Imagine you’re a center who has recently transferred to a top-tier school known for its premier hockey program. Everything is going well for you – you’ll soon be playing competitive college hockey in an environment above most of its competition. Now imagine you’ve been given the responsibility of leading a very young team in the university’s inaugural season of NCAA Division I women’s hockey.
To many people, this situation would pose quite a challenge. But for Boston University women’s ice hockey captain Cara Hendry, it’s just another day at the rink.
This past weekend Hendry led by example, as she has done so many times this season, taking her team to victory by netting three goals in a two-game set against Robert Morris University.
“Lately I’ve been hitting hard at the net and I’ve been able to collect rebounds,” Hendry said. “I’ve really been getting great feeds from my teammates.”
Hendry, who notched one goal in the opening game on Saturday and added two more in Sunday’s game, has captained this young Terrier squad to a 7-7-3 record, good enough for third place in Hockey East – quite an accomplishment for a team that was picked unanimously to finish the season in the conference cellar.
One of the only players on the team with prior collegiate hockey experience, Hendry took on the captain responsibility and ran with it, as is evident by her stellar performance this weekend.
“She’s done a tremendous job in a tough situation,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “[Almost] everyone, including her, is new to BU, but she is a mature individual who has been up to the task.”
This past weekend, Hendry helped the Terriers fend off a losing streak by capitalizing on the power play. All three of Hendry’s goals against RMU came on the man advantage – something that has been a strength for BU this season.
“It’s nice to score on the power play,” Durocher said. “[Hendry]’s part of a big line and scoring definitely boosts confidence.”
Saturday, the junior captain tallied her third goal of the season midway through the third period when she went top-shelf on goalie Brianne McLaughlin to give the Terriers their final goal of the day.
Sunday, Hendry was a part of three scores for BU – two goals of her own and one assist. At 7:52 of the second period, Hendry punched in a rebound for her first goal of the game and second power play goal of the weekend. Just two minutes later, Hendry added another power play goal to her stats, scoring from the top of the crease to give BU a 3-0 lead. Gina Kearns helped out Hendry’s 3-point period by jamming in a pass from the captain with 6:17 remaining in the second.
And even though she had a great weekend, it’s almost impossible to get Hendry to admit it.
“I actually think that today wasn’t my best game,” Hendry said. “[Erin] Seman and Gina [Kearns] played really well today, and most of my success was due to their effort.”
And it’s not just the words that show the kind of leader that Hendry is.
“She leads by example,” Durocher said. “She’s as hard-working a kid as we have.”
She’s also not afraid to stand up for her teammates and make things happen on the ice. A hard hitter, Hendry is no stranger to the penalty box. Aside from being tied for third on the team in points, she is tied for second in penalty minutes.
“Her attitude on the ice is pretty feisty, pretty fiery,” Durocher said. “We have no problem with people playing hard and people playing a tough game. She is a strong kid who has to know where she is on the ice.”
Hendry also has two game-winning goals for the Terriers this season. And if the captain is out there playing 60 minutes of tough hockey, that attitude is bound to rub off on the team.
“It’s [captaining this team that has] been a challenge,” Hendry said. “It’s been rewarding and it’s been fun. I’m proud to lead this team and to represent this school.”
With three goals in a two-game weekend, Hendry is well on her way to leading the Terriers to another winning streak.
“She’s worked hard,” Durocher said. “She plays hard day in and day out.”