Oct. 23, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
By Tyler Feldman, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Having a lake in your backyard presents a multitude of activities to explore during childhood. Some grow up swimming. Others take the fishing route. But, for forward Caitlin Reilly, growing up in Chanhassen, Minn., means that she grew up skating on the frozen body of water.
The dazzling freshman, who scored her first collegiate goal last weekend against Union with her parents in attendance, was born into hockey.
Family Affair
"I started playing hockey when I was two years old or when I could stand," said Reilly. "I started to play just because my older brothers, sister and my dad played. So it ran in the family."
Her father, Mike, played collegiate hockey at Colorado College from 1976-78 and then at Minnesota from 1979-81. The Montreal Canadiens drafted him in 1977.
The five-foot-five freshman is the youngest of five. All of her older siblings have played Division I hockey.
"It's pretty cool having siblings that all played Division I collegiate hockey for Big Ten teams," said Reilly. "As the youngest I had a lot of pressure on me having to go D-I, but it's fun and I get to learn from them."
Reilly's oldest and only sister, Shannon, played hockey at Ohio State from 2006-10. Currently, her three older brothers--Mikey, Connor and Ryan--all play for Minnesota.
Being the youngest, you would think that friendly family competitions would ensue, but according to Reilly that has never really been the case unless on the frozen ponds.
"I wouldn't say as much with me, but definitely between my brothers," said Reilly. "But in Minnesota, when we get on the ponds, we have some competition out there."
Having four older siblings certainly has its occasional challenges, but Reilly attributes her growth as a hockey player and person to the guidance of her three brothers and sister.
"You have to go out there and give it your best effort," said Reilly. "They'd always come to my games back in high school and would tell me people are always watching, so you have to give your best effort so you show everyone the type of player you are. They've taught me a few things with my shot and certain things on the ice. Most importantly, go out there, have fun and always give it your best effort because they know how capable I am of playing well. That's the biggest thing they've taught me."
Growing up she tried other sports, but her love always returned to hockey.
"I also played lacrosse and soccer growing up, but I just fell in love with the game of hockey."
For Reilly's parents, Mike and Lisa, having all five children lace up their skates is a huge time commitment. Hockey schedules haven't always aligned between Reilly and her four siblings, but according to Reilly, the love and support from her parents has meant everything.
"It's definitely a lot of travel for my parents, especially the year when my sister was at Ohio State, my brothers were playing for Sioux Falls, another one of my brothers was playing at Shattuck-St. Mary's, and I was in high school, so they had to go watch four different teams," said Reilly. "But they've managed to come to an equal amount of all of our games. Now that my brothers are on the same team and my sister isn't playing as much, it's a lot easier for them. They split between my brothers and me."
Home Sweet [Happy Valley] Home
With Reilly being one of nine Nittany Lions hailing from Minnesota, the transition, like many of her other freshman counterparts, has been a smooth one.
In fact, Reilly has played in summer leagues with a number of the Minnesotans on the team.
"It's definitely been easier to transition," said Reilly. "Coming all the way from Minnesota but having all the other [Minnesota] girls here definitely made me feel included. As a freshman it's hard coming to a new place, but it's been fun! They all know the tradition of hockey in Minnesota, so everyone chirps us Minnesotans, but it's the best."
A Look into the Future
With the rewarding John Curley Center for Sports Journalism offered through the College of Communications, Reilly is ensuring that sports remains a part of her life after graduation.
"I love sports in general, especially hockey," said Reilly. "I'm hoping to one day be a reporter for the NHL. I just love the game; so being able to do that in my future would be awesome."
With all the Division I sports at Penn State, Reilly will have the opportunity to get real life experience in the sports broadcasting field while in Happy Valley.
The versatile freshman is coming off a weekend performance that led to her being honored as the College Hockey America Rookie of the week. You can see Reilly and the rest of the Nittany Lions face off against Princeton in a two-game series this Sunday (7 p.m.) and Monday (4 p.m.) at Pegula Ice Arena.