(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State women’s club hockey forward Aubrey Beskid has found a new home in Tempe and the freshman is stepping into a leadership role early in her collegiate career as a Sun Devil.
“Being on the team has been great during freshman year because it’s a home and a little family and you can adjust well to college knowing you have people behind your back,” Beskid said.
She has come a long way from her sweet, little hometown of Hershey, Pa. She left the northeast behind, traveling 2,000 miles for the opportunity to play hockey in a place one might not expect.
“It’s awesome to have a player from the east coast come all the way down to Tempe for us,” ASU head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “Coming into this program, she was really excited from the start. I love her enthusiasm that she brings to the ice.”
Growing up in Hershey, Beskid was close to hockey all the time. Her love for the sport came from watching and attending the games of the Hersey Bears, the most historically successful team in the American Hockey League.
Beskid laced up a pair of skates for the first time when she was just five years old. It wasn’t until she was 10 when she decided to put on the gear and play hockey.
She joined the Hershey Jr. Bears girls’ team and worked her way up from house league to travel hockey. When the time came to go off to college, a chance to continue playing hockey was what Beskid hoped for.
“It means a lot that I get to continue playing the sport I love,” Beskid said about joining ASU. “The team has helped making the adjustment to college so much easier. All the girls are so nice and so welcoming. It’s a good time.”
The business sports media major is making great strides as a Sun Devil. Coaches and teammates alike think she is improving on the ice every week.
“It’s a learning process when you come in as a freshman,” Ellis said. “Coming in at the beginning, I think she was a little surprised from the speed. Since then, she’s stepped it up. She’s gotten more shots on net and winning those battles in corners.”
Beskid has two assists this season and may not be lighting up the stat sheet just yet. However, it is her ability to step up like a veteran for the Sun Devils in the absence of depth and experience makes her a valuable player.
“She is a strong forward,” senior forward and co-captain Amber Galles said. “She is always getting to the net and always in the correct positions where we need her. That’s a big help especially as a freshman coming into a very competitive collegiate league when we only have two lines.”
Coach Ellis hopes Beskid will get her first goal as a Sun Devil this year.
“I make sure I do what I was taught since I was little and keep going,” Beskid said. “And I know that as long as I try my best, good things will happen.”
As Beskid continues to grow her game, she approaches everything with a humble attitude.
