University Park, Pa.- After Penn State's 2-2 tie with Robert Morris last Saturday afternoon, the Pegula ice was filled with those in attendance from the community as they participated in a postgame skate.
For redshirt sophomore Cam Leonard (Cary, North Carolina), she saw familiar faces on the ice after Saturday's game. She works with the Happy Valley Beavers, a group that supports individuals with disabilities playing hockey that she found out about from an older teammate last year.
"Kelsey Crow had been working with the Happy Valley Beavers in previous years while she was here as a player, and she introduced it to me last year," Leonard said. "I was able to go a couple times last year but once she graduated, I kind of stepped up to fill that role that she had working with them. And it's been really fulfilling, I like meeting all the people and just talking to them and learning their stories."
Leonard is a biology and neuropsychology major but loves to have the outlet of helping coach the Beavers and promote the growth of hockey in central Pennsylvania.
"I think it's definitely a good outlet for our team," Leonard said. "It's paramount to our journey as hockey players to volunteer in the community and give back. They come out and support us, so I think it's a good way for our team to give back. I think that Saturday's postgame skate is a good example of a way for us to remember that hockey is for everyone."
For head coach Jeff Kampersal, what Leonard does is just another example of how Penn State encourages student-athletes to be a helpful part of their community during their time in Happy Valley.
"It just seems like Penn State does more here in terms of philantrophic efforts in the community, events like THON," Kampersal said. "But our kids are out there and they are really good in terms of giving back.
"Cam is a really good example of that. We're proud of her for doing the work that she does because she also has a pretty intense academic schedule on top of her hockey schedule. She finds time to get it all done and we're proud of her for that."
"Time management is something that I had to learn from a really young age," Leonard said. "It's something where, if I stay busy and I stay motivated then I get my stuff done on time. It's a lot but it helps me kind of make sure to focus on each task."
Time management isn't the only thing that Leonard learned to embrace while growing up playing hockey in North Carolina. While hockey rinks might be hard to find in the Tar Heel State, Leonard was captivated by a cinderella Stanley Cup run as a kid.
"It was definitely a different hockey experience than most of my teammates where they grew up with rinks in their backyard," Leonard said. "I was about seven years old and the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Their goalie's name [Cam Ward] matched mine, so I started really getting into hockey. My brother and I started playing and hockey started booming in the area right around that time."
"I played with the boys until I was 15 and then went away to boarding school to play with girls because there was just no girls hockey in North Carolina. It was weird if you played ice hockey, and then it was even weirder if you were a girl that played ice hockey. So, it was definitely a different path than most people, but I enjoyed it."
Nearly 14 years later, Leonard and her teammates are inspiring new memories for girls in the area as they embark on their own hockey journey.
"We're literally helping them learn how to skate and I think that makes a big impression on them," Leonard said. "Actually, this past weekend there were two different kids that skated up to me and specifically said 'Hey No. 32, you skated with me last year.' We always want to push people towards hockey if we can because it's a great sport. Especially for young girls and the community we have, being able to connect with them postgame like we did on Saturday."
Having the crowd on-hand for Saturday's game was a big boost on the ice as well, as the Nittany Lions struck for two quick goals against the conference leading Colonials.
"I think you can tell from the way that we played in the first period, we came out with so much energy," Leonard said. "We really felt the crowd, the band behind us like that's not something that we have for every game so when we do it is a really fun atmosphere to play in."
"The staff here does an amazing job getting Pegula ready for those events," Kampersal said. "Anything we can sort of do to bring the community together is awesome. There's plenty of stuff for kids to do, and I thought it was cool that the band was here and helped create an atmosphere which made the game feel big for our fans and our players."
