August 16, 2012

Seven from ECAC selected to USA Women's U-22 team

By Jesse Connolly

Following the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival in Blaine, Minn., the 22-player roster for the U.S. Women’s National Under-22 Select Team has been decided on. Seven of its members hail from the ECAC.

The squad, coached by Harvard’s Katey Stone (Watertown, Conn.), will take on Canada in a three-game series from August 16-19 in Calgary.

One of Stone’s star players will be anchoring the United States on the blue line. Josephine Pucci, a 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award nominee, was a finalist for the league’s Best Defensive Defenseman award last year.

The soon-to-be senior rearguard was no slouch offensively, either. Pucci had five goals and 16 assists for the Crimson.

Harvard’s leading scorer in 2011-12, Jillian Dempsey (Winthrop, Mass., pictured right), will also be suiting up for Team USA. She earned All ECAC Hockey first-team accolades and was a finalist for the league’s Player of the Year Award last season.

NEHJ named Dempsey its Women's ECAC Hockey Player of the Year back in May after she finished 10th in the nation with 27 goals.

Here’s the rundown of players with local ties on Team USA's roster:

PLAYER

POSITION

HOMETOWN

MOST RECENT TEAM

Lauren Slebodnick

Goalie

Manchester, N.H.

Cornell (ECAC)

Marissa Gedman

Defense

Framingham, Mass.

Harvard (ECAC)

Michelle Picard

Defense

Taunton, Mass.

Harvard (ECAC)

Josephine Pucci

Defense

Pearl River, N.Y.

Harvard (ECAC)

Kendall Coyne

Forward

Palos Heights, Ill.

Northeastern (HEA)

Jillian Dempsey

Forward

Winthrop, Mass.

Harvard (ECAC)

Lyndsey Fry

Forward

Chandler, Ariz.

Harvard (ECAC)

Paige Savage

Forward

Carrollton, Texas

Northeastern (HEA)

Haley Skarupa

Forward

Rockville, Md.

Boston College (HEA)

Jordan Smelker

Forward

Anchorage, Alaska

RPI (ECAC)

Kelley Steadman

Forward

Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Boston Blades (CWHL)


Jesse Connolly can be reached at jconnolly@hockeyjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JesseNEHJ.