U.S. National Team Features Crimson Standouts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Harvard defenseman Josephine Pucci and three former Crimson standouts highlight the 21 players who make up the U.S. Women's National Team for the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship, USA Hockey today announced. The championship runs from April 16-25 in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland. Team USA will be looking to defend its back-to-back world titles from 2008 and 2009.

Pucci is joined by former Harvard standouts Caitlin Cahow, Julie Chu and Angela Ruggiero. Harvard head coach Katey Stone serves as head coach of the National Team.

The U.S. squad was chosen following a 30-player selection camp that took place in Ann Arbor, Mich., starting on April 4, and included a pair of games against Canada's National Women's Team. The U.S. will continue to train in Ann Arbor until departing on Tuesday (April 12) for Switzerland.

"We had some extremely difficult decisions to make after a great week of training and competition in Ann Arbor," said Reagan Carey, director of women's hockey for USA Hockey. "During our winter training camp, we challenged the players to find ways to improve, and now we've been able to see the results of them embracing that challenge. Our staff and players are raising the bar of expectations for this program and their determination is evident across the board. We're confident that the team continuing on to Zurich will well-represent our standard of excellence."

"We're excited about this group," said Stone. "It has a bittle bit of everything - experience, youth and players with a lot of fire. I'm anxious to see what we're capable of at the world championship."

The American roster is made up of three goaltenders, six defensemen and 12 forwards. There are a total of 15 Olympians on the squad, including four-timers Ruggiero and Jenny Potter (Edina, Minn.), who are among a total of 14 who earned the world title with Team USA in 2009.

Fifteen return from the U.S. Women's National Team that competed in the 2010 Women's Four Nations Cup last November, while two forwards - Jen Schoullis (Erie, Pa.) and Kelley Steadman (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) - are making their National Team debuts at the senior level. An additional five players will be playing in their first IIHF World Women's Championship, including goaltender Brianne McLaughlin (Sheffield Village, Ohio), defensemen Pucci and Anne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.), and forwards Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.).

Further, 11 members of Team USA played NCAA Division I women's ice hockey during the 2010-11 season, while eight played in either the Canadian Women's Hockey League or the Western Women's Hockey League and one played in prep school. Of the 11 NCAA players, eight participated in the 2011 NCAA tournament, with five advancing to the Women's Frozen Four and three capturing the national title as part of the University of Wisconsin team.

At the last IIHF World Women's Championship, which took place in Hameenlinna, Finland, in 2009, the U.S. defeated Canada, 4-1, in the gold-medal game to earn its second straight world title. Top-seeded Team USA opens play in Zurich against Slovakia on April 17.