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s a freshman at Arrowhead High School in
Hartland, Wis., she played on a boys AAA
team in Chicago. "But I got cut going into my
sophomore year," said Rigsby, a Delafield native. "I
went back to Wisconsin and had tryouts with differ-
ent teams. But they all said, 'Sorry, we already have
our goalies."'
But there was one youth coach who was more
than willing to give her a chance. "He was my coach
back in third grade, so I've known him forever,"
Rigsby said. "I was so lucky to snag a spot on a team
with a coach who believed in me so much."
The coach was the late Ulvis Katlaps, who died
from cancer last August. He was 45. Katlaps skated
professionally in his home country of Latvia before
coming to the United States and playing two sea-
sons on defense for the Badgers. He graduated from
UW with a journalism degree.
Katlaps was coaching the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals
AAA Boys Midget Minors when he answered Rigs-
by's distress signal. "He took me in and let me play
― he was definitely my biggest advocate ― he al-
ways had my back," she said. "A lot of guys wouldn't
be where they are today if it wasn't for him."
It was Katlaps who eventually opened the door to
the Wisconsin hockey program for Rigsby. "He put
us on to her," Johnson remembered. "He called up
and said, 'Alex is a pretty good goaltender. You might
want to come over here and take a look at her."'
Johnson and Rigsby attended Ulvis Katlaps' fu-
neral.
"I think about him all the time," she said. "I've
been kind of playing this season for him."
"I FEEL REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW,"
RIGSBY SAID. "I'VE HAD A COUPLE OF
FULL SERIES UNDER MY BELT AND I'M
JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE'VE
ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR AS A TEAM."
"I think about him all the time,"
Rigsby said her former coach, Ulvis
Katlaps, who lost his battle with
cancer in August. "I've been kind
of playing this season for him."
