Game On Magazine 2017 December 2017 | Page 126

PROFILE MCKENNA WILD B Y S C O T T TAY L O R Photos by Laurie Anderson 1 2 6 | G AME O N | D EC EM BER 2017 GOALTENDER MCKENNA WILD will admit that there are times when she is just too competitive. She hates to lose and she really hates to give up a goal. That’s why it’s been a tough 2017-18 Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League season for Wild. Her Manitoba Gray Owls were 4-8-0 after their first 12 games and Wild was facing 50- 60 shots a game on some nights. However, despite the team’s record, Wild’s goals against average was just 2.57 and her save percentage was a rock solid .925 (fourth best in the league) through her first eight starts. It’s just that losing rips at her soul. In fact, an old midget scouting report says Wild is “Fast, plays the puck well and is very competitive.” The way she talks about winning, that’s pretty clear. “I think there are times when I’m just too competitive,” said Wild, who is in her first season in MWJHL. “It’s hard to be on a team that loses more than it wins. Especially when I just play hockey for IT’S A WILD fun. I couldn’t play high-level provincial or college hockey anymore. It’s just too stressful.