Meredith Langille was a defender her whole life. The RPI hockey team is glad to see her playing center.
A defenseman up to high school, Langille, who was second on the team in scoring last year, was switched to center due to her size. A self-declared rink-rat, the senior from Quincy, Mass. spent much of her time growing up at the hockey arena.
“I started figure skating when I was three,” said Langille, “And my [older] brothers got to play hockey, so I wanted to as well.”
Up through high school, Langille played in boys’ leagues, because the girls’ leagues were too few and far between. She got her first opportunity to play with the girls in high school, when she got recruited by a private school. “High school was … busy. I ran cross-country, played softball, and, of course, played hockey,” explained Langille.
When it came time for college, Langille, who is majoring in environmental engineering, chose the school first and the program second. “I wanted to go to a school with a strong engineering program,” said Langille, “And then I looked at hockey programs.”
RPI stood out to Langille because of the late Bill Cahill. “BC was like a father to us,” she explained, “It was tough to lose him.”
Langille, who has played at RPI since her freshman year, was second only to line mate Julie Aho in scoring last year. In her best season thus far, Langille scored eight goals and had 22 assists in 27 games.
Centering the Aho-Julie Welte wing combination allowed her to play more of a giving style last year. “I had some opportunities where I could have shot,” said Langille, “But Welte or Aho had a much better opportunity to score. They’re great finishers, so I’d pass to them.”
Langille has seen her points steadily increase. Her freshman year, she scored six goals and tallied nine assists. Her sophomore year saw her put six more goals on the board, and get 12 helpers.
Like all hockey players, Langille has some pre-game rituals. “I roll a golf ball from the blade of my stick down the shaft to my top hand,” said Langille. She also waits to be the last player dressed before the game. “Deanna Dougherty and I used to wait until five minutes before we had to suit up for warm-ups … it kept me from getting antsy before the games. I don’t know what I’ll do without Dee here.”
Langille has several goals for the season, but none are more important to her than having fun on the ice. “It’s going to be a lot of fun this year,” said Langille, “We’ve got a lot of talent, we’re going to have fun.”
