COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Hockey announced Monday that it will conduct a residency program in 2008-09 for athletes involved in its Women's National Program. The athletes, all of whom have completed their collegiate careers, will train at the Schwan Super Rink, part of the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., from September 2008 through April 2009.

Click here for complete roster as PDF

Included on the initial roster are six players with ties to ECAC Hockey--Caitlin Cahow, Julie Chu and Angela Ruggiero of Harvard; Kristin King of Dartmouth; and Lizzie Keady and Megan Van Beusekom of Princeton. In all, the roster showcases eight Olympians, as well as seven players who are just completing their four-year college careers. They range in age from 21 to 29, and nine won the gold medal as part of the U.S. Women's National Team at the recently completed 2008 IIHF World Women's Championship.

Tom Osiecki, who was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota women's ice hockey team in 2007-08, will serve as the head coach of the program. The athletes will have daily on-ice practices, as well as strength and conditioning training at the Herb Brooks Training Center.

In addition to practices, Team USA will play in an elite men's league on Wednesday evenings, while also playing a schedule that includes NCAA Division I women's teams, the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Western Women's Hockey League and scrimmages with select Minnesota high school boys' teams.

The announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. Women's National Program earning consecutive gold medals in recent months - first at the inaugural International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U18 Championship in January, then at the IIHF World Women's Championship in April.

"We're excited about this new endeavor on the women's side," said Dave Ogrean, executive director for USA Hockey. "This residency program shows our commitment to building upon the recent successes of our Women's National Program and is an important step to help us reach our goal of winning the Olympic gold medal in Vancouver."

"This is another move in the right direction for our Women's National Program," said Michele Amidon, director of women's hockey operations for USA Hockey. "With our post-NCAA players centralized, we will be able to further focus our training and continue to develop our athletes as we get closer to the 2010 Olympics."

Included on the initial roster are eight Olympians, as well as seven players who are just completing their four-year college careers. They range in age from 21 to 29, and nine won the gold medal as part of the U.S. Women's National Team at the recently completed 2008 IIHF World Women's Championship.

NOTES: The initial roster includes 18 players ... The Schwan Super Rink is the largest ice arena of its kind in the world, with eight sheets of ice ... Team USA's schedule will be released at a later date ... Jinelle Zaugg (Eagle River, Wis.) will finish her studies at the University of Wisconsin in the fall and join the program in Blaine in December ... USA Hockey will host a training camp in Blaine from Oct. 28-Nov. 1 prior to the start of the Women's Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y. ... The USA Hockey Women's Holiday Camp will be staged in Blaine from Dec. 26-31.