VANCOUVER - In case you missed it, the UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey team reeled in a couple of high-level NCAA recruits last week, as former Cornell University goaltender Amelia Boughn (Toronto, Ont.) and former Ohio State Buckeye defender Alexa Renahan (Salmon Arm, B.C.) signed on with the CIS silver medallists.
 
To get to know the duo a little better, each athlete conducted a phone interview for gothunderbirds.ca, letting the Blue and Gold faithful in on how they came to be T-Birds, and what to expect next season.
 
Up first: Amelia Boughn, incoming third-year goaltender (transfer from Cornell University).
 
AM: What made you decide to come to UBC?
 
AB: "I love Cornell, but the last couple of years, I've been in a four-goalie situation, and I wasn't playing as much as I wanted. The thing is, I absolutely love hockey, and I wanted to go somewhere that I would be able to get some more playing time. Plus, the academics at UBC are so impressive, and from talking to [UBC head coach Graham Thomas], it's a program in which the coaches really care about the players. When I went out to visit, the campus was beautiful, right on the ocean, and obviously, the program has had some great success the past few years with Graham."
 
AM: From what I've read, academics seem very important to you – what are you studying?
 
AB: "I'm in Sciences at Cornell, but I'll be transferring to Arts at UBC, and then I'm just going to go from there. I'm on a pre-med track, but I'm not solely a sciences person – I'm really interested in subjects like History and English, and a lot of the humanities, as well."
 
AM: Did Kelly Murray, another Cornell transfer from a couple years back, play a role in your decision?
 
AB: "I knew Kelly a bit, just from the year that we were both at Cornell, and when I first started talking to UBC, I did have a discussion with her. I didn't know much about the school, or the program, and she was really positive about everything – the school, being in Vancouver, Graham, and the overall experience of going from the NCAA to CIS. It was really helpful to hear the perspective of someone else who had transferred back."
 
AM: What's your relationship with Thunderbirds goalie coach Pasco Valana?
 
AB: "I've talked to Pasco a couple of times – he seems like a really good goalie coach and knows his stuff. My goalie coach back home, Sandy Sampson, got me in touch with him because they worked together with Hockey Canada."
 
AM: What do you think you can bring to the program – how would you describe your game?
 
AB: "I'm a quick, athletic goalie, and work hard on getting out and playing good angles, while still being able to get back and make the big save. I'm also a good puckhandler, which I think is really important, because I can act almost like a third defenseman to start a breakout. I'm a hard worker in practice and games – I love hockey and being on the ice, something that I feel every team needs in their players. If at least one person loves what they do, I think everyone else on the team feels it and feeds off of it."