University of Minnesota Athletics
U.S. Team Annouced for Four Nations Cup
10/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - Four Golden Gopher alumni join University of Minnesota senior Lee Stecklein on the U.S. Women's National Team roster for the 2016 Four Nations Cup, USA Hockey announced today. The annual tournament is set for Nov. 1-5 in Vierumaki, Finland at the Jarvenpaa Arena, Kerava Arena and Vierumaki Arena.
Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Amanda Kessel, and Anne Schleper join Stecklein to make up the Gopher representatives on the 23-player U.S. roster.
Bozek and Stecklein will again represent the U.S. after winning goal with the 2015 U.S. Women's National Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship. Bozek and Schleper also competed for the U.S. at the 2015 Four Nations Cup.
Brandt is making her first Team USA appearance since the 2015 Under-22 Series against Canada, and Kessel will be competing for the U.S. for the first time since the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
The 23 players represent 12 different states. Minnesota leads the pack with five representatives followed by Massachusetts and Wisconsin with three. Illinois, New York and North Dakota have two, while California, Colorado, Idaho, Ohio, Maryland and Michigan all have one.
A camp will be held at the Northwell Health Ice Center at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y., from Oct. 24-28 before the team departs for Finland. The three collegiate players on the roster (including Stecklein) will not join the team until Oct. 28 at the conclusion of the camp prior to heading to Finland.
The Four Nations Cup is an annual tournament that has been held in varying forms since 1996 (previously the Three Nations Cup). The U.S. will compete against Canada, Sweden and Finland in this year's tournament. It is the 20th year of the tournament and the United States has competed 19 times, having not participated in 2001. The U.S. has captured the title six times (1997, 2003, 2008, 2011-12, 2015), finished second 12 times, and took third in the tournament in 2013. The Americans hold an overall record of 44-6-4-23-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) in 79 Three/Four Nations Cup games.
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