Natalie May is rarely off the ice.

After developing her game in the Colorado youth hockey ranks, the Centennial native subsequently advanced to the Mid Fairfield/Gunnery hockey team where her game took an uptick to the point where she’ll head to Geneva, N.Y., to play NCAA Division III hockey for William Smith College, part of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

“I went to a lot of showcases and camps over the last few years and eventually, I got in contact with Matt Cunningham and Kaylee Harnen who were very helpful and amazing throughout the whole process,” said May. “They attended my games and got to see who I am as a player, whether it was at showcases, camps, or games with my team. We emailed and talked before jumping on the phone with them a few times. Eventually, I went out to the campus a couple times and received an offer at the beginning of my senior year which I later accepted in April.”

Off the ice, May is excited to take the next step in her academic career.

“Hobart has really good academics which is important to me as I want to be a dentist or oral surgeon in the future,” said May. “With Hobart’s wonderful academics, they have an 80%-plus acceptance rate into medical/dental school. The hockey team seemed very welcoming and sweet the second I met them. I knew it was somewhere where I would feel supported and encouraged. Not only was the culture great on the team, but everyone seemed to work really hard and the team was very respectable and competitive with other teams.

“Academics have definitely always been important to me. My freshman year, I went to a public school in Colorado where I was constantly missing class work for tournaments. I would fall behind quickly and I realized I needed to put my academics first also while having environment to develop as a hockey player. I knew immediately I had to go to boarding school so I could continue to pursue my dreams while also learning at a high level. Having the rink on campus and the school schedule accommodating for games helped to allow time for studying. The past two years, I have been in most AP classes or honors with a straight-A average.”

Years back, May began her hockey journey innocently enough.

“I started playing hockey because I was always surrounded by it,” May said. “With my brother beginning to play and my dad having played his whole life, they really pushed me into the direction of hockey as it always seemed super fun and I wanted to be like them. I started off youth hockey with the Littleton Hawks and I played with the boys until Bantams when they started to check.”

In addition to the Hawks, May also played for Team Colorado, NAHA Prospects, and both Colorado Thunderbirds boys and girls teams for spring seasons.

“I would say a few of the standout coaches who believed in me growing up would be Hannah Westbrook, Rob Flay, and Brian TenEyck,” said May. “Coach Flay was the first one to believe in me as he was my first competitive hockey coach. Being put on a team as the only girl made me hesitant, but year after year, he continued to be my coach and instill more confidence in me. Brian TenEyck was the director for LHA for all of my youth hockey and while he was never my coach, he ran some camps during the summer and always supported and encouraged me. He truly believed in me immensely. Hannah Westbrook was one of my last coaches before I left for prep school and even after I left, I would do privates with her and I grew very fond of her as well as her coaching skills. She understood the game and what it felt like to be a female playing the game. She understood the differences between the men and women’s game. Then when I went to Connecticut, I truly loved my club coaches who would always be there to stand by me and have my back. Bill and Ty and Mid Fairfield were great.”

Going forward, May said her goals are reachable, both on and off the ice.

“My goals in life are to become a dentist/oral surgeon and to be a part of a winning program that can continue to develop me as a player,” May said. “I believe William Smith will compete at top levels in D-III.”

— Matt Mackinder

Photo/Shawn Toffolo

(July 28, 2024)