"I can't speak for the other girls on the team," Springer said. "I know they all want another national title just as badly as I do, but there's definitely a huge desire within me. All I want is chance. I just want a chance to play in that final game because I never got that chance last season."

Springer has worked hard all summer to come back from a season riddled with injury. However, some of her rehabilitation therapy may not fit the norm for a NCAA athlete.

Returning home to Flin Flon, Manitoba, in northern Canada, Springer worked above ground at a mine for the summer.

"After sitting at a desk all year, it's great to go back home and have someone tell you to shovel this pile here or that pile there," Springer said. "It's nice just not to have to think."

If Springer's eight-hour a day job wasn't enough, the two to three hours of lifts, sprints, and biking should have her in fine form when she returns to the Crimson's net this fall.

However, Harvard wasn't always a part of Springer's plans.

Springer started her collegiate career as a freshman at Middlebury College.