BRIANNA DECKER
"Because I'm so small I feel like I should play more physi- cal,'' Decker said. "I think people kind of misjudge how strong I am just because I'm smaller. But I'm kind of a lit- tle brickhouse.''
While giving his endorsement — "She'd make
a good one,'' he said — Johnson couldn't resist the temptation to tease Decker about her spirit and fiery make-up. "That would be good for her,'' he said of Deck- er's intentions of joining the profession, "then she'd have to handle players like herself — com- petitive as she is.'' Johnson chuckled. "If you go on the ice with her and there's one
puck,'' he said, "chances are she's going to com- pete and try to hang onto that puck as long as she can. That's just the type of player she is. "She doesn't like to lose on the scoreboard and doesn't like to lose any battles on the ice.'' Decker attributed her competitiveness, in
part, to growing up with three brothers. Plus, she added, "I played with the boys' (teams) up until high school and I had to be physical.'' That competitive nature is a byproduct of standing 5-foot-4. "Because I'm so small I feel like I should play more physical,'' she said. "I think people kind of misjudge how strong I am just because I'm smaller. But I'm kind of a little brickhouse.'' Decker giggled. "I can be pretty scrappy in the corners. A lot of
times my shoulders are up to their stomachs on some of the taller D (defensemen) and I can use my low center of gravity to my advantage.'' Johnson agreed whole-heartedly — with an emphasis on the "heart'' that she plays with. "She's tough to knock off the puck,'' he said.
"She's very competitive and being competitive and physical go hand-in-hand in the women's
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game because you're not allowed to check.'' At that, Johnson believes Decker's competi- tiveness can work against her. "Sometimes good players are their own worst enemies,'' he said. "She can get frustrated because she's so com- petitive.''
That frustration, Johnson said, can result from "people hooking or holding her and elimi- nating her from getting some scoring chances''
