Photo Credit: Josh Gibney Photography
Hockey East All-Star Game Highlights (Nov. 22): Catamounts TV | YouTube

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont women’s hockey student-athlete Peggy Wakeham (Bay Roberts, Newfoundland) recently played with the Hockey East All-Stars against the U.S. Women’s National Team. The U.S. National Team won the game 4-0 played on November 22 at the Whittemore Center on the University of New Hampshire campus. UVMathletics.com recently had a chance to talk to Wakeham about her experience.

Q: Tell us what it means to be selected to play in the Hockey East All-Star Game?
A: It meant a lot. I felt a great sense of pride being able to represent UVM. To be considered for a team like this was an honor, and being able to play for my school meant a lot.

Q: What was it like to play against the U.S. National Team? Was there any extra incentive to play better?
A: It was exciting. The whole team came down with signs and cheered me on. Kristen Olychuck and I had the biggest cheering section at the game. It was fun.

Q: What can you tell us about the talent level on the U.S. Team?
A: They play well together. All the lines are strong and function as a unit. There wasn’t one player that stood out, but all the lines were capable of scoring.

Q: Who from the Hockey East Team did you get to learn a little more about and get closer with?
A: Amy Stech from Maine was there by herself so Oly and I adopted her. Everyone was really friendly and it was such a busy couple of days you sort just got introduced and put on the ice together.

Q: What’s your favorite story from the game?
A: I really enjoyed having all my teammates there cheering me on. I was fortunate enough to be in the starting line-up, and when I was announced the team erupted in the stands. I was too nervous to even raise my stick. All I could think during the National Anthem was “Don’t faint, don’t pass out, breathe, bend knees, don’t faint…” It was the longest anthem I have ever experienced, followed by the shortest shift ever to start a game.

Q: How can playing in this game improve your personal play the rest of the season?
A: It gave me confidence knowing that I can compete with the best players in our league. I ended up being even for the game and took that as a huge positive.

Q: How difficult was it to play with a team that wasn’t UVM?
A: It was a little different. Being on a team that is as close knit as ours, you have little pre-game things with certain players. You don’t realize how important they are until you play with other people who don’t know them. I remember in warm-ups during the shooting I completely fanned on a shot. It didn’t even make it to the net and I had to laugh about it with myself because my teammates weren’t there to grill me for it.

Q: Who from the U.S. National Team were you most looking forward to playing against?
A: Being Canadian I didn’t really know many of the American players. I was just excited to get the opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world.

Q: What was something you learned from the experience that you can bring back and help the Catamounts for the rest of the season?
A: Which players have injuries we can expose when we play them…just kidding. It was a great experience and very professionally run. I hope to bring back that competing in every game makes teams successful. No matter who we go up against we know we are talented enough and if we work hard enough we will have a chance to win every night.

Wakeham is currently tied for second on the team with six assists through the first 14 games of the 2009-10 season. The Catamounts return to action this weekend when they travel to the University of Maine for a two-game weekend series. Both games (Dec. 4 and 5) are slated to start at 2 p.m.