From Inuvik to Boston for goalkeeper

One might assume a teenager from one of Canada's northernmost towns would have a difficult time adjusting to life at a big-city American university.
But that certainly has not been the case for Leah Sulyma.
The 19-year-old, who was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, is in her sophomore year at Boston's Northeastern University. She's also a star goaltender for the Northeastern women's hockey squad.
The population of Sulyma's hometown is about 3,500. Northeastern's enrolment alone is more than four times this figure.
Sulyma, whose father Dan is Inuit, said her most difficult transition occurred three years before she started university.
That's because she left home at 15 and moved to Edmonton, primarily to further her hockey career. For the next three years she played for elite girls' teams in Leduc, Spruce Grove and St. Albert.
"Then, going from Edmonton to Boston wasn't that bad," she said.
Sulyma, who is studying business at Northeastern, accepted a full athletic scholarship offer from the school, valued at $44,000 (U.S.) per year.
Though she wasn't sure what to expect during her first collegiate season, things turned out well for Sulyma.
The club struggled but she ended up being its Number 1 goaltender and was selected as Northeastern's most valuable player.
"That was pretty cool, especially since I was a freshman," she said.
Sulyma also picked up several other accolades last season. She was named to the Hockey East (the league Northeastern competes in) all-rookie squad and was a finalist for the league's rookie-of-the-year award.
She was also chosen as the Hockey East rookie of the week five times.
As for this season, Sulyma has continued to excel. She's already been named as the league's defensive player of the week twice.
Sulyma is now splitting the Northeastern netminding duties with rookie Florence Schelling, who for the past five years has also been a goalie with the national women's squad from Switzerland. (Sulyma doesn't mind sharing her club's puckstopping duties, especially since Northeastern is enjoying more success this season.
A year ago the squad had an overall record of 7-24-3. But this season Northeastern had a 10-12-2 mark following its first 24 contests.
"This year is a lot better," Sulyma said.
And Northeastern coach Dave Flint said his Aboriginal goalie is one of the main reasons for his team's fortunes.
"She's been a big part of our success this year," said Flint, who is in his first season of coaching the Boston-based squad. "Every time she's in net, she gives us a chance to win."
Flint said he is a bit surprised someone from a small, remote Canadian town is now shining at the U.S. collegiate level.
"You wouldn't think that's where you'd be getting your goalie from," he said.
But he's obviously happy to have Sulyma on his roster.
"She's definitely established herself as one of the top goalies in the league," he added.
Besides winning team MVP honours again, Sulyma also has a couple of other goals for this season.
"Making it into the playoffs and hopefully winning our conference," she said.
Six of the eight Hockey East teams advance to post-season play. The league also includes
Boston College, Boston University, Providence, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine.
With a league record of 5-8-0, Northeastern was occupying sixth place in the league standings in late January.
As for her future, Sulyma said she'd love to crack the roster of the Canadian women's team some day. But she hasn't been involved with any of the country's national team programs yet.
"That's not to say she can't develop into a national team goaltender," Flint said of Sulyma.
And even if she doesn't go on to represent her country in international play, Flint believes Sulyma would be able to suit up for women's elite teams in Canada.
"Or she might be able to play overseas," Flint said, adding there are women's leagues in countries including Germany, Switzerland and Russia. "You're not going to be able to get rich or make a living at it but it's an opportunity to do it for a couple more years."
Before she went to Northeastern, Sulyma also played in three National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
Though her Northwest Territories squads did not have much success at those events, Sulyma stood out. Twice she was named to the tournament all-star team.
Sulyma also represented the Northwest Territories at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
She was peppered with shots at that tournament. She made 104 saves in one game and 90 saves in another match.
"It's like a walk in the park for her now," said Flint, adding Sulyma sees between 20-30 shots during most games at Northeastern.