U.S. teams set to take on Canada
LAKE PLACID — USA Hockey selected the 44 players who will make up the U.S. Under-18 and Under-22 Women’s Select teams that will compete in a pair of three-game series against Canada later this week in the Olympic Center.
The U.S. team will take on Canada on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, with U-18 games at 4 p.m. each day and U-22s hitting the ice at 7 p.m. The teams were chosen based on their play last week at the Women’s National Festival, which was also held in Lake Placid.
“Overall, I thought our Women’s National Festival was a terrific success,” said Katie Million, director of women’s national team programs for USA Hockey. “It was great to bring together our top players — from the U18 level to our Olympic-caliber athletes — and now we look forward to hosting the U18 and U22 Series.”
Tickets for the three-game series are available at www.whiteface.com/events/usa-hockey-womens-festival. All-admission adult tickets are $30, while the all-admission junior and senior tickets are available for only $18. Single-game adult tickets are being sold for $12, while the single-game junior and senior ticket is priced at $8. Belleayre, Gore, Whiteface and Mt. Van Hoevenberg season pass holders receive free admission.
—
2019 U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team
The 2019 U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team includes 11 players who helped the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team earn a silver medal at the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Obihiro, Japan.
“I think we had a really competitive camp this year” said Maura Crowell, head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team. “The overall talent was very high so we had some tough decisions to make. We have a great group of girls, lots of returners and a lot of new faces as well. The energy from the group is really great and we can’t wait to welcome Canada to Lake Placid.”
The 22-player roster (eight defensemen, 12 forwards and two goaltenders) features players from 10 different states. Minnesota leads the pack with eight representatives, while three players hail from Illinois. Massachusetts, Michigan and New York each have two representatives.
—
2019 U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team
The 2019 U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team includes Olympic gold medalist Cayla Barnes as well as three members of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team that won gold at the 2018 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Hannah Bilka, Hadley Hartmetz and Dominique Petrie.
“This past week has been really great,” said Joel Johnson, head coach of the U.S. Under-22 Select Team. “Our coaching staff and evaluation staff had a lot of tough decisions, but we’ve picked a group that we feel is going to lead us to success.”
Eight different states are represented on the 22-player roster, with Minnesota boasting 11 representatives. New York has three representatives, while California and Texas each have two players and Alaska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island each have one. The full roster includes eight defensemen, 12 forwards and two goaltenders.
—
NOTES: All games will be streamed live at HockeyTV.com. … Crowell, head women’s ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth, is serving as head coach for the U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team alongside assistant coaches Brianna Decker, who was a member of the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, and Josh Sciba, head women’s ice hockey coach at Union College. … Joel Johnson, associate head coach for the University of Minnesota women’s ice hockey program, will serve as head coach of the U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team alongside assistant coaches Courtney Kennedy, associate head women’s ice hockey coach at Boston College, and Katie Lachapelle, head coach of the women’s ice hockey program at the College of the Holy Cross. … The USA Hockey Women’s National Festival took place Aug. 5 through Tuesday, Aug. 13 in Lake Placid.