From: SLAM! sports:
   Wednesday, September 17, 1997

U.S. school mines Nepean talent

CREDIT: By ROB BRODIE -- Ottawa Sun

Emily Stein admits the fit would have been just right.

McGill University was offering her a quality education, and a chance
to keep playing the sport she loves.

But sometimes, you really do get an offer you can't refuse.

The 19-year-old goaltender from Nepean has headed south to St.
Lawrence University as part of that school's first group of full
scholarship athletes in women's hockey. The Canton, N.Y. school
offered only three full rides this year and all three went to
Canadians.

Also part of the St. Lawrence program -- which has stepped up to the
Division I Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference this season -- is
another Nepean player, defenceman Kristina Heyes.

Heyes, 19, a product of the National Capitals competitive program,
attended the University of Ottawa last year but transferred to St.
Lawrence this fall.

For Stein, who played with the Ottawa Northstars senior AAA team last
year, the opportunity is almost overwhelming. Her scholarship is worth
$28,000 per year, and it comes from a school with a solid-gold
academic reputation.

"I'll get my education and a pretty good degree, and I'll get to play
a sport that I love while I'm there," said Stein, who also earned a
$7,500 academic scholarship (her average last year at Merivale High
School was above 90%).

McGill was eager to have the 6-foot Stein as part of its hockey
program, and at one point she told the school "you are my first
choice." But when St. Lawrence -- which didn't expect the move up to
Division I for a couple more years -- boosted its offer from partial
to full scholarship, Stein's decision was an easy one.

"It was actually strange the way it happened," said Stein, who got
the offer in April. "I hadn't heard from them in over a month when
they phoned and said `are you sitting down' ... (the full scholarship
offer) was totally out of the blue."

The school was willing to give Stein a few days to consider the
offer, but she said "there really wasn't any decision to be made."

"I felt bad for McGill -- they'd pursued me so diligently -- but they
understood completely. Either way, I was going to get a good
education."

Stein has played hockey since she was eight years old, and has been a
full-time goaltender since her third year at it. The challenge of the
position is part of its allure, she said.

"Only a certain type of person can play that position," said Stein,
who admires Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek. "I'm a visual
learner and whenever I watch a hockey game, I just watch the goalies
and see what they do ... see what works and what doesn't."

(c) 1997 Ottawa Sun