The McLaughin Effect
Justin Downs
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: Sports
Prior to this past weekend, the Colonials women's hockey team had been victorious in just one of their previous 14 games.
For inspiration, members of the team sought out former RMU goaltender and current U.S. Olympian Brianne McLaughlin, who delivered just as she had done throughout her career as a Colonial.
"I heard from a couple of the girls that they were down, and they hadn't been winning," said McLaughlin. "I wanted to do something to help them out and I remembered the song we picked out my junior year."
According to McLaughlin, it was head coach Nate Handrahan who originally suggested for the team to select a song to represent them, a song to provide his team with an identity.
"Nate told us to come up with a song that meant something to us, and kind of personalized our team as a whole. I think he was looking for something a little different, perhaps something extravagant, or hardcore, and we came up with "Stand" by Rascal Flatts," McLaughlin chuckled.
"It was our motto last season, and it was about times when things get tough, you just have to get up off the ice and stand," said junior forward Sara O'Malley.
For McLaughlin, the song is about "getting beat down, but then getting back up and going back at it," she explained. "I just wanted to get them going. That's all I wanted to do."
"Brianne is always going to be a Colonial at heart and we know she's cheering for us even with Team USA, because when we beat a team like Wisconsin, she gets to brag about it," said O'Malley.
Going into the weekend, there was definitely a feeling of determination throughout the Colonial's locker room. The winning vibe from the McLaughlin video seemed to exude straight from the Olympian to the Robert Morris bench, and finally showed when the Colonials took the ice against Sacred Heart.
The Colonials exploded, posting double-digit goals in each of their two games. In doing so, they outscored the Pioneers by a combined score of 23-6. For the team, a victory like this had been a long time coming.
For inspiration, members of the team sought out former RMU goaltender and current U.S. Olympian Brianne McLaughlin, who delivered just as she had done throughout her career as a Colonial.
"I heard from a couple of the girls that they were down, and they hadn't been winning," said McLaughlin. "I wanted to do something to help them out and I remembered the song we picked out my junior year."
According to McLaughlin, it was head coach Nate Handrahan who originally suggested for the team to select a song to represent them, a song to provide his team with an identity.
"Nate told us to come up with a song that meant something to us, and kind of personalized our team as a whole. I think he was looking for something a little different, perhaps something extravagant, or hardcore, and we came up with "Stand" by Rascal Flatts," McLaughlin chuckled.
"It was our motto last season, and it was about times when things get tough, you just have to get up off the ice and stand," said junior forward Sara O'Malley.
For McLaughlin, the song is about "getting beat down, but then getting back up and going back at it," she explained. "I just wanted to get them going. That's all I wanted to do."
"Brianne is always going to be a Colonial at heart and we know she's cheering for us even with Team USA, because when we beat a team like Wisconsin, she gets to brag about it," said O'Malley.
Going into the weekend, there was definitely a feeling of determination throughout the Colonial's locker room. The winning vibe from the McLaughlin video seemed to exude straight from the Olympian to the Robert Morris bench, and finally showed when the Colonials took the ice against Sacred Heart.
The Colonials exploded, posting double-digit goals in each of their two games. In doing so, they outscored the Pioneers by a combined score of 23-6. For the team, a victory like this had been a long time coming.
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