Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

To my teammates: A few weeks ago, when I saw the 20 on Taylor’s red jumpsuit, Alex Braun (the previous owner of the #20 jersey) popped into my head. It was only a short time ago that Saint Mary’s was her school and this was her team. But today, Bre, Mary and I are the only ones left that have played with Al and her classmates. I bring this up because people always say how fast college will go, but no one ever talks about how quickly even the memory of us can fade from the place that was, even if only for a short time, our home. We have four years to play, three more years of being known by those still playing, and then what? Are we just another statistic in the massive book of SMUWH records Terry gives us each season?
    
I guess my point is that even though our time to play and to be remembered at Saint Mary’s is limited, we still have the rest of our lives to be Saint Mary’s Women’s Hockey Alumni. We have forever to come back to this rink and watch a game of a program that we have helped build.
    
Since I have been here, we have been known as a team that consistently just missed playoffs. Leave that in the past Cardinals. I hope you can use this season to build momentum; only onward and upward. This program has come so far from that team I joined four years ago. So teammates, I beg you, do not take that for granted. Don’t expect the wins to come next year simply because they did this year. Continue to put in the effort and play with the passion that you have shown this year. That way when it comes time for you to write your salute, to pack up your bag one last time, you will know that whenever you may return to Saint Mary’s, you will hold your head high as a proud Alumni of this soon-to-be consistently successful program. Even though our names won’t mean anything in the locker room a few years from now, hopefully the legacy that we and that every single SMUWH member before us have created will still live on.
    
Mum and Dad:
My dad introduced me to this game as soon as he had the chance and even though it took awhile for me to fall in love with it, when I did, I fell hard. After deciding I wanted to play in college, my parents drove all around looking at schools with me, after they had already visited all these same schools with Jord the year before (and of course, classic stubborn Mackenzie: I had refused to go with the first time around). When Jord was at Scholastica, my dad would sit down before our seasons started with our two hockey schedules and plan out what games him and mom would be going to see each weekend that winter. He would make sure that the schedule was fair. One year, it was 14 1/3 of my games and 14 2/3 of hers. Yes you read that correctly; these two dedicated superfans would actually plan on driving from Hastings to Duluth just to watch the Saints for a few periods and then drive to the cities to catch the end of my game. If I thanked these two every single day until I die, it wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t even come close actually. So, Mum, Dad, I hope you have enjoyed watching me play as much as I have enjoyed playing. Your support means more to me than I have shown and more than you can possibly known, and I thank you from the bottom (and from the top, and from the middle, and pretty much the entirety) of my heart.
    
Grams and Gramps:
You honestly couldn’t ask for a better group of people to call your grandparents than these folks. Even though Grandma Chilson didn’t raise a hockey family, she has adapted quite well to the environment. She takes the long car rides and cold rinks like the best of them. Thank you for coming to so many of my games as a Raider and as a Cardinal over the years. If any of you have ever wondered where I get my goofiness from, look no further than Grandma Betty. This adorable old lady is always smiling or singing or laughing or doing something silly. I don’t know if she knows this, but it is truly my life goal to be just like her someday. She finds joy in every aspect of life, and you can’t help but smile when you are with her. She is the kind of person that everyone loves to be around, especially my Grandpa Andy. You would think these two love birds just started dating by the way they look at one another and the way she giggles like a little school girl around him. Besides being the cutest couple around, I’m pretty sure they both hold the world record for attending the most hockey games in a lifetime. They have spent countless hours watching their own sons play, and they still continue to show up at the rink whenever any of their grandchildren are playing. Ever since I’ve been playing, they’ve been there to watch and cheer me on. Thank you guys so much for all the support, I love you more than life itself!
    
Sissy:
When my older sister Jordan and I were younger, we did not get along at all and would fight about almost everything. Hockey was probably one of the few things that didn’t spark an argument since she was always a forward and I was always a defenseman. Everyone used to tell me “don’t worry, you guys will be friends when you’re older” and I would honestly think they were all crazy. Well J, I have never been so happy in my life to be wrong about something. These past few years we have become closer than I ever thought possible and I am beyond thankful for that. I can’t wait to see where your life takes you, because I can now confidently say that I will be a part of it. Since you didn’t get to have a senior day, I hope you can somehow enjoy some of today for yourself because you are a great player (and obviously an even better person) and you deserve it. Thanks for being there for me Sissy. I hope I have made you proud.
    
Extended Family:
There are so many other members of my family that have come out to watch the Cardinals play at one point or another. (Uncle Gary, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Butch, just to name a few of the superfans). To all of you, I’m sending my most sincere thanks. It warms my heart when I look in the stands and see a mini Mackenzie fan section. I know you all have families of your own which makes me appreciate your time that much more. Thank you for all you have done for me and for my team these four years. Your support, your love, and (of course I can’t forget) the treats are always appreciated. Sometimes when I take a step back, it genuinely blows my mind to think about how lucky I am to be associated with all of you, and I thank God every day for blessing me with you: my absolutely picture perfect family.
    
Al: Thank you for being so supportive of SMUWH all throughout college. You are one person that we can always count on to be in the stands even if no one else (except LT’s parents) is there. It has never been in the job description of “Roommate” to write the cutest gameday notes, but that has never held you back. Thanks for taking the time and effort to write these thoughtful little notes. Good luck with your final season as a Cardinal. You really are the best Al, love you!
    
301: Thanks for being the best neighbors anyone could ask for!
    
Aaron Haley: Thank you because everyone knows I would not be getting a degree from Saint Mary’s without you.
    
Court: You are my best friend; I love you. But honestly, I pray that we beat whoever we play next Thursday because I cannot wait to end your hockey career on Saturday! Also thanks to Ron and Jo for always being so supportive.
    
Dpjackso: Of course I must thank you for guiding me through my academic career at Saint Mary’s. Even more than that, thank you for taking the time to actually get to know your students. Your congratulatory emails after a big weekend sweep, and seeing you in the stands at our games means more than you may think. You care about your students so much and it definitely shows. You have a heart of gold, and I just want to let you know that it is greatly appreciated.
    
GMO: Although we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, he was sure to at least hear me out (before shutting me down), and what more can you really ask for? He is one of the few people at this school who just might be goofier than I am, and I think that’s probably why I have enjoyed playing for him so much. Thanks for everything Coach! From actually teaching me things about the game, to ordering my subway when I forgot to. It is no coincidence that the depth of this team increased dramatically when you joined the coaching squad. I sincerely appreciate the hours you spend traveling the country finding new players, new teammates, and essentially new friends! I hope your side of the bench isn’t too boring without me next year!
    
Terry: I assumed coming to Saint Mary’s that Terry would only find value in my development as a hockey player. It’s pretty remarkable that he also placed such a high value on my growth as a human being. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play for this team. Also, thank you for holding me by the jacket while I filled my water bottle on the bus so I didn’t flip over the railing and fall to my death (it only took four years before someone figured it might be a good idea to move the cooler back a few rows...but hey, better late than never, right?).
    
To my crazy, beautiful teammates:
It has been an absolute honor playing with this group. These guys make playing a joy even when it’s not easy. Although I’m going to miss playing this sport, I’m going to miss this group of people exponentially more. There really is something special here that’s hard to find. And for you guys, I have some last words of wisdom for you to take or leave as you wish:
    
Never let coming to the rink become a chore. This is just a tiny piece of your life, and you’ll want to look back and have only fond memories of this time. If you’re not having fun, learn to fall in love with the game again, for the simplest things about it.
    
Do it all. You’re going to regret the things you didn’t do far more than the ones you did. Make some memories guys, because it goes by too damn fast. Do a backflop onto concrete, give knucks for losers, pretend to be blind in one eye. Do it for your future Grandma self that can brag to her friends about all the great stories she has to tell.
    
Never take things too seriously. Do what makes you happy and laugh as often as you can.
    
I am so thankful for this team and this season. Unlike any senior class that I have played with, I don’t get to just say thank you for the great season. Because folks, it doesn’t end tonight and for that, I could not be any more grateful. These next few weeks we will make memories that will last a lifetime, and theres no one else I’d rather make them with. I hope I’ve given you all a few laughs over the years, I love you guys and will miss you like crazy. I decided not to put what I wanted to say to each of you in my salute because it would go on for 87340923 pages. I have instead written something for each of you saying how much I love you little rugrats. I hope you cherish it like I will cherish all the memories I have from these four years.