2 Minutes With 鈥 is a series of short features to introduce us to the passions and interests of Lawrence students on and off campus.聽
Lauren Askenazy 鈥23 has long waited for her chance to play college hockey. She didn鈥檛 know she鈥檇 be landing in the record books and doing it at a school with deep family roots.
The sophomore transfer student from Albuquerque, New Mexico, became the first player to score a goal in the聽聽at 澳门六合彩开奖结果.
The team faced off against the College of St. Scholastica in its Feb. 13 debut at the Appleton Family Ice Center, fulfilling Askenazy鈥檚 dream of playing college hockey. With 3:19 left in the game, she fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of the St. Scholastica goaltender, etching her name in Lawrence lore for evermore.
She followed that up by scoring a goal in聽.
![Lauren Askenazy jostles with a Saints player for the puck.](/sites/default/files/2021-06/Lauren-first-goal-new-768x571.jpg)
Finding a home
Askenazy was no hockey novice when she arrived at Lawrence. She started playing at 7 years old in her native Albuquerque. From those first shaky steps on the ice, she went on to become a three-year player with the HTI Stars in Canada, from 2016 to 2018.
Askenazy then enrolled at Connecticut College, but she kept her eyes open for a liberal arts school that was the right fit academically and had a women鈥檚 hockey team.
Everything fell into place. Vikings coach Jocey Kleiber was recruiting former members of the HTI Stars team when she learned of Askenazy鈥檚 interest in college hockey. The two connected and the recruiting process began.
It didn鈥檛 take long for her to feel at home on the ice here. She calls hockey a therapeutic outlet.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy every time I can step on the ice,鈥 she said. 鈥淓specially since we鈥檙e all sitting in our rooms on our computers 24/7. As soon as everyone is together in the locker room, everyone cheers up.鈥
Family roots at Lawrence
Askenazy didn鈥檛 choose Lawrence on a whim. She continues a family legacy at Lawrence 鈥 her mother, uncle, and grandfather are alumni. When she was recruited for the newly created hockey team, Lawrence quickly became more than just a university she had always heard about.
鈥淢y family members are very excited about me coming to Lawrence and they are so happy I get to continue doing what I love while also making history,鈥 she said.
It goes without saying that a new hockey team beginning its first season faces unconventional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. That鈥檚 especially true, Askenazy said, in the realm of team relations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot more difficult, especially because we鈥檙e a brand-new team,鈥 she said. 鈥淯sually, teams can hang out and do bonding activities, and we can鈥檛 do that. But we鈥檙e willing to do anything we can to be able to play. We鈥檙e appreciative that we can have games.鈥
Getting wins has been tough early on, but it鈥檚 a learning process for a new program, one that is filled with promise.
鈥淓veryone on the team is so excited to be a part of a new program,鈥 Azkenazy said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e building the foundation.鈥
Lauren Askenazy
Class Year: 2023
Hometown:聽Albuquerque, N.M.
Activities: Hockey