Hockey is Emerance’s serenity. Not only is she one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met, but she’s also amongst one of the calmest and most supportive teammates I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with.
Her consistency as a teammate and person in the dressing room, at school, and in the gym, inevitably transferred to her having jaw-dropping performances in every practice and game. It also caused her to be an exceptionally special leader for our hockey team this season.
Being a goalie is considered, mentally, one of the toughest positions to play in hockey and that’s without having the responsibilities of being a captain that Em had.
Us players can only imagine the high levels of pressure that is put forth on a goalie in each and every game. They deal with being extremely technical in every move they make as mistakes are more easily seen. This can take a toll on anyone’s emotional and physical energy in a game. That being said, Emerance embraced the claim that “pressure is power.”
She knows exactly what she has to do to execute at her best every day at the rink. As a teammate, you can feel the serene confidence she retains as she carries herself through her game day routine. There are not too many minutes that are not regimented in a game day for Em. Most of the rituals are left a secret but what can be told is that almost every minute of her game day is dedicated to becoming more and more dialled in for the 60 minutes in the game. The intense game preparation she has developed through her years inspired both myself and many other teammates to develop our own corky routines that soon turned into crucial superstitions.
For Em, the leadership role this year came so easy for her; mainly because she led the team right from the start of her Harvard hockey career. She always knew what to say in the dressing room to keep us on track and on the same page with one another. There were never moments where she was overly vocal because she was always the type to say something when we needed to hear it. “We gotta stay confident and relaxed in the defensive zone.
The results will come. We just need to trust each other and ourselves.” Words like these just come naturally to her in times of high stress, and they ultimately gave our team an extra jump in our stride when we needed it. Everything that was said by her was respected to the highest degree.
One of the most admirable characteristics about Emerance is her ability to develop an exceptionally close and unique bond with each and every teammate. She is one of the easiest people to talk to, open up to, and trust. Her desire to know each teammate on a deeper scale ultimately led our team to have unconditional support and reliance in her leadership and more importantly, within each other.
Despite the team’s setbacks throughout the season, she brought our team closer and put forth the “never give up” attitude day in and day out.
She never let the intense pressures of being a student, captain, and goalie, get to her. Putting forth every single ounce of her dedication and heart into Harvard Hockey was just something she demanded from herself. The enormous competitiveness she brought in every practice was contagious to each player and uncontrollably influenced others to do the same. Putting the team before anything was an intangible for her.
When I first met Em eight years ago, I knew she was one of those people who you couldn’t help but imagine becoming a star. Her persistence to become a good teammate and goalie regardless of the situation has caused nothing but a growth in pure respect for all her hard work. The leadership and performance marks that she has left on Harvard Hockey are something that cannot be replicated and most definitely will not be unremembered.
It has been incredible to watch her grow into such an impactful goalie and person. I am so lucky to have had two years of putting the Harvard jersey on, and even more grateful to call her my best friend.
Em, as a team we are all so proud of your accomplishments, and we cannot wait to continue watching you thrive in all your future endeavours. On top of being an exceptionally inspiring leader, you without a doubt delivered the power to Harvard Hockey—despite the undeniable pressures you obtained.
We love you, and will miss you Em. 154 forever.
Karly Heffernan is a forward on the women's ice hockey team and has played alongside Maschmeyer for the past two seasons.
