Throughout the 2007-2008 Girls Varsity Hockey season, the team continuously looked to its most reliable player: goalie Alissa Fromkin ’09. Fromkin, from Manhasset, New York, was the key to much of Andover’s success this year as she continuously turned aside opposing scoring opportunities. With Andover’s offense struggling to score all year, Fromkin was asked to step up in a big way. Not only did Fromkin provide the outstanding goaltending the team desperately needed to stay in games, she posted three shutouts along the way while only allowing more than three goals in a game just once. One of these shutouts came against rival Exeter this past Saturday, when Fromkin once again put the team on her shoulders and simply refused to let Exeter get on the scoreboard. Her teammates rallied around her stellar play to pull out an emotional 2-0 victory. After being named Phillipian Sports Athlete of the Week, Fromkin spoke about her progression as a goalie. Q: You personally had a very impressive season this year even though your offense did not put up the numbers necessary to win consistently. Where do you attribute your personal success? A: Knowing that the team had trouble scoring, there was a lot more pressure to give up fewer goals. Although it’s tough to play that way, I like the pressure. Still, it’s tough when the team didn’t score because I would still feel bad about the loss and somewhat blame myself. Q: As a goalie, how do you find a way to train at Andover during the off-season? A: In the fall, I play for Assabet Valley, a Massachusetts club team. We practice every Sunday for an hour and a half and then we have a game that same day in the afternoon. Q: How do you continue your training when you return to Manhasset, NY during the summer? A: At home, I play with a friend on the NAHA (North American Hockey Academy) team. My friend plays for the University of New Hampshire, so it has been great to play with someone of this caliber. We are both very competitive people and playing against each other has only helped our games. Also, I skate at Pat LaFontaine’s house. Pat is an NHL Hall of Famer and arguably one of the greatest US hockey players to ever play the game. I play with him and his former hockey teammates in the “old man league.” It’s fun to play with these guys because they strike a good balance between having a great time and playing competitive hockey. Q: Has your work ethic changed during your tenure as the starting goalie from 9th grade year until now? A: Yeah. I definitely do a lot more off ice with lifting. I’ve really been working to get physically strong so I can play at a higher level. I’ve been a lot more serious knowing now that I’ll have to compete at the D1 level down the road. Q: What are your pre-game routines? Do you have any superstitions? A: I’m very superstitious. I’m always the last one out of locker room onto the ice, the last one off the ice in between periods. I always tap gloves with Jamie Harisiades ’08 before going into net. Before each period, I skate to the center of the blue line then skate backwards into the net and hit the posts a total of six times. Q: Have you had any role models during your time at Andover? A: During Freshman year, Captains Julie Wadland ’06 and Melissa Tetreau ’06 were amazing leaders, who created a winning atmosphere through their tireless efforts. This year, the seniors as a whole did a great job of setting expectations and a great example for the team. Q: What was the most memorable moment of the season? A: Definitely the Exeter game. We really came together as a team. We finally connected offensively and the defense continued to play great. We definitely had our biggest crowd of the year and it was really fun to play with the environment in the rink. Q: What should we expect of the team for next season? A: We are losing a lot of core talent; A lot of key players on offense and defense are leaving. Two out of our four defense and four forwards are graduating. Our team’s success will be really dependent on how each kid improves individually over the off-season. If everyone works hard enough, I’m optimistic that the wins will come.
