So why did the ESPY Awards choose Nicole Corriero to represent women hockey in the category of Best College Female Athlete?
⁉ wonder that myself! †exclaims Corriero. ⁉ mean, I can think of a bunch of other top hockey players, or top collegiate athletes who could have been there instead of me. I guess, in the end, it came down to bra size, and as we know, I pretty much have them all beat. ‼p>The forward nicknamed ⁃leave †by her teammates will have the opportunity to test out that theory when she heads to the Playboy Mansion in L.A. for a pre-award show party the night before the show for celebrities and ESPY nominees.
Although the venue will offer a host of potential clientele for the aspiring lawyer, there one celebrity in particular whom Corriero hoping to meet⁋iefer Sutherland, who plays Agent Jack Bauer on her favorite TV show, ′4. †
⁁ll I want him to say is ⁴he following award presentation takes place between 9:30 and 9:31 p.m.,”†Corriero says. ⁉t actually doesn⁴ even have to be for my award. ‼p>Sutherland has presented in the past, however, so the possibility remains. For extra luckoth to receive the award and meet Sutherland⁃orriero has turned to long-time friend and teammate Ashley Banfield, just as she has throughout her career.
⁗hen we were 13 years old, whenever I got a new stick or a new blade, or was in a scoring rut, I give my stick to her, and she give it a little agic,”†Corriero says. ⁉t sounds corny, but we⁶e done it ever since. Anyways, I think its only fair to say that that played a huge part in my success this year. †
⁆or good luck in the ESPYs, I mailed Ash a Ray Bourque bobblehead. Why? No idea. It just felt like the right thing to do, †she says.
While she has to leave such matters to fate and lady luck (and as many fan votes as she can get), some things will take care of themselves. The ESPY, for instance, will provide Corriero outfit for the award show.
⁉ can walk down the red carpet and tell reporters, ⁉ wearing Calvin Klein,†and they can turn to the cameramen and say, ⁗ho the hell was she?”‼p>In case they don⁴ know, here the case for Corrierone final time.
MAGIC STICK, MAGIC MIC
The ESPY Awards, created in 1993, ommemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances. ‼p>No one put on a performance quite like Nicole Corriero during the 2004-2005 season.
Minnesota line-mates Krissy Wendell⁴he Kazmaier winnernd Natalie Darwitz⁴he Frozen Four MVPinished ahead of Corriero in total points scored, but the Crimson captain grabbed the headlines by breaking the single-season record for goals scored, hitting the back of the net 59 times.
And while, even as she scored goal after goal, neither she nor her team realized how close she was to setting the NCAA women hockey record, Corriero ascent to the top of the charts was anything but quiet. It usually isn⁴ when you account for more than 60 percent of your team total offense.
With six hat tricks, 19 multiple-goal games, and a point scored in all but three, her offensive explosion coined a new phraseetting Corriero⁷hich didn⁴ just mean getting scored on multiple times, but getting completely dominated.
Never was that more apparent than during the NCAA Quarterfinals against Mercyhurst. She resurrected her team time and again, scoring four goals to keep Harvard championship drive alive to chants of ⁓cor-ri-ero †from the Harvard faithful. Then she assisted on the game-winner to give the Crimson a 5-4 victory in triple overtime on a night worthy of an ESPY nomination for best sports performance.
Even University President Lawrence H. Summers had his fists pumping in celebration.
But the numbers, as impressive as they are, don⁴ tell the whole story of what Corriero meant to the Crimson.
⁓he helped to bring a team that was struggling to post .500 before December to the NCAA championship game, †Banfield says. ⁓he asks for excellence from her teammates but not before demanding it in herself. She is a tough competitor and a classy playern victory and defeat. †
⁁nd, most importantly, her acceptance speech would be unforgettable. ‼p>Known for giving new life to her team on the ice, Corriero has also been known to be the life of the partyr, as the case may be, the banquetue to her often unintentionally comically genius speeches.
⁉t not so much what she says, but how she says it, †Banfield explains. ⁉t the way she gets embarrassed when she wins an award, or the way her personal accomplishments shock even her. †
⁓he so humble⁉ don⁴ think she ever prepared a speech in her life. She gets up to the podium and does pen-mike.†It probably the most refreshing thing at a banquet truly hilarious performance. ‼p>All that stands between the 2005 ESPY awards and hilarity are the voters.
⁔he word on the street is that she would be willing to add some life to the party by alling†up the stairs if she won, †senior Jennifer Raimondi says. ⁉f that isn⁴ a reason to vote for her, I not sure what is.
THE COMPETITION
Corriero admits she went on a mass-emailing spree of her own to procure votes, which may be made on the ESPY Award website, but credits her roommates and family with spreading the news far and wide. She is especially proud of Kelly Noon friend and former women lacrosse playernd Banfield for allegedly bombarding the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with flyers about the ESPYs.
Not all of her support came from Harvard, however.
⁉ have already voted [for Corriero] from numerous computers, †says friend and Dartmouth senior Tiffany Hagge. ⁉ forwarded the voting link to my teammates and I would guess that they will all vote for her, especially those that know her. I think there is a healthy respect between Dartmouth and Harvard, and I think if a Dartmouth player were nominated for something, most Harvard players would do the same and vote. †
Although her teammates and friends are convinced Corriero deserves the ESPY, she faces an uphill battle because of both stiff competition and the relatively small size of the women hockey fan base as compared to women basketball or softball.
The past threend the only threeward-winners in the category of Best College Female Athlete have been women basketball players from Connecticut: Sue Bird in 2002 and Diana Taurasi in 2003 and 2004. This year, LSU forward Seimone Augustus represents women basketball.
But Corriero faithful remain undeterred.
⁎icki is the only finalist to set a record on both the men and women side of her sport, †Hagge says. ⁗hen Seimone Augustus can dunk, then wel see. ‼p>In addition to Augustus, Corriero is competing against UCLA gymnast Kristen Maloney, Texas softball pitcher Cat Osterman, and Notre Dame soccer forward Katie Thorlakson.
Despite her own impressive resume, Corriero maintains her humility even through hamming it up.
⁉ don⁴ want to say I don⁴ think I should win, but I just think that being a part of this group is an incredible distinction in and of itself, so I perfectly content to be a nominee, †she says. ⁅veryone has different abilities that made them stand out in such a way to be recognized by ESPN, and so to say that mine are more worthy of note than someone else is unfair. Il leave that up to the voters! ‼p>While Augustus and Osterman draw fans from the more popular sports, Thorlakson poses a different problem for Corriero. Not only is she a fellow Canadian, but she also hails from the same hometown⁌angley, British Columbiand attended the same high school⁗alnut Groves Corriero former teammate, Raimondi.
⁋atie and I go way back, we were on the same soccer team when we were seven, †Raimondi says. ⁆rom then on, we played almost every sport either together or against one another; she even played hockey for a while. We ended up going to the same high school and wee still friends. ‼p>Though Raimondi may split her allegiance equally between her two friends, Banfield doesn⁴ foresee any problems splitting the Canadian vote.
⁃anadians love ice hockey. It defines our culture and brings our people together, †she says. ⁗ith the NHL on hold, the people need a hockey player to believe in. They need a hero. They need Nicole Corriero.
THE FINAL SCORE
The ESPY Awards will likely mark the end of Corriero hockey career, but rather than focus on what might have or should have been hers, she emphasizes the high note on which she is fortunate to close that career. Win or lose, she out to have fun in Los Angeles.
⁁t this point, it not about redemption, †she says. ⁉ honestly feel content with my hockey career and everything that has come with it. Whether or not I get nominated for an ESPY is not going to change that, †she says. ⁗hat it does do, however, is give me an incredible opportunity to be a part of something I never dreamed of doing. †
⁁nd furthermore, it opens the door for me to finally realize my dream of becoming a Playboy Playmate. ‼p>This is the second consecutive year that fans will determine the winners through online voting, which began June 24 and ends July 8. Fans can vote for Corriero at the following link: http://espn.go.com/espy2005/s/05femalecollegenominees.html.
The ESPY Awards will be held on Wednesday, July 13 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The award show will air on ESPN on Sunday, July 17 at 9pm ET.
⁓taff writer John R. Hein can be reached at hein@fas.harvard.edu.