For this week’s Athlete of the Week installment, Impact Sports sat down with Natalie Prisciandaro, forward for MSU’s D-I women’s ice hockey team. The Rochester Hills, Mich. native is a junior majoring in nursing.

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What is your favorite Gatorade flavor?

“Blue. I don’t know why, but it’s always been my favorite.”

What is your favorite in season memory?

“Beating University of Michigan in overtime.There’s no better feeling than winning against a rival team in a close game like that, especially when it was our final game of the season. That way, our seniors had a great last game to remember.”

What is your favorite off-season memory?

“Our date party to the Grand Rapids Griffins game was a great night. I had never been to a Griffins game and we had a blast.”

It is 2 a.m. on the weekend and you are just getting home, what food are you ordering?

“Conrad’s. That’s definitely the best late night food in East Lansing.”

What do you want to be when you grow up?

“I want to become a nurse when I graduate, but later in life I’d love being a ‘hockey mom’ and helping my kids learn how to play the game.”

What is your favorite class you have taken at MSU?

“A one-credit hockey class I took my first semester at MSU. We got to just scrimmage and play hockey every Tuesday and Thursday morning, and we were actually getting school credit for it. The guys and the one other girl in the class were awesome and it was a great experience.”

What is your favorite place on campus?

“North Campus. I’m in love with all of Michigan State’s campus, but the beautiful old buildings and trees in north campus always amaze me.”

What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

“‘Dancing with the Stars.’ I love watching dance and it’s fun to watch as the celebrities improve throughout the show. It’s one of the only reality shows I don’t mind watching.”

What would you not expect people to know about you?

“People probably wouldn’t expect that I can be very motherly, because sometimes I can be irresponsible and, with my friends, I don’t act like a mom, but with little kids and my younger brother I’m quite motherly. I’m also extremely clumsy, which I don’t think people would expect either, because I’m pretty coordinated and am only 5-foot-one, so it’s not as if I’m long and lanky. I spill, drop and knock things over on a daily basis.”

If you had to play a different sport at MSU, what would it be?

“Lacrosse or underwater hockey. I played lacrosse in high school so I’d love to be able to play again. Underwater hockey is something I had never heard of until MSU and I think it would be fun to try something new that is related to my favorite sport.”

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Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the next Athlete of the Week feature.

Mackenzie Smith is a multimedia reporter for Impact Sports.

Photo: David Defever/Impact Sports