20 Questions for Crimson co-captain Lauren McAuliffe

Dartmouth.

2. Toughest ECAC arena to play in?

Princeton. It looks like a church from the outside but their announcer is evil.

3. Favorite ECAC road trip?

I really like any road trip where I can get on a bus for eight hours and travel to anywhere in upstate New York. Especially on the way home, when you have been on the bus long enough that it seems okay to lock your coach in the bathroom, build a fort out of blankets, or my personal favorite thing to do is crawl into the overhead compartments and hit Nicole Corriero on the head from above her. Usually it takes her about an hour before she realizes where the hits are coming from, much to the enjoyment of everybody else on the bus.

4. Best ECAC arena atmosphere?

Lynah is fun to play in when they get some fans in there. Plus I like the name a lot. Lynah. It feels like I’m talking in a Boston accent, but you can’t make fun of me because that’s how it’s pronounced.

5. Best all-around opposing ECAC player?

I think Lisa Rasmussen of Princeton is always a threat to play against. It’s not pretty, but she gets it done out there.

6. Best opposing ECAC forward?

Gina Kingsbury is a dangler and a half, not to mention a huge advocate of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada. I can’t say we share the same political views, but that doesn’t mean I respect her any less as a hockey player.

7. Best opposing ECAC defenseman?

That’s a tough one, but I would have to say that Amy McLaughlin from Brown is definitely one of the top 35 to 40 defensemen in the league. Except for that time she speared me in the calf. That wasn’t so cool, Amy.

8. Best opposing ECAC goaltender?

Rachel Barrie is so fun to watch. When we played them twice in one weekend, Coach Stone pointed out, as we were going onto the ice for the third period of the second game, that she catches opposite of what we’re used to. That’s just one of the many things that make Rachel Barrie so special.

9. Most memorable college hockey game?

National championship game last year, us versus Duluth. Still a touchy subject, but that was the most fun I have ever had. I was so proud of my teammates.

10. Biggest thrill as an ECAC player?

Nicole Corriero’s “Rookie of the Year” acceptance speech my sophomore year. I can’t describe it in words, but if you want a reenactment ask Kat Sweet or myself. It involved hair flipping, giggling and the expression “even though we only have two seniors, it seems like we have SIX!” I have never laughed so hard in all of my life.

11. Favorite NHL team?

Boston Bruins. Joe Thornton and I are friends.

12. Favorite NHL player?

Bobby Orr is my favorite. He came to our Dartmouth game this year and sat behind my parents. My dad actually told my mom that if she wanted to be Bobby Orr’s girlfriend, he would be okay with it. That shows you how much my dad respects him. The rest of the family stands behind him in this decision. So Bobby, if you’re reading this...

13. What would you like to do after college?

After I graduate (knock on wood) I hope to continue playing somewhere for a year or so. Eventually I want to get into coaching and teaching, like my dad. Unless I get swept off my feet by a tall and handsome fan who reads this and falls in love with my wit...

14. Favorite college class/subject?

Okay this is a toss-up between “Dinosaurs and their Relatives” or “The Magic of Numbers”. I have had some awesome government courses as well, including “The American Presidency,” which is taught by a huge Harvard Hockey fan, Roger Porter. I have a rule that I don’t like to take a class without at least four of my teammates in it. That way, even if it is extremely boring, we can entertain each other. And by “entertain each other”, I guess I mean I annoy them, distract them and make them laugh.

15. Best book you’ve ever read?

I love Wuthering Heights and classics like that. The DaVinci Code was a huge hit with my team as well. At one point on a bus ride home, Angela Ruggiero (she’s this defenseman on my team, kind of the “other” captain), Katie Johnston, Liza Solley and Jaclyn Pitushka were all in the back of the bus, listening to assistant coach John O’Donnell read it to us as we snuggled with some blankets. The pictures are just precious.

16. Best movie you’ve ever seen?

Stepmom.

17. Best all-time television show?

Come and knock on our door...

We’ve been waiting for you...

Where the kisses are hers and hers and his,

Three’s company too.

18. Best all time musical artist?

Sting. Sting would be another person who’s a hero. The music he’s created over the years, I don’t really listen to it, but the fact that he’s making it, I respect that.

19. Person you most admire?

I have had some awesome role models throughout my hockey career. My brother Brian was my captain in high school, and I look up to him so much on and off the ice. My captain my freshman year at Harvard, Angie Francisco, really taught me a lot about hockey and leadership.

20. What are you most thankful for?

I don’t mean to brag, but I have the best family ever. I really thank God every day for them. My mom and dad have supported us in everything we do. My dad always just tells us to have fun. My mom thinks I am the best player in the world. My brother Brian will drive three hours to see me play one game (ladies, he’s 24, cute and single). My sister Kerin is my best friend and has taught me so much about playing through pain and just playing for the love of the game. My little brother Timmy is one of the best athletes I know and perhaps the biggest Harvard Hockey fan out there. My Uncle Jack comes to every game he can, and my cousin Brendon sometimes misses his own games to see me play.

When you get tickets for aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, roommates and friends from home, it is a special thing, because not everyone is fortunate enough to have that. Sometimes when I look at the list of people I need to get tickets for I am overwhelmed at how lucky I am.