Advertisement

Gophers goalie Makayla Pahl eager to give back through inaugural hockey camp in Rochester

jason feldman, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·4 min read

May 13—MINNEAPOLIS — The wheels started turning for Makayla Pahl last year, when the NCAA adopted a policy allowing athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness.

Those spinning wheels eventually led to a conversation with advisors from Potenza Sports, a sports management agency in Eden Prairie. Those conversations led to Pahl, a Rochester Mayo graduate who just wrapped up her junior year at the University of Minnesota, stamping her name on a hockey camp.

The inaugural Makayla Pahl Hockey Camp is scheduled for June 27-28 at the Rochester Recreation Center.

"They said 'we think we can make a good camp for you," Pahl said of her talks with the advisors at Potenza. "Sure enough, as time has gone along, we started planning it and now it's happening. They've been so helpful; they've planned everything out and I'm super grateful for that."

Though the 5-foot-11 Pahl is an outstanding goaltender — she is 12-4-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in her first three seasons with the Gophers — her camp will be open to goalies and skaters.

"It kind of all started when the NIL thing got passed last year in the summer," Pahl said of the NCAA ruling that permits athletes to earn money by endorsing products or events such as her upcoming camp. "Right off the bat, I wanted it to be for both goalies and skaters, just to allow as many kids as wanted to come, to be able to come."

Online registration for the two-day camp is now open at

PotenzaSports.net/HockeyCamp.html

. The camp, which is open to boys and girls ages 12-17, will include other Gophers hockey players, including Pahl's fellow goalie Skylar Vetter, a Lakeville North grad, and former Gophers men's hockey forward Jonny Sorenson. He recently announced he will transfer to the University of Alaska.

"(Campers) can expect at least six hours of ice time — with some skill work and some fun games — and we'll also do some dryland sessions for an hour or so each day," said Pahl, a 2019 Mayo grad who was a finalist for Minnesota's Senior Goalie of the Year award that season. "We'll have classroom sessions and bring in speakers to talk about the elite mind and elite body of a hockey player. They'll learn how to stay mentally and physically healthy."

A strong mental mindset has been important to Pahl throughout her playing career.

She played on the top boys teams in Rochester during her youth hockey days, then played for the Mayo boys team as a junior in 2017-18, before playing with the Spartans' girls as a senior. In 2018, she was a member of Team USA, which won a gold medal at the U18 Women's World Championships.

Mental strength has been key during her time at Minnesota, too, where she has constantly had to share the net. The Gophers carried four goalies last season, though Pahl put up sparkling numbers, going 9-1-1 with a 1.81 GAA and a .932 save percentage.

"Having four goalies on a team and rotating (playing time) with three, it's definitely mentally challenging," Pahl said. "But, honestly, you can only control what you can control. Anytime you're put in the game, you have to do your job and come out with the win. When you're not in the net, you have to be a good teammate and be their No. 1 supporter.

"I'm proud of what I did this season and what I accomplished every time I got put in net."

Some of Pahl's toughest competition came in practices, against the dynamic group of forwards who helped the Gophers go 29-9-1 and return to the NCAA Division I Tournament after a one-year absence. Pahl has at least one season left in maroon and gold, with the possibility of a fifth season, as well, in 2023-24. For now, she's looking forward to continuing to put up impressive numbers in her senior season.

"I'm looking forward to having another year with the senior class from last year, too," she said. "They're such a fun group. As I get older now, I can hop into that leadership position. I'm looking forward to helping to lead the team. We'll have such a skilled team next year ... we'll be a deep team for sure, and we're looking forward to hopefully bringing home a national championship."