By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News, Maine (MCT)
The University of Maine’s women’s hockey team had already played 15 games before freshman left winger Darcia Leimgruber from Basel, Switzerland, made her debut.
There had been some eligibility issues stemming from the fact some of the players in her Swiss league were getting paid although she wasn’t.
But practices still proved to be valuable in her development and she wound up playing in six games for the Black Bears, notching a goal and an assist, before joining her Swiss national team for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
“I learned so much. I had to adjust to a lot of things and I’m so grateful to my teammates for helping me out,” said Leimgruber. “And the coaches gave me tips. I still do some of the drills they taught me at Maine. Going to the gym to work out with the team also helped a lot. I’m a lot stronger.”