The women’s team competing for Team USA at the World University Games in Lake Placid January 11-22 is set.
Coach Brandon Knight’s squad consists of 23 players. Thirteen are currently enrolled in college – 10 at the Division I level, three from Division III schools. The ten 2022 graduates on the roster are split evenly – five from DI, five from DIII.
The Division I schools represented are Bemidji State, LIU, Maine, Mercyhurst, Princeton, Providence, Robert Morris, Saint Anselm, Vermont and Yale. The Division III schools are Chatham, Elmira, Middlebury, Plattsburgh, Wisconsin-River Falls and Worcester State.
The rules state that athletes must be between the ages of 17 and 25 and have to be currently enrolled in school or have graduated in the past year. So 2022 graduates are eligible for the team. In the past, teams have been made up of club hockey and DIII players. Knight said the mandate was to field the most competitive team to be able to compete for the ultimate prize. With the NCAA in season, options are somewhat limited, but he has begun to put together a roster of current and former players from DI and DIII.
Roster:
| Eliza Beaudin | Elmira ’22 |
| Clare Conway | Worcester State |
| Allison Corser-James | Chatham |
| Madeline Giordano | Maine ’22 |
| Shannon Griffin | Princeton ’22 |
| Sasha Hartje | LIU |
| Maggie Hatch | Robert Morris |
| Callie Hoff | Wisconsin-River Falls ’22 |
| Annie Katonka | Plattsburgh ’22 |
| Mikayla Lantto | LIU |
| Madeline Leidt | Middlebury ’22 |
| Hayley Lunny | Providence ’22 |
| Erin McArdle | Plattsburgh ’22 |
| Gianna Meloni | Yale ’22 |
| Alexandra Nolan | Chatham |
| Lydia Passolt | Bemidji State ’22 |
| Savannah Popick | Saint Anselm |
| Calista Rowbottom | Mercyhurst |
| Kaitlyn Schooley | Robert Morris |
| Elizabeth Simmons | Vermont |
| Lauren Spino | LIU |
| Natalie Tulchinsky | Saint Anselm |
| Jeannie Wallner | LIU |
| Staff: | |
| Brendon Knight | coach |
| Melissa Piacentini | assistant coach |
| Emily McNamara | assistant coach |
| Paul Flanagan | general manager |
| George Frank | equipment manager |
The tournament features six teams (Canada, Czechia, Great Britain, Japan, Slovakia and the United States) playing a round robin tournament, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinal. All women’s preliminary round games will be played at Maxcy Hall on the campus of SUNY Potsdam. Tickets are $10.
Team USA schedule:
Thursday, January 12 – 1 pm EST vs. Japan
Friday, January 13 – 8 pm EST vs. Czechia
Sunday, January 15 – 8 pm EST vs. Great Britain
Monday, January 16 – 4:30 pm EST vs. Slovakia
Wednesday, January 18 – 8 pm EST vs. Canada
Semifinals – Friday, January 20
Medal games – Saturday, January 21