(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Just a couple of years ago, Gilbert, Ariz. native Brooke Kelsall didn’t see herself playing college hockey. Now, two years later, she’s playing on the top defensive line for the Arizona State women’s hockey team.
When Kelsall was nine, she began to ice skate with her family. She watched her brothers and dad play hockey growing up through her childhood. Seeing this, Kelsall was inspired to join them.
“That’s not fair,” Kelsall would say. “ I want to play, dad.”
Soon after, she started playing in house leagues and continued to improve her skating skills with the boy’s hockey team at Mesquite High School. As a Wildcat, she dawned a very special number.
“My number was 88 in high school because of Peter Mueller, Kelsall explained, “ He was traded to Colorado and I was like, oh my gosh, I have to root for them.”
With a passion for the Colorado Avalanche driving her, Kelsall pursued colleges with women’s hockey clubs around the United States. After realizing there weren’t many options close to her, she opted for community college.
However, a year into community college, she discovered that Arizona State introduced a new team. Kelsall was very excited to attend a hometown university and play hockey.
“When I heard ASU was getting a girls team, I was like ‘perfect!’” Kelsall said.
In her second season with the Sun Devils, she has built relationships with her teammates and has blossomed as a player. Captain KC McGinley loves the bond the two share on the blue line.
“Brooke and I got super close last year and that made the transition onto the ice very easy,” McGinley said. “Brooke is great. She’s like sponge always soaking up what coach has to say. She’s easy-going, relaxed, and quiet. And then there’s me, the exact opposite.”
They say opposites attract, which is what makes this duo a dynamic defensive pair on the team.
Head Coach Lindsey Ellis also praises Kelsall’s performance on and off the ice.
“As a person, Brooke is always happy and excited to be out on the ice. Hockey is definitely her passion,” said Ellis. “On the ice, she has really become comfortable as a defensive player. I appreciate her attitude and hard-working mentality. We’re really excited to have her.”
To get to know Kelsall a little more, the Sun Devil sophomore answered some rapid fire questions
Favorite Movie:
Accepted (2006)
Favorite Color:
Purple
Favorite Book:
Crank by Ellen HopkinsFavorite TV Show:
Friends
Favorite School Subject:
English
Keep an eye out for Brooke Kelsall on the ice throughout rest of the season as she continues to shine bright for the Sun Devils.
