There is fast. Then there are skaters who are really fast.
And then there are talents like Kristina Allard who are faaaaaaaaaaaast.
The swift-skating Allard, 18, a senior at St. Paul’s School, is one of New England’s top prep school girls hockey talents.
The Kingston, N.H., native can reach warp speed within a couple of strides. This elite skating ability is one of the reasons many of the nation’s top college programs recruited her early.
Northeastern University won the battle — Allard committed to the Huskies as a freshman.
A 5-foot-5 defenseman, Allard loves to join the rush. If the puck goes the other way, she has the ability to turn on the jets and get back on defense in a couple of blinks of the eye.
“Her speed is second to none. She’s always been a great skater,” said Heather Farrell, the head coach at St. Paul’s. “That’s her bread and butter. She is a very dynamic athlete. She’s one of the top players we’ve ever had here. Not only is she a great hockey player, but she’s just the best kid. She’s a wonderful person.
“She’s someone I really rely on. She is a leader on and off the ice. The faculty and students really hold her in high regard. She continues to bring her best every day.”
Allard’s dream is to skate for the U.S. Olympic team. Don’t bet against her.
Allard tallied 18 points as a St. Paul’s freshman, 24 as a sophomore and 14 last winter in only six games during a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. One scouting service ranked her New England’s No. 2 prospect in her prep school class.
Allard said she’s not sure where her speed comes from.
“I don’t really know,” she said with a laugh. “I think speed has always been a very big part of my game. That’s kind of helped me develop as a hockey player. My love for hockey is endless. I’m a very offensive defenseman. I’m almost like the fourth forward. That’s a huge part of my game. I think it also helps me in the defensive zone.”
St. Paul’s begins its season Dec. 1 against Brewster Academy. Allard can’t wait for the season to start. She also wishes she could halt time. She wants to soak in every minute she has left at St. Paul’s.
“Absolutely unbelievable,” she said of her time at the Concord, N.H., school. “I love it here. So, so much. I can’t express in words how phenomenal an experience I’ve had here at St. Paul’s. I’m very grateful to be here.”
She’ll be sad to leave St. Paul’s. But she’s excited to head to Northeastern, which advanced to the national championship game last season for the first time in program history.
“I visited a lot of places,” Allard said, “and I just felt at home. I felt Northeastern was home to me when I walked on campus.”
One Division 1 college coach said she’s in the top five, regardless of position, of hockey players in her class.
Allard also might be the best female high school athlete in New England. In addition to turning heads on the ice, Allard is a generational-type athlete on the soccer field and in track at St. Paul’s. Could she be a three-sport Division 1 college athlete? Allard said she might attempt to play soccer in the fall, hockey in the winter and join Northeastern’s track team in the spring.
It sounds impossible. Then again, her accomplishments seem far-fetched.
On the soccer field, Allard has led St. Paul’s in scoring all four seasons. With a handful of games left in the regular season, Allard, a speedy left wing, was up to 80 career points.
“It’s because of my teammates,” she said.
Her track feats are numerous. Though much of her last two spring seasons were wiped out, Allard holds five school records. Entering next spring, she’s St. Paul’s record holder in the 400-meter run, the long jump and the triple jump. She’s also part of two relay record teams, the 4x100 and 4x400.
Allard is driven to succeed, often rising at 4 a.m. to get in a workout before a busy day.
“I’m going 24-7. I’ve kind of devoted myself to the grind,” she said. “Like I said, sleep is optional.”
She laughs, but she’s not joking. Allard works extremely hard to get better in everything she attempts.
“She’s just a super kid with heart and desire,” said Todd Allard, her father.
Todd Allard was a Lawrence (Mass.) police officer when he met his future wife, Iveta, a native of Latvia. The Allards also have a son, Daven, a Lawrence Academy student. Todd Allard has been a member of the Dracut (Mass.) Police Department for the past 11 years.
“Honestly nothing surprises me. I might sound cocky, and I’m her dad, but I would put her against anybody,” her father said. “I always tell her, if you want something you’ve got to go get it.”
Scott Fusco knows a thing or two about hockey talent. The Burlington, Mass., native won the Hobey Baker Award in 1986 while skating for Harvard. He represented the U.S. in the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympic Games.
These days Fusco manages Edge Sports Center in Bedford, Mass., which he founded. He coaches the East Coast Wizards’ Under-19 girls, a junior team Allard joined last season.
“Kristina is an excellent two-way defenseman,” Fusco said. “Defends really well. Really hard on the puck. She’s a very explosive athlete. She plays with a lot of intensity. She’s very fast. She has the ability to get up ice and be an offensive player and still be able to get back.”
Allard is a rare talent due to her skating speed and aggressiveness.
“She’s very hard to play against because of that combination. She has the ability to be up in your face and also track pucks,” Fusco said. “She’s definitely one of the top defensemen in prep school hockey.”
And fast. Really faaaaaaaaaaaast.
