RJ Craig | December 8, 2023
(Photo/Avni Trivedi)
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The following statement is all the more true for Dana Stott who established her hometown's girls’ hockey program as a kid alongside her dad. Now, as a freshman in college, Stott is helping pioneer the women’s hockey program at the University of Georgia as a member of the women’s team.
From Franklin, Massachusetts, Stott grew up in a hockey family, with her dad being the driving force behind Stott and her older sister's involvement in hockey and exposing them to the sport when she was only seven.
“He definitely threw me into it. But eventually, I learned to love it,” Stott recalled. “And he would always take me to practices at like 5 am when I was younger, and then we'd always get Dunkin’ after. And he was just definitely a big role model for me.”
Moreover, her sister was a big inspiration for Stott to get into hockey. Together, they spent countless hours in the backyard playing in the makeshift rink their dad made or in the street playing street hockey. With her sister as a goalie and Stott as a forward, Stott shot pucks at her sister in the net.
“She definitely fueled my love for hockey,” Stott remarked. “I’m so proud of her, and she’s so proud of me. It’s great when we get to bond over hockey.”
(Photo/Avni Trivedi)
In high school, Stott split her time between hockey and softball (the latter she played since kindergarten), playing hockey in the fall and winter and softball in the spring. She also played field hockey for a couple of years.
After high school, Stott applied to many schools, some in-state and some out-of-state. One of those out-of-state schools was UGA.
Stott did not originally consider applying to the SEC school, but an older friend on her high school field hockey team already at UGA piqued her interest after she told her how much she enjoyed the university.
Weighing her options, she ultimately decided to commit to Georgia due to its balance between social life, athletics, academics, and the warmer weather.
But it pained her to give up the sport she grew up playing and developed a deep passion for because Georgia did not have a hockey team. Unbeknownst to her, she arrived at the school at the perfect time, as Georgia had established its women’s hockey program.
The women’s hockey team president, Hannah Knight, contacted Stott and asked if she wanted to play hockey. Without hesitation, Stott jumped at the opportunity to continue playing the sport she loves for a school she loves.
(Photo/Avni Trivedi)
Playing hockey has helped her make the transition from high school into college. Since joining the team, she has been able to stay physically active, keep a busy schedule, and most importantly, feel at home, primarily due to the opportunity to keep playing hockey but also because of her teammates.
Initially, Stott did not know any of her teammates, but that has since changed throughout this season. During the Columbus tournament, the team carpooled, ate dinner, and made bracelets, and in the hotel room following their games, they watched the film of said games on the TV to pick apart and analyze while also cracking jokes and having a fun time.
Like her teammates, Stott takes pride in being part of the founding of the Georgia women’s hockey program.
“I just think it's awesome,” Stott exclaimed. “I grew up starting the girls' program in my town with my dad. And I feel like it's a full-circle moment. I'm a part of a team that's helping create and grow the game of women's hockey in the South.”
Another thing that has come full circle is her family watching her games. Back in Massachusetts, her family always watched her play hockey. This season, they visited her during her sorority's Parents Weekend and showed up to her game against Auburn to support her. It was a “really special” moment for Stott.
Not to mention her hockey coach, yet another one of her inspirations to play hockey, has been texting her and watching the film from her games.
“She's really proud of me for continuing playing hockey because it's not that common for a bunch of people from my town to go play college hockey,” Stott explained. “So even if it's club [hockey], it's really cool, and she's happy that I'm still playing hockey.”
(Photo/Avni Trivedi)
Off the ice, the first-year biology major is currently on the pre-medical track to apply to medical school to fulfill her dreams of becoming a dermatologist.
Stott will continue to balance her academics and athletics with her teammates and family rooting for her for the rest of the season, and she will undoubtedly keep up her pre-game ritual of taking a nap before each game.
“I will always take a pre-game nap and then probably drink a Celsius after which will start making me shake but it gets me energized.”
(Photo/Avni Trivedi)