Soon to be University of Minnesota netminder Hannah Clark talks about her hockey journey as she readies for the next step in the NCAA. Hannah Clark, a goaltender and Oshawa, Ontario native, has seen consistent success throughout her young hockey career and, as she prepares to enter her first season with the University of Minnesota, her journey is something she remembers fondly. Hockey runs in Clark’s blood, as her dad and his side of the family have been playing the sport for years. It was only natural that at a young age, she too would lace up the skates and hit the ice. It wasn’t until Clark was six or seven, though, that she fell in love with the goaltending position. “I tried goalie when I was really young and I hated it,” Clark recalls. “Then my mom was like ‘No, just try it again’ because my dad was a goalie. When I tried it again, I loved it. I really just wanted to be like my dad.” As someone who grew up in a hockey family and who ended up spending a lot of time at the rink, it was only a matter of time before she looked out on the ice and saw herself playing the goalie position. “One of my mentors, her name is Kassidy Sauvé. She played at Ohio State for four years and then Clarkson for her fifth year,” Clark reflects. “When she was playing Whitby Junior, my dad lifted me up onto the glass and was like ‘Look at this goalie, she's going to Ohio State.’ I was like, ‘What? I want to be like that.’” From that moment, Clark has made a name for herself at every level. Whether it was during her time with the Whitby Wolves, or her three seasons with the Etobicoke Dolphins [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/other-news/etobicoke-dolphins-building-fore-another-season-as-one-of-canadas-top-teams], where she finished this past season with outstanding 16-1-0 record, a 1.36 GAA and a .944 SV% or internationally with Canada, amassing a 6-1-0 record, a 1.15 GAA and a .905 SV% over her two tournaments. Upon reflecting on her young career, the time she spent with the Dolphins program in particular had an immense impact on Clark both on and off the ice. “I was fortunate enough to play there for three years. So it definitely helped me grow as a person, an athlete,” Clark said. “I don't think I would have gotten that type of growth anywhere else. There's just no other team or program that compares.” For many, the collegiate decisions can be difficult, but for Clark, she always knew that the NCAA was the direction she wanted to go in. “I always wanted to go to a Big 10 where athletics and hockey in general were ‘the’ sport,” she said. “One of my biggest things was that I wanted to go somewhere that a lot of Canadians don’t really get the opportunity to go. It’s a special opportunity and hockey is huge there like it is here in Ontario.” Beyond the usual suspects - new shooters, new coaches, new challenges and the prospect of winning a championship - Clark is also looking forward to the off-ice experiences that come with her time at Minnesota. “I’m pretty interested in medicine,” says Clark. “There are also hospitals on campus that I can volunteer at. I’m excited to see where the education part can take me.” Though her career may just be taking off, the future is bright for Clark, a goaltender who always wanted to follow in her dad’s footsteps and live out her dream since she first laced up her skates.
