Katie Lottsfeldt
Lottsfeldt is a starting goalie for the Ponies and splits time in goal for the hockey team. She talks about her affinity for stopping the other team:
Q: Why are you a goalie?
A: My dad played goalie in high school hockey. I started playing goalie in first grade and in second grade, I fell in love with it. In seventh grade, they needed a goalie in lacrosse and I was totally opposed to it. I wanted to score goals for once. That was an appeal of lacrosse for me.
Q: So how did you end up in goal for the lacrosse team?
A: In ninth grade, the team needed a third goalie. They said I’d probably get more playing time as a goalie.
Q: Which to you prefer?
A: I love them both. They’ve both played a huge part in my life. I don’t think I could pick between the two.
Q: What’s the biggest similarity between the two positions?
A: Tracking the ball or puck and anticipating where it’s going. And trying to stay big in net and take up as much space as possible.
Q: Goalies tend to be quirky. What are your quirks?
A: I have to have my hair straightened before games and I have to eat and drink the same things. I get a bagel from Bruegger’s, a Naked Juice — Mighty Mango — and a vanilla latte from Starbucks.
Q: What hurts more, a puck or a lacrosse ball?
A: In lacrosse, you don’t have a lot of padding. I get more bruises from lacrosse, but when you take a shot in hockey that you don’t expect, it hurts a lot more. I got hit with a puck once right above my kneecap and my whole leg went numb.
Q: What goalie do you look up to?
A: Marah Sobczak was a goalie for the high school [hockey] team when I was growing up. They won the state championship. I always wanted to be like her.
JIM PAULSEN