One of the most common mantras in the hockey world, “goalies are weird,” rings true in Minnesota.

While Emma May is not the oddest, her extra of flair and quirk is why her teammates love and respect her.

“We love her anyway,” defenseman Sophie Skarzynski joked. “To be a goalie you definitely have to be a little weird … Emma brings a consistent, positive effort and energy to practice every day.”

May, a sophomore from Eagan, Minnesota, earned herself a starting role for the Gophers after two successful starts last weekend against Ohio State at home.

She got her first win Friday and made 25 saves in a 1-1 tie with Ohio State Saturday. The Gophers lost in six rounds of a shootout 2-1.

The games were only her second and third appearances in net for Minnesota.

However, May is more than just what you see between the pipes.

She has a larger-than-life personality and loves spending time with all of her teammates — even the “weird” ones.

May said that she and her fellow goaltenders, Sidney Peters and Serena D’Angelo, all have different types of personalities.

“I am more of the singing, dancing type, so I’m the one who gets shushed a lot in the locker room, or told to sit down,” May said. “I just like to run around the locker room and pump everyone up, do everything I can to get everyone ready and pumped for the game.”

May isn’t all fun and games, though. She intends to major in sports marketing and business. She is already making big moves outside the locker room.

She hasstarted her own nonprofit, It Stops Now, an organization dedicated to stopping cyberbullying.

May also works as an intern with the Minnesota Wild. She is on the promotions team and helps handle game day operations.

“I help set up games in between periods. One time I didn’t have anyone to do one game, and I had to call my dad up and say, ‘I know you’re at the game, you’re doing it,’” May said. “He was not too excited, but it’s a lot of fun. I get to interact with a lot of people and hear their stories.”

May hopes to work in fan analytics for a hockey team post-graduation.

“I love sports and would love to stay in it. Anything that has to do with computers and accessing fans, talking to people,” she said. “I’m a very outgoing person, so I love hanging out and talking to people.”

She started goaltending during her U12 year after she discovered that she didn’t like playing defense and thought that she would only have to sit in the net as a goalie.

Her brother Eli, who plays hockey for Augsburg, helped support her through her career, as well as her teammates over the years.

“My brother pushed me to get better and try as hard as possible,” she said. “I think goalie just kind of ended up being what I wanted to do with my life, and how I want to spend my time on the ice.”