Katie Alldritt was looking for a small college that not only had a good hockey program, but one that was also strong academically.

She found both at Concordia University, located in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“The opportunity to commit to Concordia came about by me using the NCSA website, which makes you a profile where you can upload game film, etcetera,” said Alldritt, a Pueblo native in her second season with the New Mexico Mustangs. “This is definitely a dream come true, and it’s great to prove to so many people I am good enough.

“Concordia was very appealing on the hockey side with how new and small the team was. One of my biggest things was I wanted to be on a team where I would actually be able to play. Also, with them being an ACHA Division I team, it’s not as demanding as NCAA D-I or D-III. On the academic side, I wanted a smaller school and a school that offered psychology, which they have both.”

Mustangs coach Floyd Braaten is overjoyed seeing Alldritt make this commitment, which is for the 2021-22 season.

“This is big and this just proves that the Mustangs and hockey in New Mexico develops girls that can go on to play at a higher level, and we are not just a little pond that just has rec teams,” Braaten said. “The biggest part of Katie’s game is heart. She is very coachable and tries to do anything that she is asked to do or any position that she is asked to play, and she does everything at 100 percent. She has realized that she has the ability and work ethic, she just needed a coach to believe in her and show her that it is OK to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.

“As a coach, I’m proud of all of my players, but I’m very proud of the work both on and off the ice that Katie put in to get this commitment.”

Alldritt, who has played for the Mustangs’ 19U AA and CGHL teams, is the fifth Mustangs player to make a college commitment in the program’s history while several others have advanced to the Tier I level.

She noted that hockey-wise, this commitment is far from hers alone.

“As for coaches that stand out to me as those who have pushed me, there’s a laundry list,” Alldritt said. “However, Floyd Braaten, Kelly McDonald and Marina Meneakis, my current coaches, were the ones who made me fall back in love the sport when I felt I had hit a dead end. I’d also like to shout out Ashley Bevan, Pat Knowlton, Jeff Dimmen and Kevin Dessart.

“I have so many memories and highlights playing with New Mexico. These girls are some of the best people I have ever met in my entire life. For the short time I have known them, they have grown to become people I call family. I am forever grateful for getting to be a part of their lives and being given the opportunity to play with them.”

Seeing girls hockey succeed in New Mexico also brings a smile to Alldritt’s face, who said she caught on with the Mustangs when she went to New Mexico for a Lyndsey Fry camp in the summer of 2019.

“Girls hockey in New Mexico is growing tremendously,” said Alldritt. “The levels they offer to the future girls is amazing. Competing at a higher level is always something that makes the game so much more exciting and with the Mustangs program continuing to grow and with the amazing coaching staff, they are bound to progress.”

Moving forward, Alldritt said her long-term goals in hockey are to compete at the college level and try to better herself through the years. As for school and life, she hopes to become a psychologist and open her own practice.

— Matt Mackinder

(Nov. 26, 2020)