Q&A with Mary McCafferty: RBC alumni & Elmira College hockey player
RED BANK, N.J. — Mary McCafferty has played ice hockey since she was five years old! In her sophomore year of high school she was recruited from Red Bank Catholic by Ontario Hockey Academy. While at RBC, she was the only girl on the all-boy’s hockey team. She was also a part of the聽 NJ Colonials (number one in NJ). Princeton Tiger Lilies, and American Eagles travel hockey teams.
She has spent the last 12 years playing ice hockey and earning numerous accolades. She is currently a full-time student at聽Elmira College on New York. She is a student athlete on the Women鈥檚 Ice Hockey team as an alternative captain.
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Mary McCafferty: “My goals within my sport is to be the best teammate and captain that they could ask for. My goal at Elmira college was to be the best version of myself on and off the ice.”
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
McCafferty: “The biggest challenge in my sport is the mental aspect to hockey. Having a good attitude and confidence can be the difference between a good player and a great player. To overcome this I try to focus on myself and my game, rather than to compare to my other teammates/ people. I try to focus on the little things in hockey, like a good breakout pass or a good shot to keep my mental game strong if I run into some adversity on the ice.”
What was the best advice you were ever given?
McCafferty: “The best advice I was given is to never quit or give up, give it everything you got because one day you won鈥檛 have it anymore. My mother never let us quit or give up and I thank her for my success.”
What do you love about your sport?
McCafferty: “I love the team aspect of my sport. Every win, every loss is spent with my team, I have always had team forward mindset. I love sharing good memories with my team, especially the ones where we win.”
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
McCafferty: “I have a very detailed pregame ritual I follow. I have it set to exact times where I do specific things. Let’s just say if I don鈥檛 do them I won鈥檛 be mentally ready for the game. It involves tapping my stick, looking over the ice and visualizing and listening to specific music.”
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
McCafferty: “Outside of my sport I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I really enjoy going to the beach and getting tan. I also enjoy to travel and visit my high school friends who live all over the world.”
What has being a member of a team taught you?
McCafferty: “Being a member of a team has taught me that things are bigger than yourself. The name on the front of your jersey is way more important than the one on the back.”
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
McCafferty: “I think the best advice I have received from a coach is keeping moving forward. I think this is beneficial to me on the ice and off the ice because it keeps me from looking in the past whether it be past mistakes in a game, or in life. Keep moving forward you can鈥檛 go back in time so why worry about the past. Just learn from it and move on.”
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
McCafferty: “A mistake I had while competing is I tend to get a little more passionate than others and sometimes overstep with what I am saying to the referees. To overcome this I am patient with my words and use my filter more often than not.”
Anything else you鈥檇 like to add?
McCafferty: “My passion and enthusiasm for the game is contagious, I look forward to many more years on the ICE and leading!”
Honors & Awards
2018-19 UCHC All-Academic Team
UCHC Player of the Week (12/3/19)
Empire 8 President’s List (Fall 2019, Spring 2020)
NEHC Player of the week NOV 29, 2021
AHCA ALL American Scholar Team 2020-2021
UCHC聽Women’s聽all academic team 2020-21
Alternate TEAM Captain Elmira聽Women’s聽ice hockey 2021-2022
PSI CHI Member 2021-2022 and 2020-2021
Secretary PHI CHI Elmira college chapter 2022
Elmira College Athlete of the week March 8, 2021
AHCA Krapmade All American Scholar 2020
UCHC All american academic team 2020
Empire 8 Conference Spring List 2020 and Fall list 2022
Dean’s List 2020-2021-2022
2019-20 Season
Logged a career-best 14 points (7g-7a) in 25 games during her sophomore campaign…Tied for second in the UCHC with two shorthanded points and tied for sixth in game-winning goals with three…Had the game-winner and one assist in a 3-0 win at Lake Forest (11/29)…Began a four-game point streak with goals in three consecutive games, scoring once against Alvernia (1/19), once against Morrisville State (1/21), and a season-high two goals against Chatham (1/25)…Handed out a season-high two assists in a 3-1 win over Nazareth (2/22)…Tallied the game-winning goal in a 5-1 victory vs. Utica in the UCHC quarterfinals (2/29).
2018-19 Season
Skated in 22 games as a freshman…Finished the season with eight points (2g-6a)…Recorded her first collegiate points with a pair of assists in a 5-1 victory over William Smith (1/27)…Tallied a season-high three points (2g-1a) in a 16-0 drubbing of King’s (Pa.) (1/29)…Posted assists in back-to-back wins over Chatham (2/1, 2/2)…Added a helper in a 6-1 triumph over Utica (2/9).
Before Elmira
A 2017 graduate of the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada…Skated for the OHA’s Tardiff team following graduation in 2017-18, totaling 13 points (5g-8a) in 21 games that season…Before attending OHA, she spent two seasons at Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, New Jersey, where she played two seasons with the boys’ hockey team.
Personal
Mary is a Psychology major with a Business Administration minor.
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