BRAINERD DISPATCH — Molly Engstrom was asked to go back and give a speech at Culver Academies three years ago.
Engstrom attended the prep school in Indiana and had been on two of the first girls hockey teams there. She went on to be named the two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and to play on two Olympic hockey teams for Team USA.
Engstrom said she would, but with a key stipulation.
“I told my story, but I was honest,” said Engstrom, who played her last two seasons of high school sports at Culver. “Essentially, it was hard. It was a huge adjustment being from a small town.
“The boys side (of the academy) is military, but that’s the culture there. The end of the story is positive. It was the best decision of my career to stay there, but it was definitely trying. I was speaking at the hockey reunion and there were probably 200 guys in the room and only like 10-12 girls. So many of the guys came up and said, ‘Thanks for being honest about what it’s like to be here.'”
Engstrom, 36, has taken on many sizable challenges throughout her career in and out of hockey. Her next challenge is becoming an assistant coach for the St. Cloud State women’s hockey team, a position she was officially named to on July 17.
