Alana McDonald '19 Recruiting Profile

I am currently in my senior year at Potsdam High School. In many ways I am your typical seventeen year old, who doesn't always agree with her parents and who grew up scrambling to keep up with two brothers, both on and off the ice. I've played hockey since Kindergarten. But what really makes my story unique is that I grew up in a small town with a hockey presence bigger than the town itself, and the most amazing student athletes as role models. The Clarkson women’s team recently claimed their third N.C.A.A. title in five years! Those girls make the dream real! The Clarkson men’s team was also in the N.C.A.A. finals this year! I rarely miss a game. And their head coach, Casey Jones, was MY coach for many years. He coached our girl's team. He set the bar high, expected only the best from all of us (both on and off the ice) and truly understood how to coach girls. 

I'm self motivated with academics and hockey training. On and off the ice, I am very competitive and push myself. I am strong at battling for the puck in the corner, playing aggressively, pressuring the net and setting up plays. I'm very coachable and listen; constructive criticism will only help me to improve my game. I'm very supportive of my teammates and bring a positive attitude. I focus on good plays and have a short memory for the bad ones, except to learn from them. I have good time management skills with school assignments, three varsity sports and a split season team.

My mom continues to remind me of teachers who said I would succeed at whatever I chose to do, because I have the internal drive and determination to make my goals happen. It’s kind of ironic that they used the word goals. The game of hockey has always been easier than high honor roll for me because I am dyslexic. I have resource room scheduled when my friends have free periods. I’m not satisfied with grades below 90. I have to study longer and work harder than many students. I attend review classes and lead study groups. I was selected to receive the HOBY leadership award, which included representing my school at the HOBY state leadership conference. In athletics, though, the playing field is leveled for me. Every girl on the team has to be committed to working hard and working together. Most girls my age never make it to a national tournament. I am very fortunate to say that my team has made it to USA hockey nationals for the past three years, finishing in third place twice and second place this year. Prior to nationals, our team was undefeated at New England Regionals this year. We only gave up three goals in the entire tournament. Two of the games were kept to one goal and I managed to score both. We were undefeated at Nationals until the championship game, in which only one goal was scored. I am very proud of how competitively my team played this year and will continue playing hockey with the Shamrocks 19U team this Fall. This summer, I had an incredible time playing in the Beantown tournament (we finished 2nd out of 37 teams). Hockey has afforded me many amazing friendships and opportunities that continue to define and shape my life. It’s my dream to play collegiate hockey at a school that will be a good fit for me both athletically and academically. I am committed to doing everything it takes in order to put that goal in the net as well.