In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight Wesleyan athletes or parts of games that deserve extra attention. 

Dylan Green ’26, a forward on the Wesleyan women’s ice hockey team, earned NESCAC Player of the Week on Dec. 2, 2024, less than a week before the team headed into winter break. Green, who also plays for the Wesleyan women’s lacrosse team, scored three of her team’s five goals in two wins over Salve Regina University on Tuesday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 30 2024. The award was the first weekly NESCAC honor of Green’s career. The Argus sat down with Green to discuss balancing two sports, building on the team’s strong previous season, and making TikTok dances.

The Argus: When did you first start playing hockey? 

Dylan Green: Since I was really little. Since I could walk. I don’t know the exact age. I did it when I was really young, and then my parents got jobs in South Africa. When I came back, my parents both worked at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, so [it] was second grade where I started playing on a team. I played for the Concord Capitals in New Hampshire. 

A: Did you skate before that?

DG: Yeah, I started skating when I was three. My dad played [hockey].

A: What do you love about hockey, and why have you stuck with it? 

DG: I love any team sport, really, and hockey kind of just stuck. It’s really fun because it’s just so fast-paced. I’ve always loved it. I love skating. I think [hockey] is kind of different from any other game just because of how fast it is.

A: What makes the Wesleyan team special for you?

DG: I just think it’s a really fun group. It’s always super exciting to walk into practice every single day. It’s the best part of my day. And I think it’s fun because a lot of people on the hockey team have different interests outside of just ice hockey. It’s not the only thing we do. And so it’s kind of fun to just have a group of people brought together by hockey who are kind of different in their outside lives and have a lot of other separate interests that we all support each other in, too. 

A: With having all those different interests, how do you establish a team culture at the beginning of the year and bring it all together? 

DG: I think a team culture is something that’s built not just at the beginning of the year but through the years past, and it’s passed down from upperclassmen to underclassmen. I think [Head Coach of Women’s Ice Hockey] Jodi [McKenna] has done a great job of establishing a team culture that’s positive and supportive and super hardworking, and I think there’s even more to build on. Going into my senior year, [I’m] looking forward to honing in on team culture even more.

A: How have you balanced being a student-athlete at Wesleyan? 

DG: I think I struggled, actually, at the beginning of my freshman year. I’m on the lacrosse team as well. Balancing hockey [and] lacrosse—my social life was difficult at first. But I found getting support from teammates and getting into a routine has been really helpful for me. I like to plan out my weeks and my days in advance and have a schedule that I like to stick to. It’s definitely helped me get good at time management, and just trying to stay ahead on homework, stay ahead on letting professors know if I’m missing anything, [and] getting my work done before practice. I actually think when I’m in season, I’m better with school than I am when I’m out of season, because I have more free time to do whatever. 

A: Coming into this season, what were some of your goals and expectations for yourself? 

DG: Just build on last season. Overall, I just want our team to win, so that’s kind of my main goal. But personally, I definitely want to be an impact player, and [to produce] a lot of points offensively, which I haven’t done too much so far. But hopefully there’s still some season left.

A: How about in terms of the team? I know you guys had a really solid season last year with a couple of historic sweeps. How are you looking to build on that? 

DG: Going off of last year, we want to keep that upward trajectory and not fall into the previous history of Wesleyan women’s hockey, which isn’t great. I think just building on that and showing that it’s not just a [fluke]: We’re a good team. We can compete with anybody. And I think that’s the great part about our league, is that anybody can be anyone. It doesn’t really matter—previous years or your ranking. We haven’t had too much success in the NESCAC, but we just beat Amherst, so using that going into this weekend, hopefully we can get some more wins. 

A: What’s a favorite memory from your time with the team? 

DG: I would say one of my favorite memories is a couple weeks ago, honestly, [during] our bus ride home from Hamilton. My teammate Shannon [Burke ’25] and I did a riff off with each other on the bus for like an hour and a half and everyone was super mad, but it was really fun. Or I would say last year sweeping [Middlebury] was really fun. 

A: What advice would you give your first-year self? 

DG: I would honestly probably say worry a little less and have more fun. Be a good teammate. Sometimes it’s easy to think that sports are all that matters, but when you really think about it, no one really cares if you’re really good at hockey or you’re good at lacrosse. It’s about being a good person and being a good teammate. So focusing on that, it’ll come on the ice and on the field.

A: You earned [a] NESCAC Player of the Week honor this season, your first weekly award of your career. How did it feel to earn this award, to hear that you’ve gotten it? 

DG: It was definitely exciting to get some recognition because I worked pretty hard. But I think overall it’s just a reflection of my teammates more than it is me.

A: How are you feeling headed into this last part of the season? 

DG: I’m excited. We had a bit of a rut over [winter break]. I think it’s always hard because hockey is the only thing we’re doing, and so, if you have a few losses, it’s easy to get in your head about it. But I think we had a great weekend against Amherst, and hopefully we can keep that going. More than anything, I love our senior class so much and, obviously, all my time at Wesleyan has been with them, so I want to just go out on a good note with them. That’s kind of what’s most important to me. 

A: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

DG: I honestly have never been too superstitious. But I like to listen to music before games. I like to make TikTok dances. 

A: Do you switch up the genre of the music, or is it the same every time? 

DG: I switch it up. Sometimes I’ll listen to…Gracie Abrams before a game. But other times it’ll be more rap, pop vibes. 

A: My last question is: If you could invite one person, famous or not, to watch your next hockey game, who would you want in the bleachers?

DG: Probably my family, my parents. They’re in Pittsburgh, so it’s hard for them to get to games, so it means a lot when they come. Or maybe my brother. He is a freshman at [the United States] Air Force [Academy], so I don’t get to see him often. So that would be really fun. Or I would maybe say my childhood [coaches] from New Hampshire. One of them is named Sammy Daniels, and another one’s Scott Joss. They coached me all my time at New Hampshire.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Audrey Nelson can be reached at aanelson@wesleyan.edu.