The 2022 U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team won silver in Beijing. The Americans played Canada in the gold medal game for the fourth consecutive time, falling 3-2. USA won gold in 2018.
Of the 23 on the USA squad, all have strong ties to college hockey.
Minnesota has eight former or current players on the team, which is most among all colleges. After the Golden Gophers at No. 1, Wisconsin has the second-most with five and Boston College comes in third with three.
Let's take a look at the collegiate career of each player on the roster:
Where the 2022 USA women's ice hockey team played in college
Forwards
- Hannah Brandt (Minnesota): She played four seasons at Minnesota from 2012-16 and won national championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016. She was a vital player for all four years of her time with the Gophers, amassing 285 points in 158 games and finishing as a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2014 and 2015.
- Dani Cameranesi (Minnesota): Another Minnesota alum, she played for the Gophers from 2013-17, winning national championships in 2015 and 2016. She posted 201 points in 143 games with her best season coming in 2015-16 when she registered 68 points in 40 games. ;
- Alex Carpenter (Boston College): In four seasons with the Eagles, Carpenter was sensational, posting 279 points in 150 games. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2015, but her highest point total came in 2015-16 when she registered 88. She finished as a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award that year.
- Jesse Compher (Boston University): The Northbrook, Illinois native played four seasons for the Terriers from 2017-21 and posted 127 points in 109 games.
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- Kendall Coyne Schofield (Northeastern): The speedy forward played four seasons at Northeastern where she scored 249 points in 133 games. Her best season came in 2016 when she won the Patty Kazmaier Award with 84 points in 37 games.
- Brianna Decker (Wisconsin): Decker had a standout four-year career at Wisconsin, posting 244 points in 143 games. Her biggest jump in play came between her freshman and sophomore years when she went from 27 points in 27 games to 80 points in 41 games. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2011-12 after posting 82 points in 40 games.
- Amanda Kessel (Minnesota): Kessel had quite the career at Minnesota, spanning from 2010-13 and then finishing her senior season in 2015-16. She posted a whopping 101 points in 46 games in 2012-13 en route to the Patty Kazmaier Award. She finished her collegiate career with 248 points in 128 games. All of those points helped lead her teams to three national championship wins in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
- Hilary Knight (Wisconsin): Speaking of decorated former college hockey players, Knight played four seasons at Wisconsin and won national championships in 2009 and 2011. She posted 262 points in 161 games and was named 2009 WCHA Player of the Year. She's the leading goalscorer in Badgers history with 143.
- Abbey Murphy (Minnesota): Murphy is currently taking the year off from school to pursue the Olympics. She was a freshman at Minnesota last season and posted 18 points in 20 games.
- Kelly Pannek (Minnesota): Pannek played four seasons with the Gophers, winning national championships in 2015 and 2016. In 157 games over those four seasons, the Plymouth, Minnesota native posted 186 points, with her best season coming in 2016-17 when she amassed 62 points.
- Abby Roque (Wisconsin): Roque was an offensive weapon for the Badgers, posting 170 points over 155 games in her four seasons. She was named WCHA Player of the Year in 2020 when she put up 58 points in 36 games. Her success got her to be a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award in the same year. She won a national championship in 2019.
- Hayley Scamurra (Northeastern): She spent four seasons at Northeastern from 2013-17 and posted 111 points in 123 games. She and Coyne Schofield created quite the dynamic duo for most of her college career.
- Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota): She spent four seasons at Minnesota from 2017-21, registering 148 points in 133 games and being named captain for the 2020-21 season. She was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2021, posting 24 points in 20 games.
Defense
- Cayla Barnes (Boston College): Barnes played four seasons at Boston College from 2017-21, putting up 56 points in 95 games.
- Megan Bozek (Minnesota): Bozek had quite the career in college, playing for Minnesota from 2009-13 and captaining the team in her final season in 2012-13. Her best season came as captain when she posted 57 points in 41 games and finished as a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Those 57 points set a program record for points by a defenseman in a single season. She also won back-to-back national championships in 2012 and 2013.
- Jincy Dunne (Ohio State): Dunne played four seasons for the Buckeyes from 2016-2020 and was team captain for the final two. She posted 99 points in 147 games played and won the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
- Savannah Harmon (Clarkson): Harmon skated four seasons for Clarkson from 2014-18 and like Dunne, captained her team for the final two. She posted 113 points in 160 games and won back-to-back national titles in 2017 and 2018.
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- Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin): Harvey was slated to join the Badgers this season but was then selected for the USA Hockey residency program.
- Megan Keller (Boston College): Keller played four seasons at Boston College, with her most notable coming in 2015-16 when she led all defensemen in points that year with 52. That helped her become a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. She finished her collegiate career with 158 points in 151 games.
- Lee Stecklein (Minnesota): In Stecklein's four seasons with Minnesota, she won three national titles (2013, 2015 and 2016). She wrapped up her collegiate career with 93 points in 157 games.
Goalies
- Alex Cavallini (Wisconsin): Cavallini backstopped Wisconsin for four seasons, with her best coming in 2011-12 when she posted a 1.43 goals against average and .949 save percentage. Her other best campaign came in 2013-14 when she registered a 1.32 GAA and .945 save percentage. She won a national championship in 2011.
- Nicole Hensley (Lindenwood): If there was a picture in the dictionary next to "Standing on your head," it would be Hensley. She is the NCAA's all-time leader in saves with 4,094. Her best season came in 2015-16 when she posted a 2.52 GAA and .922 save percentage.
- Maddie Rooney (Minnesota Duluth): Rooney played at Minnesota Duluth for four seasons with her best coming in 2016-17, as she played to a 1.65 GAA and .942 save percentage. She was the starting goaltender for the U.S. team that won gold in the 2018 Olympics.
How it breaks down by college
| School | Number of players |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 8 |
| Wisconsin | 5 |
| Boston College | 3 |
| Northeastern | 2 |
| Boston University | 1 |
| Lindenwood | 1 |
| Clarkson | 1 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 1 |
| Ohio State | 1 |
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
