Alum Reagan Rust currently plays for Boston in the PWHPA. Prior to that she attended Boston University, where she majored in Economics. As a senior, she was one of three captains and was named Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star during the 2018-19 season.
We caught up to chat about her time in the Pens Elite program and how she adjusted to being a student athlete at BU.
Photo Credit - Rich Gagnon
I felt I was pretty well equipped to handle NCAA D1 ice hockey from PPE. A lot of it is in the preparation and determination of the player, but throughout my years with PPE, a lot of those values were instilled within me.
A lot of my success came because of the opportunities that Pens Elite gave me. I was playing in Mississippi before I made the jump to AAA. PPE took a chance on me and was super accommodating along the way. When the commute from Mississippi to Pittsburgh got tough, they helped arrange for me to billet which made my life so much easier. Playing PPE not only made me a better player, but it also made me a better person. I got to experience things that many kids only dream of, and I made so many great memories with the people I met through the hockey program.
You can really achieve anything you set your mind too. You have to be willing to put in the work even when you don’t feel like it. Also, knowing your role on the team (whether it be to block shots or to kill penalties or to score the goals) is so important and doing it to the best of your ability is what it takes to leave an impact. At the end of the day, make sure you’re a good teammate and person. Coaches want good, whole-hearted people on their teams.
One last thing—appreciate everything, the good and the bad. It’s all teaching you something
Spending Thanksgiving on the road to my second family is definitely up there for me! Chocolate chip pancakes at my teammate’s house before a game in Pittsburgh definitely played into that.
Jetta Rackleff is definitely my favorite team member because of how driven and humble she is. I’ve never met anyone that works harder than her. Throughout the season she was getting a masters degree in engineering while still working as an engineer and played both roller and ice hockey throughout it all. She’s also unbelievably talented as well as always has my back if I ever get burned on defense.
Before quarantine, a typical day for me involved waking up early before work to meditate and write. I’d make breakfast and head to work from 8:30ish-5ish. Afterwards, I’d most likely workout or head straight to the rink for practice.
Penne with grilled chicken and broccoli (vodka sauce and marina mix)
Walter Brown Arena—it’s an old barn, but it was my dream to play for Boston University. Just being in a place with so much history and having a great band at every game made it an unbelievable experience.
I was not particularly a fan of playing at Lindenwood mainly because of how long of a trip it was. It was a rink that I had grown up playing in as well, so it was just a little old and not well kept.
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