‘It’s just not my time’
Aldergrove’s Potomak reflects on coming so close
KAMLOOPS — You can appreciate Sarah Potomak being a little conflicted right now.
The 18-year-old forward from Aldergrove can revel in being an NCAA champion in her freshman season. At the same time, she can lament being one of the last players cut from the Canadian team that opens up the IIHF women’s world championships Monday in Kamloops, which is about a three-hour drive from her family’s home.
“It’s a little weird to think about it happening so close and not being part of it,” explained Potomak, who had a goal and an assist for Minnesota in their 3-1 win over Boston College in the NCAA championship game in Durham, N.H., on March 20, and was later named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
“Hopefully I’m playing in that tournament next year.”
Potomak was part of the Canadian team that took part in the Four Nations Cup tournament in Sundsvall, Sweden, in November. Various veterans sat that tournament out and have since returned.
“I think it was pretty close,” the 5-foot-5 Potomak said of her chances of making the Kamloops tournament. “The smallest things make a difference, and then you have some girls who are 25, 26 (years of age) coming back to the team and they certainly have the experience. “It’s just not my time right now.” Potomak would have been the youngest player on this Canadian team. Instead, that honour goes to forward Emily Clark, 20, of Saskatoon.
Clark plays at the University of Wisconsin, and Potomak helped knock them out of the NCAA running, scoring the overtime winner in a 3-2 decision in the semifinals.
They know each other well. They were rivals in the academy ranks, Potomak playing for the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna and Clark with the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton.
“Off the ice, you can be friends, but on the ice, you’re willing to do whatever it takes for your team to win,” said Clark. “You can hug it out after.
“I’m happy for her. She’s had a great season.”
Potomak finished third on Minnesota in scoring, with 54 points, including 15 goals, in 38 games. She had a plus-54 rating.
She was named the NCAA rookie of the year as well as the USCHO rookie of the year.
“It was honestly better than I ever imagined,” she said.
Her younger sister Amy, 16, a 5-foot8 forward who is currently at POE, is slated to join her at Minnesota after next season, Potomak said.