It’s crunch time for the Boston College women’s hockey team and the final stretch for Kara Goulding’s career.
The Belmont native and senior forward hopes to lead the Eagles (9-1-1, 7-4-1 Hockey East) to the best finish of her tenure, including Beanpot and Hockey East Tournament success.
Goulding, who went to Burbank Elementary School and Chenery Middle School and practiced with the Belmont High School varsity as a middle schooler, caught up with The Belmont Voice for a Q&A during the team’s midseason break. This interview has been edited for clarity and precision.
How did you get started playing hockey, and when did college hockey become a reality?
I started skating when I was four years old, but it wasn’t until age five or six that I actually started to play. Neither of my parents played hockey or knew anything about it, but one of our family friends said I should try to play. I tried Irish step-dancing and absolutely hated it. It runs in the family and it was just not for me, which is funny, because all the girl cousins do it. At first, I didn’t like skating, but I kept with it, fell in love and didn’t turn back.
Do you have any memories of the old Belmont rink, or have you skated in the new one?
I was telling my family I still really want to go see the new rink. I haven’t done that, want to, and hopefully skate there over the break. I have a ton of memories from the old rink growing up, even learning to skate there. I played Mites and Squirts with the boys. I’m still best friends with some of them. I was one of the few girls on those teams, which was fun. They still chirp me to this day for being on those teams with them. Being in the locker room, hanging out, going to practice with the girls in seventh- and eighth-grade, when I could go practice with the high school team. I got to skate with the junior varsity team sometimes, but playing with varsity wasn’t allowed. I’d practice with the varsity team, which was a lot of fun. A ton of memories there. I’d skate there all the time. I’d always go to the snack shack, which was a fun spot, too.
Why Boston College?
Honestly, I tell everyone this. Everything drew me to BC. Obviously, being a local girl, it’s a girl’s dream to go to Boston College. It’s a top-notch university with a top-notch hockey program. Amazing coaches, amazing teammates, and the community itself is one of a kind. The people are great. The school itself is so much fun. I love all my professors and have great connections with them. It’s not just in the classroom. They reach out to you outside of the school year. I still talk to professors from freshman year. The people who are involved with BC are wonderful.
What’s been the most memorable game of your college career?
I think of two. One would definitely be my first game (home vs. Franklin Pierce), just lacing up and playing was an unbelievable experience. I just remember being surrounded by so many incredible hockey players in the locker room. I finally put on the jersey and was like “oh my gosh, I made it. I’m here.” It was so surreal stepping on the ice. It was amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything better.
Another game would be the first time playing at TD Garden for the Beanpot [last year]. That was such a surreal experience. There were so many fans in the stands and a lot of Belmont kids, which I thought was so awesome. It was surreal to see them all there in Belmont jerseys. That used to be me. Seeing that they could go watch me play there was really cool.
The Women’s Beanpot final and consolation game returned to TD Garden last season, and will be there again Jan. 20 (first round at Boston University Jan. 13). What does it mean to have it there?
My first year was at BC, so that was really cool. We’re close with the men’s team and see them play at TD Garden. It’s a “why not us?” type of vibe. Finally getting to play there was so awesome. Obviously, the Beanpot is big no matter where it is, but having it at the TD Garden and seeing it actually be packed just shows it should’ve been there all along. It’s really cool to see the growth of women’s sports around Boston.
You’ve yet to make the Hockey East Tournament final or NCAA Tournament, how important is that to you, and how will BC do it?
Getting to those games is extremely difficult. Our conference is top-notch. We have a bunch of teams ranked. I have no doubt we can do great things this year. We have a great team and have beaten great teams. To get to those games, we have to treat every game like it’s just a regular game. I had the opportunity to be in the Beanpot final my freshman year, so we’re trying to get back there for my senior year and win it. Same thing for Hockey East. We have made it to games and semis in overtime and double-overtime. We know what it’s like to play against these teams. We just need to play our game and find a way to score goals in those big moments.
Northeastern’s Matthews Arena closed after more than 100 years of operation. As a visiting player, what made that rink unique?
I honestly loved playing there because the crowd was awesome. Obviously, no one there liked us, and that was really cool because it allowed us to look in our locker room and be like “this is what we’ve got.” These are the people that are supporting us, and our families as well. It just allowed us to really be together. They actually do get a great fan section and student section. It’s honestly really cool to see because people want to watch women’s sports, and seeing them come out to our games and support the women’s team is really awesome. That was different in that rink because they did get a lot of fans.
What are you studying and do you have any postgraduate plans?
I’m doing applied psychology and human development in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. I’m hoping to go back to school to become a child life specialist, working with children who have serious illnesses in a hospital setting. I want to work with them on the mental and emotional side.
Will you keep doing anything hockey-related?
I’d love to coach one day. It would be cool to coach back in Belmont to start. Belmont gave me a lot, and I love saying I’m from Belmont. That would be something I’d love to do. I’d love to also do a camp in Belmont, especially at the new rink. I’ve been talking a lot about doing something with that and seeing how many little girls can come out, skate and see they can be a Division 1 hockey player too.
