How She Got Started
Sarah Ahlquist had a goalie's heart and temperament from
the start, although her father wasn't willing at first
to accept the notion of her playing hockey.
Girls hockey was nonexistent at the time,
and Calvin Ahlquist was certain his daughter would get
run down by boys on skates. `You'll
get killed out there,'' he told her. ``Getting
hit by a puck is a lot different than getting hit by a
rubber ringette."
He was certain he could cure his daughter, 11 years old
at the time, of her childish fantasy. He rented
ice time at the Bloomington Ice Garden for one hour.
Then he borrowed goalie equipment from friends and spent
60 minutes shooting pucks at his daughter.
"I started out very slowly," he
recalled. "I was afraid she might start crying."
Calvin Ahlquist kept shooting, Sarah kept blocking shots, and
eventually he broke his stick. As they left the
arena, he asked, "How do you like hockey now?"
Sarah responded,
"I love it."
She went on to play youth hockey with the boys. |
|
|
Her High
School Stats |
|
Season |
All-State Team |
GP |
Min |
G |
GAA |
| |
Played
on boys youth teams. |
|
1996-97 |
First Team |
19 |
862 |
31 |
1.62 |
|
1997-98 |
Played with the boys
junior varsity. |
|
1998-99 |
First Team |
22 |
867 |
14 |
0.73 |
|
|
|
Sarah Ahlquist
protects
the net during the 1999
State Tournament |
|
|
A Final Tribute |
In
Preparation for the Inaugural Season of Girls Hockey.
"We had a bantam-aged goalie who is playing with the
boys team who would have been the best (girls)
goalie in the state if she had come out."
Coach Dave
Palmquist
I suspect that
bantam-aged goalie was eighth-grader Sarah Ahlquist.
John of MNPuck |
"She
has always been fearless of the puck. Watch
goalies, boys or girls, and you'll see most of them have
a little twitch or flinch when they face a shot.
Sarah didn't flinch the first time and never has."
Calvin Ahlquist
Sarah's presence in the nets has instilled a confidence
in the Packers that has given them a tremendous amount
of freedom. "We know we can count on her," forward
Kelly Kegley said, "and that allows us to do different
things and to take chances." |
1997
First Team All-State.
1999
First Team All-State.
Member
of the Girls All-Time Top Players listing
because of twice
"First Team All-State". |
|
|
