As the face of women’s hockey in the state of Vermont, senior and co-captain Amanda Pelkey is a role model not only for her teammates, but also for all female hockey players, junior Gabryella Procaccini said.

“It’s kind of a cliche thing, but whenever I give signatures to people, I always write ‘dream big.’” Pelkey said. “It’s nice to give inspiration to younger kids.”

Pelkey spent the past year and a half as a co-captain after her first year.

“Amanda’s freshman year was, I think, a bit unsettled, not only from a coaching standpoint but from a playing standpoint,” head coach Jim Plumer said. “She had to play a bunch of different positions,”

“There’s a big adjustment freshman year, that made her blossom into the impact player that she is,” Plumer said.

Despite being one of the last players cut from the U.S. women’s Olympic ice hockey team, Pelkey took it in stride, she said.

“It stung for maybe a day or so. But after it happens, you look back and you become better because of it. When you’re around players of that caliber, it just makes you a better overall player and person,” Pelkey said.

Pelkey owns most of the single-season offensive records for the women’s ice hockey team. She set a single-season record by scoring 21 goals and 40 points in 2013-2014, and over her career she has amassed 49 goals and 56 assists for a total of 105 points in 127 career games played, according to UVM athletics.

She was honored at the State House in her hometown of Montpelier, Vermont March 17 to a standing ovation from the chamber members.

“I walked in there not knowing what it was going to be and it went above and beyond,” Pelkey said. “It was a great honor and I’m really thankful for it.”

Director of CatamounTV coordinator Nich Hall was equally surprised.

“I was there with her and I was told that it was something that doesn’t happen often,” Hall said.

As for future plans, Pelkey said she plans to join the Boston Blades in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, joining U.S. Olympians like Hilary Knight and Meghan Duggan.

“I’m just taking it all one day at a time,” Pelkey said.

She will graduate this May with a degree in exercise and movement science, according to UVM athletics.