Amanda Pelkey showcased her speed and dynamic passing when her two-goal and two-assist effort helped propel the Catamounts past the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers Oct. 12. 

For her efforts on the ice, he junior forward was named October Hockey East Warrior Co-Player of the month and recognized for her 11 points in seven games. Born and raised in Montpelier, Pelkey has been skating since the age of three. 

“My dad made a rink outside my house,” Pelkey said. “I think what really got me into playing hockey was that my brother was a hockey player.  Plus, my dad’s side of the family loves hockey, so it was just kind of a family vibe.”

Nowadays, Pelkey appreciates the new friends and relationships that she has gained through playing hockey at UVM.  

“I think that my favorite part about hockey is the team aspect,” Pelkey said.

Since coming to UVM, Pelkey has continued to improve her skills.  

“When I was a freshman, getting used to [college hockey] and gaining confidence was a really big thing.  I think the biggest transition was having Jim [Plumer] as my coach my sophomore year, and this year, too,” she said.

Head coach, Plumer, commends Pelkey’s development over the past few years. 

“Amanda has become a more complete two-way player,” he said. “She understands the importance of the defensive side of the game and definitely has become a more gritty player.”  

He also compliments her ability to accelerate quickly when changing direction and her passing skills. 

“Amanda has always been a playmaker,” he said. “She has worked hard on her shot and she is now scoring more goals, rather than simply getting assists.”

Pelkey had the most prolific month on record for the Catamounts in October, with a total of six goals in seven games. 

She credits her time on the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team for this achievement. 

“With the national team program, they want me to be a playmaker, but they also want me to work on my finishing,” Pelkey said. “I really had to bear down on that by working with my coaches, working on my shot.”

She commends her teammate, senior Roxanne Douville, for her success at earning Hockey East Goalie of the Year. 

Her next goal is to get player of the year she said.

“My major is pretty challenging, so I’m hoping to stay with a good cumulative GPA for the remainder of my four years,” Pelkey, who majors in Exercise and Movement Science, said.

Amanda achieved another dream of hers when she was invited to the Olympic tryouts this past summer. 

“The tryouts were definitely one of my favorite experiences playing,” she said.   

Despite this honor, Pelkey has managed to stay modest.   

“Amanda is down-to-earth and very humble.  She is more concerned with the team’s success and brings a great work ethic to practice and games,” Plumer said.

Pelkey admires Olympic forwards Meghan Duggan and Julie Chu, both of whom played on the national team with her. 

She also looks up to Tampa Bay Lightning right wing and captain Martin St. Louis, who mentored her power skating years ago.  

“I did a lot of his camps, and I always wanted to play like him,” Pelkey said.

    Pelkey and the rest of the UVM hockey team hosted a “Pack the Gut Challenge” while facing Boston College.  

They broke the Hockey East regular season attendance record by packing 2,028 fans into Gutterson Fieldhouse. 

Proceeds from a second period Chuck-a-Puck and five percent of merchandise sales went to Meals on Wheels in Burlington.

The Catamounts travel to Hanover, N.H. to face Dartmouth College at Thompson Arena Dec. 17.