Four members of the Wisconsin women's hockey team will join head coach Mark Johnson on Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship in Hamëenlinna, Finland, April 4-12.
Sophomore Hilary Knight, junior Meghan Duggan, and seniors Erika Lawler and Jessie Vetter were all named to the team, which will look to defend their gold medal from the 2008 tournament.
""I am really excited to get back here and play with all these great players,"" Vetter said. ""We are just excited to go to Finland and play some games.""
At the 2008 world championships in Harbin, China, Team USA beat Canada twice, snapping Team Canada's 29-game undefeated streak. Vetter said those wins will be a motivating factor for the team this time around.
""There is definitely a great buzz going around coming off our last world championship win,"" she said. ""It was pretty special and hopefully we can build off of that.""
Vetter said those wins can make the team motivated for the game, but they have to be ready to play well if they want to repeat as gold medalists.
""You do get a little extra boost of confidence but that does not mean anything unless you come to play when you play against [Canada],"" she said.
After winning the 2009 NCAA women's hockey national championship, Wisconsin and Team USA head coach Mark Johnson traveled to Lake Placid, N.Y., for tryouts. Badger forward Knight is the youngest member of the team, while for Vetter and Lawler it will be another chance to play under Johnson after ending their college careers.
Julie Chu, a ten-year veteran of Team USA, complemented the strength of the 2009 squad.
""As the years go on the talent and the skill of the players in our program continues to increase, so I think to be amongst them is a great honor,"" she said.
Even with the strong team, the Americans will not have an easy road to another gold medal.
Along with Team Canada's desire to recapture the championship, Johnson said the nine-team IIHF field is very strong this year.
""In today's environment every game's going to be exciting so we are looking forward to that challenge,"" Johnson said.
Team USA will leave for Vierumaki, Finland, Mar. 30 for an exhibition game against Sweden April 2, and from there will travel to Hamëenlinna for the world championships April 4-12.
Their first opponents will be Japan April 4 and Russia April 6. Should they win their three-team pool, Team USA would advance to a round-robin three-team tournament to determine who will play in the gold medal game April 12.
""The bar's been at a level right now where the expectations are to win the tournament,"" Johnson said. ""So if we're going to define success, [if] the tournament's over and we have the gold medal I think we will [have been] successful.""
While Johnson admitted that there are some players on the 2009 team that will become part of the 2010 US Olympic team, he said there are ""no guarantees' that a spot in the world championships translates to one in Vancouver next year.
""What comes down the line we'll address as we get into the latter part of April,"" he said.
