Falcon spotlight: Q+A with Women's Hockey senior Emily Heckendorf

Interview was posted in last weekend's game program (Jan. 16-17).

Q: Your line has been very successful this season, especially in recent games. What has led to strong play by you, Lexi Machuga and Veronika Metanova?

A: I've played on and off with Lexi for the past three seasons and with V (Metanova) we were playing around in captain's practice with her last year and felt it clicked. We played on the same line at times last season and this year we started the first game not together and about halfway through the second game we were back together. We started to put some goals away and we seem to know what each other is going to do out there.

Q: This season your team has had more success at home, with a 6-2-0 record. What do you feel have been some factors in your team playing better at home?

A: I think it's a pride thing. We want more fans to come out and we thought if we just keep winning and keep playing hockey we will get people to come. That is part of it and we are a lot more comfortable here. We love our ice and our rink.

Q: Take us through your game-winning goal against Concordia Moorhead from a couple weeks ago. You scored with nine seconds left to lift your team to a 3-2 victory. Explain what happened leading up to that moment.

A: V [Metanova] likes to take the puck around the net and it was something Lexi and I were talking to her about, where if she starts to go behind the net but goes back to where she came from, no goalie will be paying attention to that. We figured she would be able to get a wraparound or someone would be open in front. She gave me a backhand pass, I can't even remember hitting the puck or seeing it go in but I saw the back of my hand and put my hands up. I didn't even realize how much time was left until we got a penalty right after that and then I realized there were only a few seconds left.

Q: Is there a favorite moment, whether it be a specific game, practice or something else, that really sticks out to you from your time with the Falcons?

A: I think everyone remembers their first game, even the first game of every year is a big thing. Senior Day for me is always an emotional one as well. Watching teammates play their last game at home is always emotional.

Q: Speaking of Senior Day, with that coming up in about a month, is that something you have thought about at all?

A: It wasn't something I really thought about until the first practice back after our midseason break when Coach Fabiilli broke it down telling the Seniors we had 33 practices before our careers over. Now it's not really about the number of practices or games left, but the fact that in a couple of months that I'm not going to play college hockey anymore. I haven't wrapped my head around that yet, but I think Senior Day will be special, going through the fellow seniors.

Q: Being a senior, do you try and get the underclassmen to try and understand how valuable it is to be a hockey player here?

A: We tell them every day. One thing we focus on is how it goes so quick. I can tell you about almost every game I've played, but it doesn't seem like it has been that many games. It's crazy how fast it goes.

Q: Let's look ahead to this weekend. After last season (an overtime loss in the NCHA Playoffs) is that something that has been in the back of this team's mind, looking forward to facing Adrian?

A: Part of it is, but it's also that I don't think our juniors or sophomores have ever beat Adrian. With last year, we felt like we played so well in that game and made one mistake in the overtime and they capitalized on it. It still gets me going when I think about that game, but it's something we are looking forward to, playing them again.