University of Minnesota Athletics
IIHF Women's Worlds Recap with Stecklein
4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- Senior Lee Stecklein won gold with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship. GopherSports.com caught up with the Roseville, Minn., native to reflect on her experience.
Gopher Sports: When did you find out you made the team for Worlds?
Lee Stecklein: I think they told us in February sometime, either late February or early January, they called.
GS: You've had the opportunity multiple times in the past, but what did this experience mean to you?
LS: Each time, it's a really incredible experience. I realized it was my fourth time, but I didn't realize that until I was there. Each time you're excited to go, and each experience is so different. It's in a different place each time and the team is different, but you're always putting on that USA jersey so it's really incredible.
GS: What was the week like from your perspective?
LS: We only had two full practices before our first game, but I think at that point it didn't really matter. We had consistent messages through all of our camps over the last year, so some passing may have been a little off and those kind of things, but we were all really focused. To start the tournament with a game against Canada, the energy was automatically there. The week flew by, but it also feels like I was there for a while.
GS: What was it like winning gold again?
LS: Winning gold was great. Doing it at home was even better. The crowd was great. Overtime is too much for my heart to handle, but Hilary Knight had a great shot. I don't know the feeling is the same thing each time, but it's something you never get sick of.
GS: What was it like playing and winning in front of a home crowd?
LS: It was great to see how many parents and family members were able to come. My parents were able to make it. My dad was there the whole week, and my mom was there for the first two games, then she had to go back home, but she made it back for the semis and the finals. A family friend of mine, we went to preschool together, she was there recruiting for nationals so it was fun to have her there. Coach Frost and Bethany [Brausen] were able to watch too, so there was a lot of support for all of us.
GS: What will you take away from the week? Was anything different this time around?
LS: I thought our team in general this time was closer. I don't know if it was because of the stress leading up to it or what it was, but people were very focused and it was just a lot of fun being there with that group. Looking back, I felt less nervous than I did the past tournaments. Maybe because it was my fourth time, but personally I just felt like things clicked for our team.
GS: Were there any highlights for you, other than winning another gold medal?
LS: Honestly, watching Nicole Hensley play as well as she did was great. We had three great goalies so all of them played really well. Nicole is just a really awesome person -- a really, really, really kind girl. To see her play that well, she had a ton of signs and lots of support, so it was exciting to see her get her first gold medal win.
GS: What do you think is the biggest difference between college hockey and international hockey?
LS: I would say overall, the speed is different. In college, there are players on each team that have that level of speed. But in international play, a lot of the time each player has that speed.
GS: What is it like with the U.S. and Canada play?
LS: It's different than college, but it's like the feeling we get each time we play Wisconsin. It builds up, and those games are just so fast. They fly by. During this tournament, we had eight defensemen, and it didn't feel like it because you were just moving and flowing.
GS: What is it like playing with so many players you're used to playing against?
LS: When we're there, we don't talk as much about college teams just because everyone did play on different teams. There's definitely still some rivalries. Whenever there are a few Gophers together, you'll hear about it -- you'll hear from the Badgers. There is a pretty big group from both of those teams, so it's definitely funny when something comes up about one of the two teams. People still have very strong opinions.
GS: What's next for you with the national team?
LS: Our selection camp for the next centralization year starts at the end of April. I think they'll pick the team May 4 or May 5. It's a pretty quick turnaround; normally after the world championship you get some time off, but here we might take a day or two and get right back to training.
###
