Ellie Schliebener’s bedroom is cozy, with soft, warm lighting that gives a soft glow to the room.  

The central structure in the room is a king-size bed with a puffy pink comforter that takes almost a cloud-like shape. Pillows lean comfortably against the headboard in odd sizes, some with plain white covers and others with a floral print, inviting you to sink into them.  

A thin, transparent curtain on the side of the two windows lets sunbeams in, and with that, the room feels even warmer.  

A few other small touches—the vase of fresh flowers, scented candle, and framed photos—make this bedroom personal.  

Comfort, relaxation, and delicate elegance are words that define the atmosphere of this place.   

Ellie. Ellen. Trudy. Pinky. Schliebs.  

All of these are names that the junior at VTSU Castleton from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada goes by, and she is also a member of the VTSU Castleton women’s ice hockey team.  

Growing up  

Growing up, Schliebener was destined to play hockey.  

Her father Andy played in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks and instilled his passion and drive into her.  

And growing up in Canada especially, hockey wasn’t just a sport for Schliebener.  

It was a way of life.  

The hockey culture runs thick in Ottawa, and for Schliebener, cold, snowy winters were an invitation to lace up her skates and get on the ice. From backyard rinks to local arenas, her childhood was a mixture of early mornings, late nights, and endless hours of practice culminating with the thrill of a game won.  

 Off the ice, much like her room, she’s laid-back and down-to-earth, with a little bit of attitude and a wicked sense of humor. 

Once she’s on the ice, however, it becomes pretty evident that she’s a serious athlete who will give her sport nothing less than all she has. 

August  

After just moving in into the apartment in August, Schliebener was dying to showcase her cooking skills to her roommates. One evening, she resolved to cook dinner for the whole house, promising them a “gourmet experience.”  

Her friends were pretty thrilled, because Schliebener would always brag about her being good in the kitchen, but they had never seen her work magic live.  

When they arrived, Schliebener greeted them in her pink apron.  

“I’m making spaghetti tonight,” she said. “It’s going to be incredible.”   

Her friends sat down, side-eyeing each other. They knew Ellie had a habit of trying to make recipes that were probably out of her skill level.  

But this time seemed different. The smell of ground beef sizzling on the stove had them hopeful.  

That was, until Schliebener entered the living room with this huge bowl of what she referred to as “my signature dish.”  

Well, it was spaghetti. But with a little twist.  

Schliebener had taken the whole packet of noodles, cooked them, then braided them into some type of pasta crown. There it was, a whole bowl of gluten-free spaghetti twisted into what looked like an unappealing version of a princess’s crown.  

 “Voila!” said Schliebener.  

The room was silent as everyone tried to figure out a polite way to eat braided spaghetti.  

Mikayla Brightman, one of Schliebener’s roommates, carefully took a small forkful and realized that Schliebener had forgotten to drain the noodles of their water, so they were soggy.  

Really soggy.  

“Trudy, it’s. Unique,” Nora Pollestad said.  

Schliebener beamed, clueless.  

“I know, right? It’s a new trend I saw on TikTok”, she said.  

After a few “creative” adjustments involving a lot of napkins, everyone decided they’d never seen pasta quite like that. They also decided to stick to takeout orders the next time Schliebener was hosting dinner.  

November 

Loud footsteps and the sound of perfume bottles falling indicate Schliebener is home and awake.  

On her dresser lays an array of different perfumes and lotions.   

Anyone who knows Schliebener knows that she always smells pretty good.  

She takes pride in it.  

Because of all the different scents and sprays she uses, her bedroom floor tends to get quite slippery. While it may be an inconvenience for Schliebener, it provides a lot of laughs for her friends, and eventually herself once she gets over her initial embarrassment.  

“A few days ago, I was running late for class, and I had to run back into my room to grab my water bottle, but I ended up slipping and knocking over all my perfumes and makeup,” Schliebener said.  

She described her fall as cartoonish.  

“I felt like I slipped on a banana peel in slow motion,” she said.  

After her fall, she said she was “looking for the cameras.” 

Looking forward 

Schliebener is a marketing and management major, and when asked about what she wants to do after college, she jokingly said 

“Be rich,” with a grin.  

She says that she isn’t completely sure what she wants to do with her degree yet.  

Schliebener is excited to continue her junior season of playing hockey and is excited with the team this year.  

“I think we have a really special group, and everyone is really committed and excited about this year,” she said.