Getting a pass in front of the net with 25 seconds left in overtime against a rival team with a player in the penalty box, with the fans going crazy, is a pressure situation. But it doesnâÄôt bother Minnesota womenâÄôs hockey player Melanie Gagnon as she showed by catching the pass and putting the puck in the net in FridayâÄôs 4-3 win over Minnesota-Duluth. She said she likes to be under pressure, to a certain extent. âÄúThereâÄôs good pressure and thereâÄôs bad pressure but I think it makes you go a little bit quicker,âÄù the senior captain said . âÄúI kinda thrive off that kind of feeling.âÄù Gagnon said pressure is also put on her because there are times when, as a defenseman, she is the only one standing between the other team and her goalie. The St. Adolphe, Manitoba-native has been a blue-liner her whole career except when she first started playing hockey. She enjoys being able to see the game and what is going on ahead of her as a defenseman. Her confidence under pressure is one thing that has grown since she joined the Gophers in 2005 , head coach Brad Frost said. âÄúSheâÄôs probably one of our best defensemen out there,âÄù Frost said. âÄúShe is composed with the puck and making good decisions and really being a great leader for us.âÄù At the beginning of the season, the two-time Third-team All-WCHA honoree was chosen as a co-captain with senior Gigi Marvin after the team took a vote. Frost said in GagnonâÄôs first year, people might not have thought she was captain material but she has matured and grown into a great captain. The honor means even more to Gagnon since she was chosen by her teammates. âÄúHopefully, my teammates know that they can confide in me,âÄù Gagnon said. âÄúHopefully, I can lead them on and off the ice. I love to have fun with the girls and IâÄôm also known for being really blunt about my opinions.âÄù Junior Jaimie Horton said GagnonâÄôs bluntness makes her a good captain. âÄúSheâÄôll tell you exactly how sheâÄôs feeling and what sheâÄôs thinking,âÄù Horton said. âÄúSheâÄôs just a great leader. She doesnâÄôt yell or scream at people and just does her thing.âÄù The five time Canadian Under-22 Team member said former Gophers hockey player Bobbi Ross has rubbed off on her. âÄúWe have the same sense of team ethics and stuff and kind of the same personality,âÄù Gagnon said. âÄúWe do feed off of each other a little bit.âÄù Frost said even though Gagnon isnâÄôt afraid to tell it like it is, she is very approachable and consistent. Gagnon also performs well under the pressure of schoolwork. Horton, one of GagnonâÄôs roommates, said Gagnon will sit down and do homework for hours. âÄúWhen it comes down to it, she gets her work done,âÄù Horton said. âÄúSheâÄôll disappear into the night and I wonâÄôt see her sometimes when sheâÄôs gonna take a test.âÄù Gagnon said balancing hockey and school is just like any typical college student that has a part-time job, she said. She makes things work by cramming as much as she can in on her day off and nights. Her goal is to get into graduate school for pharmacy when she graduates. Before she starts the next phase of her life, Gagnon canâÄôt deny the excitement that comes from scoring a game-winning goal. âÄúI closed my eyes and wished for the best,âÄù she said.