At the first practice of the hockey season, everyone gathered in the locker room, and all the Redwood Falls girls came in. There was a new face that nobody had seen before, everyone just thought she had moved up from 12U. Once she introduced herself, everyone soon realized she was a foreign exchange student from Redwood who had come to play hockey. She introduced herself as ‘Caithlynn’ but often gets called ‘Caitlynn’ instead.

The New Ulm High School has hosted foreign exchange students for years. The New Ulm Girls Hockey team has hosted them for around 3 years.

The New Ulm Girls Hockey program is a co-op with New Ulm Cathedral, Sleepy Eye, and Redwood Falls.

This year, the Girls Hockey program is hosting an exchange student from Redwood Falls. Her name is Caithlynn Hudepohl.

“I wanted to try something new,” said Caithlynn. Although ice skating isn’t completely new to her, “back home I did ice skating.”

This has helped Caithlynn improve her skills, she didn’t have to learn how to skate, so she could focus on other skills right away. Skills such as shooting, passing, and going after the puck.

It can be scary going into a new place with all new people, but Caithlynn was welcomed with open arms.

“I think it’s fun to meet new people,” said Caithlynn. “Everybody is so nice.”

“She brings a good vibe to the team,” teammate Brogan Hulke said. “She fits in well with the rest of us.”

New coach Derek Johnson brings new skills to the team, running different drills to improve these skills. These drills involve a lot of stickhandling, passing, and communication work.

“She’s improved a lot in her skills,” said teammate Taylynn Paulson. “She’s not afraid to go after the puck.”

The hockey team is excited to see new improvements moving forward through the season. They will continue to support and cheer for her on the sidelines.