Katie Burt?s voice, reduced to a hoarse whisper last week, is back to normal. That?s what celebrating your first international gold medal will get you. That doesn?t mean, though, that she has stopped pinching herself.
Burt was the backbone to Team USA?s2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women?s World Championshipin Buffalo. She made 16 saves in the Jan. 12 gold-medal game ? an overtime win against 2014 champion Canada. The US went 5-0 in the tournament, including two wins against Canada. Burt went 3-0 with a 1.06 goals against average and .923 save percentage.
?It?s been amazing,” Burt said Tuesday afternoon of the last two weeks.
?I?m still kind of catching myself thinking about it during the day and it?s just like, ?Wow, I can?t believe I did that. I can?t believe me and my teammates could do that.?”
The memory that stands out the most?
?Singing the anthem on the blue line,” she said. “That?s something you dream about, and you grow up watching the world championship teams sing their anthem on the blue line. Last year we watched Canada sing their anthem on the blue line, which was really heart-breaking. So, it was definitely something that you look forward to next year in the tournament. That?s the only thing you think about.
?It was pretty cool.”
Burt had the gold medal with her on campus at Boston College, where she is a freshman. There were a few people who wanted to see it. But it has been returned to the safekeeping of her parents, Jim and Kris ? a decision she?s rethinking.
?I carried it around for about a week and then I decided to reluctantly put it in my bedroom,” she said. “I?m regretting that decision because I like to look at it.”
Hey, it?s a gold medal ? who wouldn?t?
Burt followed up the gold by returning to her No. 1-ranked Eagles (22-0-1, 15-0-0 in Hockey East) team and authoring back-to-back shutouts at Vermont over the weekend. On Monday she was named Hockey East defensive co-player of the week, her third weekly award to go along with two monthly awards this season.
Burt?s GAA is now 0.93 with a .951 save percentage, both good for second in the country. She leads Hockey East goalies with a 0.53 GAA and .969 save percentage, to go with her record of 12-0-0. Asked if she remembers the last time she lost, she pauses to think.
?Oh, nationals maybe in April,” she said.
Things are going well when you can?t remember the last time you lost. But, she knows she?s not invincible.
?No, I know I?m going to lose,” she said. “I just hope it?s not in a big game.”
So far, that hasn?t been an issue.
Classes started up again last week, so she is as busy as ever, juggling a full class load with a demanding athletic schedule. Burt, who doesn?t turn 18 until Jan. 26, accelerated her studies at Buckingham Browne & Nichols to enroll at BC a year early. Playing at BC allows her parents and brother Cory to catch most of her games.
Staying in the area also allows her to be a role model to younger players who were once teammates, including the girls on the Lynn/Winthrop/Saugus Bulldawgs. (See Bulldawgs, B1.) Because of her own hectic schedule, she doesn?t get to many of their games. But she keeps tabs on them.
?It?s definitely something that you always kind of dream about, having people inspired by you,” she said. “And I think it?s kind of amazing that my team and myself included we hit home with a lot of kids. I grew up looking at probably (four-time Olympic medalist) Angela Ruggiero. There weren?t too many women to look up to because they weren?t being covered very much. So it?s really cool to be looked at like that, especially by former teammates of mine.”
Her season so far has been an unqualified success. Next in her sights is the 37th annual Beanpot tournament, starting Feb. 3 when the Eagles open against Northeastern.?It?s definitely been a success,” she said. “I?ve accomplished all the goals that I want to accomplish so far. But there?s definitely a lot more work to do. We want the Hockey