Alleva’s commitment to Princeton hockey team a ‘gut’ decision

Rose Alleva planned to select a college after she received a financial aid assessment from Harvard. However, Harvard continued to request more and more information. And then her intuition said that she should attend Princeton.

“The night before I made the decision I had a gut feeling,” Alleva said. “I just waited another day to see if it stuck with me and it did. And then I just thought, ‘OK, I want to make my decision now.’

“And then actually, ironically, the next morning we got an e-mail from Harvard saying (they) need more stuff.”

Alleva verbally committed to play her college hockey at Princeton on Oct. 26. The Red Wing senior is coming off a 62-point season — best among Minnesota defensemen, according to Wingers coach Scott Haley — in which she led Red Wing to a third-place finish in the Class A state tournament. She was named to both the all-tournament and all-state teams.

“She has single-handedly taken our program from being ... one of the bottom teams in Class A to this year I would suspect we’ll be a top 10 team,” Haley said.

“They’ve all worked hard, but she’s kind of been that lead horse. She’s brought everyone’s game up. They get to mimic her.”

According to Haley, Alleva was a sought after college recruit — she received calls from about 30 colleges — because of her speed and agility on skates.

Her strengths and diminutive size were best tailored for the East Coast and its finesse style of play, Haley said.

Princeton also was a good fit because of the composition of its roster.

While Harvard has eight defensemen on its roster, Princeton has six. That could lend itself to more ice time for Alleva.

“I’m used to playing a lot,” said Alleva.

Alleva’s character and credentials away from the ice are noteworthy, too. She wants to study pre-med in college and said her grade-point average is in the “high 3s” on a 4-point scale.

At the state tournament she was named the Class A recipient of the Herb Brooks award, which is presented to an individual who embodies the values and characteristics of the legendary coach.

“(Assistant coach) Mike (Doyle), who’s been coaching for over 40 years, basically, has communicated that he’s never had a kid like her,” Haley said. “He’s not talking about Rose the player, but Rose the kid. ... She’s probably one of the most humble kids you’ll ever meet. She’s very humble. Her work ethic is unparalleled.”

Alleva, who is two points shy of becoming the program’s career scoring leader, will be a strong candidate for the statewide 2010 Ms. Hockey Award.

Tags: red wing, rose alleva, sports, hockey, wingers