"From where I come, no one ever thinks of going to Harvard," Springer said. "It just doesn't happen, and it's something I never considered."

However, Springer was less than challenged by her competition on the ice her freshman year at Middlebury.

"I was expecting something highly competitive," Springer said. "That's why I came to the States to play hockey."

Nevertheless, Springer didn't find the caliber of hockey that was best for her at Middlebury, and halfway through her freshmen year, she was looking for a change.

"Personally, I didn't feel I was improving at Middlebury," Springer said. "It just wasn't a good fit for me, so I asked my coach to look around for teams that needed a goalie. Obviously, he wasn't overly excited, but he looked into the possibilities for me and made all the phone calls."

It just happened that Harvard was in the market for a goalie because its starter was out until December.

"The coach told me just to fill in the forms and everything will get taken care of from there," Springer said.

Since her arrival in Cambridge, Springer has made a definite impact with the Crimson, backstopping the Crimson's defense to its first national championship.