The US National Team has been selected

Less than 24 hours ago, USA Hockey announced the preliminary roster for the Olympic Women’s Hockey Team. 24 out of the 41 original members were chosen, and 12 of them have Olympic experience. Seven of these players would be playing college hockey next year if it weren’t for the Olympics, and they are:

• Kendall Coyne F - Northeastern

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  Courtesy of USAHockey.com

  Alex Carpenter F - BC
• Michelle Picard D - Harvard
• Lindsey Fry F - Harvard
• Josephine Pucci D - Harvard
• Amanda Kessel F - Minnesota
• Lee Stecklein D - Minnesota

Although Josephine Pucci is listed, she did not play last season for the Crimson because of an injury, but no doubt would she have come back to finish her senior year as the core of the blue line.

These women are all some of the highest scoring players in their conferences. Carpenter and Coyne were both leader in the Hockey East, and Kessel was not only the leading goal scorer in her conference, but also in the entire division. All of these players will be sorely missed by their teammates next season.

But let’s take a look at some of the players who attended the camp, but weren’t chosen for the national team:

• 

  Courtesy of the Boston Herald

  Courtney Burke D - Wisconsin
• Hannah Brandt F - Minnesota
• Brooke Ammerman F - Wisconsin
• Amanda Pelkey F - UVM
• Paige Savage F - Northeastern
• Jordan Smelker F - RPI
• Alex Rigsby G - Wisconsin
• Alicia Gagliardi D - Cornell
• Milicia McMillen D - Minnesota
• Emily Field F - BC
• Haley Skarupa F - BC

As one of the quickest players in the Hockey East, Pelkey could have her best year with UVM to date. Alex Rigsby is one of the strongest rising goaltenders and is sure to be the backbone of success for the Badgers. Field and Skarupa are going to be major threats for BC; both of them have the scoring touch and will be instrumental for the Eagles if they want to return to the Frozen Four.

Now what does all of this mean for Northeastern? It means that they lose their most powerful forward. However, it does give all of the other forwards a chance to shine. Brittany Esposito and Kelly Wallace could both have great final seasons with the Huskies if they continue their style of play. Paige Savage will be continuing her output from last season and be one of the anchors of the Husky offense. Katie MacSorley could make a difference in a lot of close games next season with her style of play, and will be relied upon by the coaches to set the tone for her teammates. The incoming freshman will be expected to contribute right off the bat. Scammura is a smart power forward would could make a difference early on, Masters’ gritty style of play will really help the Huskies in those early games, and Haganey will support her teammates as a passer and playmaker. The defensive core for the Huskies remains untouched, which will be vital for when they are facing strong teams, like BC.

Courtesy of HockeyPhotography.com

One of the greatest offensive powers that the Huskies will face next season will probably be BC. They are well coached and have well established systems that will work well with or without Carpenter. The team that could take the Huskies by surprise might be UVM. With the return of Pelkey the Catamounts will be looking to build on last season, and become a real threat to teams such as BC and BU.

To see the USA Olympic roster, click here. To see the original training camp roster, click here.

To see GoNU’s release on Kendall Coyne being named to the team, click here.