By Jared Shafran

Upon arriving at Northeastern, freshman goalie Leah Sulyma was told the starting position was up for grabs. When she got the call from head coach Laura Schuler to start her first game Oct. 6, 2007, she was delighted.

Sulyma was given a chance to prove herself only months into her college career and she then set her sights on a new goal: remain the starter for the rest of the season. Fifteen starts later, Sulyma has solidified herself as the No. 1 netminder, and has been a wall in the net for the Huskies.

Sulyma made 75 saves in her last two games for the Huskies, earning her this week’s Northeastern News Player of the Week honors.

So far this season, she has been named Hockey East Rookie of the Week twice and has totaled 461 saves. As for the amount of shots coming her way, Sulyma said she has come to expect pressure around the net.

“I am used to seeing a lot of shots in games but even if we do get outshot, we can still have a chance to win,” she said.

Facing this pressure nightly, Sulyma has to work extra hard to stay focused.

“I am always thinking about trying to benefit the team,” she said. “I think about winning and keeping the game close so we can do that.”

When the job was handed over to her just two games into the season, Sulyma was ready to step up into the position.

“Both my coach and I gained a lot of confidence in each other as the season started,” Sulyma said. “It was a tough situation but I was level-headed and tried to keep my confidence high.”

Sulyma hails from Canada, the land of hockey. Her hometown of Inuvik is in the Northwest Territory, which lies in the Arctic Circle.

“The states are extremely different,” Sulyma said. “Boston is much different from where I come from and it was a big culture shock.”

When she isn’t between the pipes, Sulyma tries to relax as much as possible and hang out with her teammates. She said she uses her free time to explore the area. She has been so busy with hockey, she said, she has not seen as much of Boston as she would like to.

In the classroom, Sulyma is a business major and has plans to open a business back home in Canada with the skills she is learning at NU.

While enjoying her top spot, Sulyma said she knows she needs to continue to fight to keep it. The Huskies already have locked down a new goalie recruit for next year along with a defenseman.

“It should bring up the competition and skill level on the team,” Sulyma said.

As for the current season, Sulyma said she hopes no one is counting the Huskies out yet.

“We all need to come together and be on the same page,” Sulyma said. “We have to score more goals, keep pucks out and have a positive attitude.”