, we go on the ice at noon and do a pregame skate, just helmets and gloves," Beck said. "We go through our plays and our systems. Me and one of my teammates both had our heads down in the warmup. One other teammate [skated in], and we all just ran into each other. My head is so sensitive from past concussions that one little hit in the wrong spot did something to my head that it wouldn't do normally to other people. It was just an unlucky hit in practice."

Union coach Claudia Asano is disappointed to lose Beck.

"It's sad," Asano said. "It definitely affects our team, but we've had a lot people in and out of the lineup, so I think we are adjusting. But [Beck's] a junior and a leader, and it's not easy to be missing that in the lineup."

Beck, who played at the Berkshire School prior to attending Union, had three doctor appointments scheduled for this week. She will have tests to determine if she is at risk of suffering more concussions if she continues to play. If the results tell her that it would be too risky to play again, then the 20-year-old Beck will hang up her skates.

"Before, we were kind of doing overall testing," Beck said. "Now, we're kind of getting down to the nitty gritty, and trying to figure out what's really wrong."

But it is getting scary for Beck. While she loves playing hockey, she realizes that being healthy is more important.

"I've never had any side effects after one week with any previous concussion, but I don't know if I never fully recovered from them, so it's easy to get them again," Beck said. "But this one's been much different than the past ones, based on recovery time and how I felt. It fluctuates from school to school, but a lot of training staffs and doctors don't let you play after about five or six [weeks]. We're getting up to the point where the doctors are going to have to decide what's best for me in the long run."

Beck Seeks Answers, Return to Health
Read more: http://www.ecachockey.com/women/members ... eckArticle

Hannah Baker
“McGill led the playoffs with nine goals and 14 points in nine games, including a first-round sweep over Barrie that advanced the Wolves to the tournament.

Kassidy Sauve, fresh off a world championship with Canada’s under-18 team, picked up the final two wins, but in part due to a serious injury to Hannah Baker, who was equally excellent in the games leading up.

Baker was hit hard and knocked unconscious against Stoney Creek, left the ice on stretcher and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Soper said she will be fine, but will be withheld from physical activity for at least six weeks with a concussion.”

Whitby Jr. Wolves Repeat As Alumni Cup Champions
Read more: http://m.durhamregion.com/sports-story/ ... -champions


Taylar Cianfarano
Unfortunately, Taylar Cianfarano was demolished in the corner while battling giving her a weekend ending concussion.

Due to the dreaded ACTs and TT’s concussion, the NSA girls’ team was down 4 players for the second game on Saturday morning verse Assabet U16. The girls were able to overcome adversity and grind out a 0-0 tie.

Although the girls battled hard, nobody was able to slide the puck past the goal line. Sarah Foss played an amazing game never allowing Assabet to celebrate in front of a home crowd.

Defenseman Kali Flanagan separated her shoulder after being hit by two Assabet goons at the same time, putting her out for a two week minimum.

Saturday night, the girls faced off against their rivals NAHA. Some of the girls felt as though their legs were in “quicksand” and that showed during the first period. NAHA dominated scoring, 4 goals to NSA’s 0.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Read more: http://nsamountaineers.blogspot.com/201 ... d.html?m=1


Cora Place
“An Indus-born hockey player has some unfinished business to tend to when she returned to the Warner Hockey School this season. Last year, Cora Place played 41 games in her debut season with the Warner Warriors but missed two months after a blindside hit sent the Grade 11 forward crashing into the net. Place suffered a major concussion and missed two months.

“I don’t really remember it,” Place said.

“(Sitting out) was actually really hard. I got to see my teammates excel and I missed a crucial part of growing as a player. It was definitely frustrating.”

Before she became a Warrior, Place played seven years of minor hockey in her hometown of Indus before playing two years of Bantam AAA with the Rocky Mountain Raiders in Cochrane. After 10 years of minor hockey, she made the jump to major junior and joined Warner. “I chose it because it’s the highest level I can play hockey,” she said. “I wanted to advance my career, see new places, play new teams and experience that hockey life. “They push you really hard and make you a better person. With the coaching, they make you responsible for your own actions and they push you to become a better player.”

Indus Hockey Player Returns to Warner For Sophomore Season
Read more: http://www.rockyviewweekly.com/article/ ... ore-season

U.S.Olympic Players

Cammi Granato
“Her parents tried to get her interested in figure skating, but she wanted to play hockey. Her brothers tried to make her play goal, but she was determined to skate with everyone else. Granato began playing hockey when she was five, but her parents did not initially support her wishes until they saw how serious she was about the game. Granato played club hockey from ages five to 16 on a boys team, the Downers Grove Huskies.

Granato encountered some problems as a player, with other teams targeting her for injury. Also, her parents did not want their sons to play against her, especially as she got older.

She was once deliberately given a concussion by a player in a game, and suffered a shoulder injury another time. By the time she reached her full height, she was only 5'7" and 141 lbs. Granato stopped playing for the team during her junior and senior years in high school because of social pressures and fear of injury as the boys became bigger than her.”

Cammi Granato Becomes The First Women Inducted Into The Hockey Hall Of Fame
Read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3125 ... ll-of-fame


Sue Merz
“Greenwich native Sue Merz knows about overuse, having spent more than a decade in collegiate and professional hockey, capped by a standout performance in the Winter Olympics of 1998 as a member of the U.S. women’s team. Along the way, she endured a broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder, hernia, and possible concussion. She still deals with knee and back pain every day. Now a pharmaceutical sales representative who still plays hockey in a Stamford league, she’s being a bit ironic when she says, “I got out unscathed.”

Merz has had a herniated disc repaired at ONS and frequent physical therapy at the Moore Center for Rehabilitation in Darien. “There’s no question that sports medicine has made major advances from where it was a decade ago,” she says. “It’s the difference between having two little holes in my neck versus a six-inch scar. It’s amazing what they can do today, and it has made life as an athlete much better.”

Tell Me Where It Hurts
Read more: http://www.greenwichmag.com/g/January-2 ... iarticle=2


Krissy Wendell
“Q. There was a check early in the first period. I want to be sure if it was right, D.P. hit you up in the glass. Right after Krissy Wendell got -- I wanted to ask that is she injured?

COACH SMITH: She got her bell rung. She might have a slight concussion.

Q. -- Right after that there was a play where again I think it was you hit D.P. sent her spinning. Did you feel after that there was a turnaround or the game went more in your favor?

KARYN BYE: Yeah, I mean, you always have to get a feel for I guess what the refs are going to call and are not going to call. Sometimes they call everything; sometimes they won't call anything. I thought it was a very physical game out there. That is the way we like it. I think once we kind of got our feet wet in that first period we were able to stand our ground the second and third and play the game that we like to play.”

NHL All Star Weekend, Interview with Karyn Bye, Cammi Granato, Angela Ruggiero and Ben Smith
Read more: http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=8320

U.S. Olympic players

Karen Thatcher
“With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, just months away, Thatcher had to make a difficult decision. “I suffered a concussion in February ~ my third major concussion ~ that I am still suffering symptoms from,” she said. “Given my future aspirations, my family and I have decided that it is best for me to move on from playing hockey at this time.”

Reaching Goals: Hockey Standout Karen Thatcher
Read more: http://thepulsemag.com/wordpress/2013/0 ... n-thatcher


Kathleen Kauth
“Three days later Don hosted a cookout for some of Kathleen's new teammates, filet mignon on the grill. Then the U.S. squad left to play four games in China. Kathleen scored three goals and began feeling like she might actually belong. Don called one of his brothers and said, "My little girl is going to the Olympics!"

On the trip back from China, Kathleen met up with her older brother, Matt, in Portland. They were together on the morning of Sept. 11. Seeing the news of the World Trade Center attacks on TV, Kathleen and Matt called their mom and said, "Where'sDad?"

He was at work."I knew right then," Anne says. "I knew he was dead."

It's hard for Kathleen to sort out what happened next. She suffered a concussion. She didn't play as well as she had in China. Who knows how much of it had to do with 9/11 and how much with being outclassed? On Dec. 4, U.S. coach Ben Smith released her. "I should have been cut," Kauth says. And, in truth, leaving the team gave her time to grieve.

She became a volunteer assistant coach at Brown, and when the 2002 Games began in Salt Lake City, she intended not to watch much. Then, in a hotel room in Hanover, N.H.,where the Brown team was staying for a game at Dartmouth, Kauth saw the opening ceremonies on TV. Her former teammate Angela Ruggiero was one of eight U.S. Olympians carrying the flag recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers, and sadness washed over Kauth again. Her dad's boss, Bob Stapleton, insisted that she go to Salt Lake City and bought her a plane ticket. She flew out by herself and sat in the crowd for the U.S. victory over Sweden in the women's hockey semifinals and the loss to Canada. But, Kauth says, "regardless of how many people are around, you're still alone somehow."

Fellowship Of The Rings
Read more: http://www.si.com/vault/2006/02/27/8370 ... -the-rings


Natalie Darwitz
“When Eagan native Natalie Darwitz was playing with the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team during an exhibition game prior to the 2001 World Championships, she fired the puck down ice … then SLAM.

A member of Team Canada bowled her over, sending the 18-year-old Darwitz to the ice.

“The girl didn’t care too much about the puck, went for the body and ran me over,” said Darwitz, a three-time U.S. Olympic medal winner.

As one of the smallest players on the ice ever since she was a youngster, Darwitz had become accustomed to being slammed to the ice, and, like the fiery competitor she is, picking herself up and continuing playing.
“It was the sensation right afterward, remembering exactly what happened,” Darwitz said of the hit. “After that five-second span, that was the most eerie.”

She said she was foggy and dizzy but made it back to the bench at the end of her shift.

When it was time for her line to return to the ice she skated around with legs that were uneasy underneath her. She had problems maintaining focus.

Upon returning to the bench, coaches directed her to the team trainer, who saw that an eye test indicated she may have had a concussion.

“Then the trainer said: ‘I’m going to tell you five words that I want you to remember. I’m going to ask you what these five words are in 10 minutes, a half an hour, an hour.’ ”

For the first time in her career, which has included hundreds of games of youth, Eagan High School, University of Minnesota and international hockey, Darwitz sat out the rest of the game with her first and only documented concussion.

“I believe I probably had a lot more,” she said. “Ten or 15 years back concussions were not a popular discussion medically or as a topic in hockey. Do I believe I had other concussions? Yes.”

Sports Concussions: What Price For Glory?
Read more: http://archives.ecmpublishers.com/2011/ ... for-glory/

2 Canadian National Team players

Delaney Collins
“Delaney Collins is itching to take off her brilliant golden jersey and get into a black one.

The veteran defenceman on the Canadian women's hockey team glows like the sun among a sea of red, white and black during practices at the Hockey Canada Cup. The jersey's colour is a caution sign so her teammates take it easy around her.

The 32-year-old from Pilot Mound, Man., was forced to learn caution recently after entering the frustrating and baffling world of concussions.

Collins, who has represented Canada in five world championships, isn't playing in the Olympic test event this week. She's waiting until the middle of September before she plays her first game of the 2009-10 season.

"I never thought it would take this long and I'm disappointed it took this long," Collins said prior to Canada's game against Finland on Tuesday.
"At the same time I just feel I'm more ready now than I ever thought I could be. Physically I feel great and emotionally I am dying to play hockey. I'm dying to help this team."

Collins was skating full-out into the corner during Canada's game against a Moncton midget triple-A team last October when her skate caught an edge and she hit her head hard as she went down.

Not realizing how badly she was injured, the five-foot-four, 130-pound defender didn't miss a shift and continued to play for her women's club team in Calgary for the next six weeks.

"It wasn't that obvious to me that I had a full-blown concussion," Collins said. "I knew I didn't feel right and I'd hit my head really hard to the point where my ears were ringing and I had a funny taste in my mouth."

After consulting with two concussion doctors and a neurologist in Calgary, she realized just how serious her head injury was.

She also discovered recovery from a concussion would try her patience a lot more than rehabilitation of a torn abdominal muscle she'd suffered just prior to the 2006 Olympics.

Collins had days when she felt fine only to feel terrible the next day. She wasn't ready to play in a sixth world championship in April and it's only been since June that she feels she's made real progress.

The diminutive defenceman also felt the looming deadline of an Olympic season, yet there was nothing she could do but wait. While Collins has played 88 career games for Canada, she's had to scratch and claw her way onto the national squad every time.

"I've told my good friend Meghan Agosta a few times I was done and she laughed and said 'No you're not, you're just having a bad day,"' Collins said. "I haven't played in an Olympic Games yet so I felt 'How could this be happening to me? I don't want to miss this opportunity to try out for this team.'

"I was really uptight before the world championships because I was holding onto so much hope that I could get back and go to Finland. The stress of it creates a cycle of headaches so you have to be willing to let go."

Collins has seven goals and 30 assists for Canada. She was an alternate defenceman on the 2006 Olympic team and feels it was the eight weeks she was out with that torn muscle that cost her a spot on the team.

She received sage advice from Canadian teammate Jennifer Botterill, who suffered her own major concussion in 2004. During a summer scrimmage against pro men's players, she collided with Raffi Torres, who currently plays for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.

Botterill, from Winnipeg, spoke about her experience at a concussion seminar in London, Ont., earlier this year.

"It can be a very frustrating injury because you have to show a lot of patience," Botterill explained. "It's unlike other injuries where you can do active recovery and things to help. With your brain, you just have to let it rest.

"There's so many different symptoms. Sometimes you're more emotional as well. You're just not your normal self when your brain gets rattled. I've tried to be there for her and explain that it's important to be patient."

Canadian head coach Melody Davidson says trying to play through a concussion or returning to play too soon after suffering one isn't worth it for Collins or any of her players.

"I feel like our athletes, they're smart ladies and they know hockey is just one part of their life and they want a full life all of their lives," she said. "Delaney been through the days when she couldn't even get out of bed and I know she doesn't want to return to those days."

Concussed Collins Bides Her Time to Return to Canadian Women's Hockey Team
Read more: http://m.thn.com/articles/27714-Concuss ... ?media=all

Video Interview With Delaney Collins
Watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE5RdhxPCDg


Jennifer Botterill
“On the eve of the Winter Olympics, Botterill is back with all her mental and physical faculties in order. That certainly wasn't the case 18 months ago, due to an innocent pick-up game of four-on-four hockey against Torres and a handful of other elite male and female hockey players at a Metro Toronto hockey arena.

"It was scary for me," says Botterill, a bubbly sort who could probably find something positive in a tornado or other natural disaster. "But I had to turn it around and look at it from another perspective.

"Maybe I'll be better for it in the long run. Maybe I'll have a greater appreciation of things. You never know what's going to happen, so you've just got to enjoy every day and every experience that you get.

"I tell you one thing, it was a reality check for me."

The reality check came courtesy of an unintentional meeting with

Torres in the neutral zone. Botterill had her head down. So did Torres.

Botterill is five-foot-nine, 153 pounds, Torres six feet, 210 pounds.

We'll let them pick up the story from here.

"I'm not sure if it was his face or shoulder that clipped my jaw," Botterill says. "I felt bad for him, because we wear cages and helmets. I think it was my cage that ended up clipping his mouth."

The hit sent a groggy Torres to hospital for stitches to close his lip and dental work to repair a chipped wisdom tooth.

"I'm telling you, she is solid," Torres says. "She is extremely solid, especially for um. Especially for a ... ."

Especially for what, Raffi?

"She is solid, especially for a girl."

Botterill is a power forward who makes her living in front of the net, so she takes that as a compliment. But the collision with Torres left her in a fog.

"I got up right away, went to the bench and thought, 'My jaw is a little sore,' " she says. "Sure enough, in the next couple of days, I started getting headaches and they wouldn't go away.

"You just feel a little off and a little nauseous. It's hard to describe, because everybody feels a little bit different with a concussion.

"The brain gets rattled in a different way."

Post-concussion syndrome is scary for any athlete, but Botterill has a family history that made it even more disturbing.

Her brother, Jason, won gold three times with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship before moving on to a professional career that included 88 NHL games in Dallas, Atlanta, Calgary and Buffalo. He retired last spring after one too many hits to the head.

"He saw a lot of special doctors and they said, 'You know, you could go back and play, but we don't know what would happen if you got another one,' " Botterill says.

"He just got into Michigan business school and he just got married in the summer. There are other things in life."

After her concussion, Botterill sat out of hockey for two months, missing the Four Nations Cup before returning to the ice for the world hockey championships last spring.

Canada lost the gold medal in a 1-0 shootout to the United States, and Botterill concedes she wasn't at the top of her game in Sweden.

The 26-year-old won MVP honours in the previous two world championships.

"I didn't have my best tournament," she says. "I think I felt confident enough -- it just takes a while to get back to feeling like yourself.

"It took a little bit longer than I expected, but I'm totally healthy now."

Through the nausea, headaches and uncertainty, Botterill remained upbeat and refused to feel sorry for herself.”

Reality Check Hits Canada's Botterill
Read more: http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=2d1 ... 758a7bb37d

Haley Wickenheiser, Cherie Piper and Haley Irwin
“I was feeling great in the pre-game warm-up on the ice. I did some evasive moves, took a really sharp cut, and my back went out on the right side. I felt a shearing pain. I had been joking with some kids in the stands, they were pounding on the glass and watching the warm-up. I had been smiling at them, and all of a sudden the smile just vanished from my face. Those children, the look in their eyes was: “Oh no, what just happened?”

I was in so much pain I could barely get to the dressing room. Doug Stacey, our trainer, came in and said: “What’s going on?” I said, “I don’t know, I reefed on my back.”

I always judge how hurt I am by asking myself, “If this was the gold medal game, could I play?” At that moment I said out loud to Doug and Robin McDonald, our equipment guy, “If this was the gold medal game, guys, there’s no way I could play!”

The took off my skates, and I sat in tremendous pain. The girls went out for the game, and I lay in fetal position on the table for two periods. The team doctor gave me a shot of Toradol in my left butt cheek. After the second period she game me a shot of morphine in my right butt cheek. By the time I was loaded in an SUV – Hockey Canada employees Trina Radcliffe and Amber Lesage were taking me back to Calgary – I was pretty loose but still in a lot of pain, the morphine didn’t wholly take it away. When I got home Mom and Dad, who live close by, helped me get upstairs and into bed. I didn’t really sleep that night. I took some Tylenol 3s and was high as a kite. I just lay there, and they waited on me hand and foot.

Meanwhile, back at the game, I wasn’t the only player who was hurt. Cherie Piper and Haley Irwin ended up with light concussions. Tessa Bonhomme went down with a charley horse. The game was dirty and physical. One of the guys said a mean and evil thing to Gillian Apps, and she gave him a two-hander across the head. I don’t care if you’re male or female, a two-hander from Gillian Apps, who is six feet tall and about 175 pounds is going to hurt! Coach Mel later told me, “I’m glad you didn’t play, because you would have been fighting people, you wouldn’t have been very happy.”

From the book Gold Medal Diary: Inside the World's Greatest Sports Event by Hayley Wickenheiser pages 92-93
Read more: https://www.hayleywickenheiser.com/gold ... rts-event/


More Haley Wickenheiser
“But the fact is I don’t remember much. Maybe it’s because I took a big hit last year in Sweden, or I’m under stress or whatever. I forget things a lot, except for the important things. It’s like we have this conveyer belt in our brains, it will only hold so much.”

From the book Gold Medal Diary: Inside the World's Greatest Sports Event by Hayley Wickenheiser, page 64
Read more: https://www.hayleywickenheiser.com/gold ... rts-event/


NFL Lawsuit: Toradol Worsens Injuries Like Concussions
The use of Toradol, which is made by a number of drug manufacturers, was at the center of a lawsuit filed in December by a dozen retired N.F.L. players who said the league and its teams repeatedly and indiscriminately administered the drug before and during games, thus worsening injuries like concussions.

Concern Raised Over Painkiller’s Use in Sports
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/sport ... .html?_r=0


Painkiller Usage Rampant in College Sports
“We must shift the culture on painkillers,” NCAA chief medical officer Dr. Brian Hainline said. “I think the culture now that it’s too easy to give a pain medicine. It’s too easy when an athlete is sore, to say well, why don’t you take this, you’ll feel better before the game.”

Hainline’s statements come on the heels of a FOX31 Denver investigation that proved through purchase orders and lawsuits that major college sports programs across the country have been buying thousands of doses of numbing agents, narcotics and a controversial post-operative pain injection called Toradol or Ketoralac.

NCAA’s top doctor tackles rampant use of painkillers in college sports
Read more: http://kdvr.com/2015/10/04/ncaas-top-do ... ge-sports/

I more USA Hockey team member

Kacey Bellamy
“USA Hockey is reporting her injury is a mild concussion. Concussions are serious business, but it’s still a relief, given that it looked for a bit like she’d maybe injured her spine in some way at the Four Nations final.”

Kacey Bellamy Is OK
Read more: https://firstlinehockey.wordpress.com/a ... g/page/38/

Lauren Charpentier
“Stillwater girls hockey player Lauren Charpentier is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion against Roseville in the championship game of the Kaposia Classic on Jan. 1. She has six goals and 10 assists in 14 games.”

High School Report: Stillwater's Jessie Diggins, Andover's Joe Dubay To Ski For U.S. In Estonia
Read more: http://www.twincities.com/ci_7907388?source=rss


Madde Denny
“Andover was playing without its starting goalie, who suffered a concussion two nights earlier in a game against Mounds View. Both of the Huskies’ varsity goaltenders are freshmen.”

Irondale Girls Hockey Team Scores 11 In Season-opening Victory
Read more: http://www.bulletin-news.com/content/ir ... lp4pEsYSmY


Brianna Tahti
“Two of the three players that graduated from last year's team were defensemen Amanda DeKanick and Bethany Johnson. The Knights also lost another defender, who transferred to Totino-Grace, and yet another is unavailable for the near future due to a concussion.”

So that means Irondale is down four defensemen from a year ago and last weekend skated two sophomores and two freshmen on the blue line.”

Irondale Facing Some Depth Issues
Read more: http://www.bulletin-news.com/content/ir ... lp5CEsYSmY


Boomer Sonnek
“Both head coaches praised their goaltenders.

Sonnek, who was out with a concussion for two weeks, played almost flawlessly for Edina.

“Boomer is back to her pre-inury form,” said coach Williamson. “She always gives us a chance to win, and so does our ninth-grader, Anna Goldstein, who took over when Boomer was injured.”

‘Heavyweights’ Battle To Hockey Draw
Read more: http://sailor.mnsun.com/2014/01/24/heav ... ckey-draw/

5 More Minn Girls

Andrea Green
“Green just got out of the hospital for a concussion. And will be back!”

Rumor Around B.I.G.
Read more: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 3&start=25


Simley Assistant Captain
“Amen, amen - I lost another senior Asst C. today to concussion. 12 experienced skaters now for JV/V on Tue,” said Brian Goski.

And you think BV has it bad #'s wise right now...
Read more: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4170


Lindsey Brown
“The TB's play SSM 2x this weekend, once on Saturday morning down at SSM, not sure about a goalie though. Lexi Schutt is taking her ACT and Lindsey Brown may not be cleared to play, (she has a concussion).”

Thoroughbreds
Read more: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=485386


Julianne Klampe and Kayla Weise
What is up with the concussions and the Century girls? I don't know this for a fact but I was told that Klampe quit due to a concussion suffered in Kasson in the summer or fall. Are the other teams headhunting, are the Century girls skating with their heads down or is something else happening. When my boys played bantam and H/S hockey I only remember one concussion among their teammates. I hope KW is feeling better - its a bummer to get your marbles shaken up.

Rochester Century
Read more: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=285509

4 more Minnesota Girls

Rose Wilson
“RW dislocated her knee cap prior to the start of the season during captains’ practice. Got back and suffered a concussion in the Lakeville game right after Thanksgiving.”

Rochester Century
http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=284354


Lauren Zrust
“Rumor is that Lauren Zrust is out for a number of weeks due to a concussion in the Edina game. I hope she gets better quickly. It was a very physical game but I don't think anyone knew she was hurt and I don't think she missed any playing time during the game so hopefully it isn't too serious. Concussions are serious brain injuries.”

Best Early Season (pre-Thanksgiving) Games
Read more: http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=398176


Katarina Seper
“An equalizer from Lakeville South seemed inevitable, though, as the Cougars kept Cooper under heavy fire most of the evening, taking advantage of the absence of Lakeville North starting defender Katarina Seper who sat out the game due to a concussion. Without Seper, the Panthers appeared to lack chemistry at times on defense.”

South Prevails In Battle Of Lakeville
Read more: http://minnesotahockeymag.com/south-pre ... lakeville/


Katie Vatnsdahl
“The Bison defeated Wayzata this season and had a good game against Minnetonka, competing for two periods before breaking down in the third. Hartfiel adds her team can beat anybody if it plays hard for three full periods.

One drawback is playing without senior defender Katie Vatnsdahl, who suffered a concussion. Hartfiel says the team is motivated to “win it for Katie.”

Girls Hockey Enters Playoffs With Reason To Be Confident
Read more: http://pressnews.com/2013/02/07/girls-h ... confident/

More Minnesota Girls

Ali Boe
“Senior goaltender Ali Boe returned to the lineup for this game from a concussion sustained early last week.

Boe missed both of last weekend’s ties with Brown and Yale. During her absence, freshman Brittany Martin minded net for the Crimson, amassing 76 saves while surrendering just one goal.

Last night, Boe only had 16 saves—paltry compared to Terriers netminder Allyse Wilcox’s 39 stops—but she was solid enough to earn the victory for Harvard.

“I thought Ali did her job,” Stone said.”

Continuing Offensive Struggles Prevent Harvard From Winning in Regulation
Read more: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/ ... t-harvard/


Monique Weber
“Actually there were four Elks with concussions last year in sports. Hemmesch got the worst of it, suffering four of them in five months.

His friend and classmate Monique Weber, a three-sport standout, took three jolts to the cranium in a two-week period late in the hockey season and missed the playoffs. Junior baseball player Pat McCarthy had three concussions, and the second one sidelined him for a month. Marchelle Lien, a senior soccer player last year, cracked heads with a opponent and missed two games.

Four concussions by varsity starters in one school year is a little out of the ordinary. Coaches and trainers, always aware of the risk of concussions in sports where there can be collisions, will be even more on the lookout.”

Year Of Hard Knocks At ERHS: Four Elks Had Concussions In 2005-06, One is Still Unable To Play (8-9)
Read more: http://archives.ecmpublishers.info/stat ... 9conc.html


Megan Gilbert
Before UND: A 2009 graduate of Andover High School ... Lettered six times in hockey as a prep and was team captain ... Was named all-conference ... Scored 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points her senior year (missed half of the season with an injury) ... Scored 64 goals and 85 assists in her prep career.

Player Profile
http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.db ... =204786775&

4 more Minnesota Girls

Ali Austin
2013-14 (Sophomore): Made comeback from injury that ended her freshman season ... Appeared in 12 games ... Incurred just one penalty.
2012-13 (Freshman): Appeared in two games before season-ending injury.

Player Profile
Read more: http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-ho ... n_ali_lx5n


Erika Wheelhouse
“Erika was knocked backwards in the Saturday game and hit her head on the ice. They weren’t sure whether she received a concussion, but they held her out of Sunday’s game to be on the safe side. She is probably the Beavers’ most important player and her absence really showed on Sunday.”

Our Weekend With Abby
Read more: https://alexandriacardinals.wordpress.c ... with-abby/


Morgan Illikainen
“The team was short-handed for the weekend, missing Morgan Illikainen '15 due to a concussion and Samantha Zeiss '15 due to illness.”

Women’s Hockey Sweeps Ivy Weekend Against Brown, Yale
Read more: http://thedartmouth.com/2012/02/06/shor ... -matchups/


Jessica Pate
“I'm pretty involved on campus. I used to play hockey for the St. Olaf Women's Hockey team but I got too many concussions so now I help coach (bow down). What takes up a lot of my time now is the Manitou Messenger, where I'm the Business Manager. I also am a member of Love Your Melon, Investment Club, and College Republicans.”

Campus Celeb: Jessica Pate
Read more: http://www.hercampus.com/school/st-olaf ... ssica-pate