Ask an Athlete: Q&A with Mae Olshansky

Mae has scored two goals this season, and both come off power plays.

Mae Olshansky is a senior forward for the Plattsburgh Cardinals women’s hockey team. This is Mae’s third season with the team, and she’s been a contributor throughout her career. She comes from Wilmette, Illinois, and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 19U prior to Plattsburgh.

In each of the last two seasons, she’s scored nearly 30 points and played in deep postseason runs. She’s even tried her hand in the play-by-play booth.

Most recently, Mae didn’t dress in the Panther/Cardinal Classic Championship, when Plattsburgh beat Middlebury 3-1. In the teams next game, Mae returned, and nailed a power play goal. She’s hungry to compete.

Q: What area of your game have you seen the most drastic improvement in? What’s that the result of?

A: I think I’ve seen a big growth in the speed in which I make decisions in games. My freshman year, I would hold onto the puck too long or wouldn’t move to the net fast enough. I think that has just been the result of playing college hockey for three years.

Mae drops to her knees in celebration of her goal against Cortland Dec. 1.

Q: Which win in your career have you celebrated the hardest after, and how?

A: We don’t get to celebrate our wins often, but when we do, it tends to be a bonding experience within the team because everyone comes together and has a fun time. I would say winning the Norwich tournament my sophomore year. We had just gone 0-2 in the thanksgiving tournament and to come back and win that tournament was a turning point in our season. 

Q: What former PSU teammate do you miss the most and why?

A: I miss Abby Brush, class of 2021, the most because she is from my hometown in Illinois and she has helped me a lot the past four years. I never got to play with her due to COVID-19, but she has been with me through every up and down. We talk everyday, not just about hockey, but school and stuff. 

Mae watches the game while on the call.

Q: Has your time in the booth altered your perspective of the game?

A: I think it has a little bit, because the men’s game is so different from the women’s game, so it has given me a different perspective on the men’s style of hockey. The men’s game is a lot more physical, so when a skill move does happen you can appreciate it more. In the women’s game, everything is a skill, and when there is body contact it gets noticed more.