01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Carolyn Thornton: Hello everyone. This is Carolyn Thornton and I am here in the Journal newsroom with Taryn, Ashley and Amanda. First of all, congratulations to the three of you on your state championship. We're ready to go here, so to everyone out there, feel free to start sending in your questions.

Carolyn Thornton: How about if I start things off by asking each of you to talk about how you first started playing hockey?

MSC girls hockey: Amanda: my older brother played hockey and I always used to skate with him. I grew in love with the sport. Ashley: my younger brother started to play and I got signed up. Now it is my life. Taryn: my older brother started to play at a young age and I would go to the games and I as well fell in love with the game.

r0bitussin25: hello

MSC girls hockey: hello, do you have a question?

sonrisa: hi i am 8 years old. i wish to be an olympic star. any advice?

MSC girls hockey: Our advice is to work very hard, keep your head in the game and stay focused. Winning is not everything, so never give up. Learn everything you can. We suggest clinics and lots of practice. Dream big.

r0bitussin25: Taryn, being a junior and a captain, how are you feeling about next year's team

MSC girls hockey: Well I feel that our team has grown as a family, and if we keep playing hard and playing with Mount pride then our team is looking very good for next year.

Carolyn Thornton: What has it been like playing for the Mount hockey program?

MSC girls hockey: There's a lot of pride playing for Mount. We've all grown together and become a family. Mount hockey is a lot of hard work, but also is a lot of fun. Our coach helped us play with discipline and to keep us focused by keeping our heads in the game.

Carolyn Thornton: With R.I. high school girls hockey still in its infancy - this marks only its fourth year in the Interscholastic League - do you ever stop to think about the fact that you and your team will one day be looked upon as some of the pioneers of the sport? How does it feel to be making history?

MSC girls hockey: It feels awesome. It makes us all proud to be who we are and makes us want to get on the ice as much as we can to develop the program.

hockey: Other than the championship win what was your most memorable time this year?

MSC girls hockey: The locker room and the bus rides. Being together we had many laughs and so many good times. There were so many memorable moments that it's hard to tell which one is the best.

lemgoalie33: hey girls, any advice for the boys team in our series against hendricken

MSC girls hockey: Our advice Lemgoalie33 is to hold your heads high because you know you can do it. Stick to Mount Pride.

Jamaica: Do you girls play on any other teams other than the Mount team?

MSC girls hockey: Yes, The three of us also play for the R.I. Panthers U19 league, which is a very well organized team

sonrisa: ashley what are u going to do now that u r going to college

MSC girls hockey: I plan to play college hockey, but I am not sure of where I will be attending yet.

r0bitussin25: do you feel that the past success of the boys team pressures the girls to step up big for the title

MSC girls hockey: No, we think that we have our own status now. The guys really do not affect us very much. But it is good to have two well developed hockey programs.

r0bitussin25: do the three of you have plans for the future that consist of alot of hockey?

MSC girls hockey: Yes, the three of us plan to go as far as we can.

Carolyn Thornton: As you three probably know, women's hockey was first added to the Olympics in 1998, when the U.S. defeated Canada to win the first ever gold medal for the sport. How much, if at all, do the three of you follow Olympic hockey and has it played a role in any of you deciding to take up the sport? Have any of you had an opportunity to meet any of the U.S. Olympians?

MSC girls hockey: We all follow it and it is our goal to possibly someday be on that team as well. But we started to play hockey before the Olympic team was created.

Jamaica: Is there any drama on your team? like do people steal your food or play pranks on each other?

MSC girls hockey: There was no drama this year. We all got along really well, and kept our personal differences off of the ice. Getting along as a team makes a big difference between winning and losing. We do play pranks on each other very often but we do not take them seriously. We have many laughs.

Carolyn Thornton: So exactly how old were each of you when you first started playing? For parents out there who think they'd like to introduce their daughters to the sport, what would you suggest is the best way?

MSC girls hockey: Amanda: 3 years old Ashley: 11 years old Taryn: 3 years old It does not matter how old or young, just that you start. What matters is that you have the will and heart to play.

Jamaica: Who do you girls look up to the most?

MSC girls hockey: Taryn: Julie Chu Amanda: My brother Ashley: My mom

hockey: what did you think of the USA girls hockey team in the olympics. Did you expect the outcome?

MSC girls hockey: We thought that they would go farther than what they achieved, but they played very well. They all have heart.

Carolyn Thornton: How much of a time commitment is required to play hockey? When and for how long do you practice during the high school season?

MSC girls hockey: To excel in hockey, you really need to put in a lot of time. Off ice training is key, and it is important to always stay in shape. During the year, we practice three times a week for two hours after school and once a week at 6 a.m before school. We also play one or two games a week.

hockey: Any hockey this summer?

Or is it to the beach?

MSC girls hockey: Both. We need our tans! Our icetime is also important too though.

hockey: Where did all of you start playing. Was there any girls teams when you started?

Did any of you play in a checking league?

MSC girls hockey: Amanda: I began playing with boys and continued to play with the boys until high school hockey. Ashley: I began in house league with boys. After that I moved to a girls league and then played both girls and boys hockey in high school. Taryn: I began in the boys league and played until I was 14. Then I went to Mount and played there.

Jamaica: Wow you girls have been playing for so long and you still have love for the game and are great players. I wish i could play hockey like you girls. :)

MSC girls hockey: Aww, thank you Jamaica

r0bitussin25: All the hard work and effort put into the team, and the success as the result, has it helped you excell in things in your lives outside of hockey?

MSC girls hockey: It raised our confidence in ourselves. Ashley used to be very shy and now, well shy doesn't exactly describe her anymore. In a way that applies to all of us though.

Carolyn Thornton: Let's talk a little bit about your title series with Bay View. How nervewracking was that first 0-0 tie?

MSC girls hockey: Before the game, we were all really nervous. It helped to get all of the butterflies out of our stomachs before the rest of the series. The first game was not our best game at all because playoffs always shake us up. We knew if we played like we usually do the rest of the series, then we could win.

lemgoalie33: What would you say is the number one thing you need to become a sucessful hockey player at the high school level?

MSC girls hockey: Teamwork is probably one of the most important things only because at the high school level, it is very difficult to have a team where everyone gets along. There are always usually small fights, but this year we were very lucky. We all got along great.

Carolyn Thornton: Then your team came back the next night and beat Bay View, 4-3, to take a 1-0 lead in the series. What was your mindset like after that win?

MSC girls hockey: We were excited because it is very helpful to carry the advantage in the series. It also boosted our confidence a lot.

bluelnlwhite: Who is your biggest competition?

MSC girls hockey: Bay View because of our rivalry.

Carolyn Thornton: How has the level of competition improved in the league over the last four years?

MSC girls hockey: All of the teams, goalies, skating, and just the game itself has improved. The league began where 90% of the league didn't even know how to skate. Today, it's much more of a faster paced game, and it is much more competitive.

r0bitussin25: i'd like to say you girls are a great example and role models for all the younger athletes coming up, your team concepts are what it takes to make champions.

MSC girls hockey: Thank you

bobby brakey: what would you guys say is the biggest difference between the style of play in women's and men's hockey?

MSC girls hockey: The physical aspect. Girls hockey is more about perfection, in guys hockey there is more contact.

bobby brakey: do you gals plan on playing hockey in college? are any of you already being recruited?

MSC girls hockey: Yes, we all do plan on playing in college. All of us have spoken to college coaches.

bluelnlwhite: Who is the assistant coach on the team?

MSC girls hockey: Honestly, we do not have one. We had a woman come in to help our goalies, and we also had a teacher, Mr. Morris help out the first few practices, but other than that it was just our coach Amy Matuewezski.

hockey: have any of you played against any division I players? What do you think of that level of play?

MSC girls hockey: Yes, in a tournament for our Panther's team we played a team built of Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale players. Honestly, we got beat really bad by them but it was a reality check for us, and ever since then we have worked to get ourselves to that level. Since that game we have improved so much that if we played them again we would do much better.

bobby brakey: what made you guys choose mount, and did any of you think about attending any other schools?

MSC girls hockey: No, we all came to Mount for the hockey. Taryn: my older brother attended the school Amanda: both of my parents and my aunt went to Mount

whill39120: ha ta, what are your plans for your senior year in high school

MSC girls hockey: To do the same as this year. I just want to keep improving and stay strong.

bluelnlwhite: You girls are great! I'm going to miss coming to the games. Can't wait until next year!

MSC girls hockey: Thank you, hopefully next year you can come to all the games

r0bitussin25: would you compare the work ethics your coach implies on you to Bill belisle's ethics?

MSC girls hockey: Sometimes. Both teams play with Mount Pride and also both teams concentrate on conditioning. We feel this is what makes Mount Hockey such a good program. We can always skate our hardest until the last second of the game.

hockey: I understand next year that more teams are coming into the league. I heard that Cranston may have a girls high school team next year. I'm surprised that with the new URI rink that south county does not have any teams in the league yet. Taryn what are your thoughts on more teams to play next year?

MSC girls hockey: I think it will bring in more publicity and competition to girls hockey. I also think it's great that girls hockey is finally growing. Hopefully in the future there will be a WNHL

Carolyn Thornton: Well, I'm afraid our hour is up, folks. Thanks for sending in all of your questions. And thank you Ashley, Amanda and Taryn for taking the time to chat with us and give us some insight into girls hockey.

MSC girls hockey: Thank You

hockey: I've got to tell you girls your championship playoff series was the best I have seen. Our family really enjoyed the games. It was very exciting. We are looking forward to the games next year.