University of Minnesota Athletics

Gopher Olympic Hopefuls Update: Sept. 29

9/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey

Sept. 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS - Eleven Golden Gophers could compete in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games as seven are centralized with the U.S. Women's National Team, two are training full-time with Canada's National Women's Team, and two alumnae are expected to represent Finland in Pyeongchang, South Korea next February.

Each week, GopherSports.com will look at the recent competitions, appearances, and activities for the 11 Gopher Olympic hopefuls with their respective countries.

Pre-Olympic competition for the U.S., Canada, and Finland includes the 2017 Four Nations Cup in November in Tampa, Fla. Canada's National Women's Team and the U.S. Women's National Team will also face off in a six-game exhibition series with stops in Quebec (Oct. 22), Boston (Oct. 25), St. Paul (Dec. 3), Winnipeg (Dec. 5), and San Jose (Dec. 15); the sixth city is yet to be announced.

U.S. Women's National Team Update

University of Minnesota senior Kelly Pannek joins six Gopher alumnae in training with the U.S. Women's National Team this season: Megan Bozek ('13), Hannah Brandt ('16), Dani Cameranesi ('17), Amanda Kessel ('16), Gigi Marvin ('09), and Lee Stecklein ('17).

The U.S. Women's National Team is currently holding its residency period in the Tampa suburb of Wesley Chapel, as players train at Florida Hospital Center Ice in preparation for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The U.S. Women's National Team's pre-Olympic tour, The Time is Now Tour presented by Toyota, includes a series of games this fall and winter.

Amanda Kessel attended the Team USA Media Summit this week.

The U.S. Women's National Team also scrimmaged the Tampa Bay Lightning alumni team and visited the Presidents Cup.

Canada's National Women's Team Update

University of Minnesota junior Sarah Potomak and incoming recruit Amy Potomak are preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games with Canada's National Women's Team.

Starting Tuesday, Oct. 3, Canada's 28 Olympic hopefuls will begin a 24-game schedule that features opponents from the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) as part of its Where the Journey Begins pre-Olympic tour.

Canada recently completed its pre-season Icebreaker Tournament, which featured three Alberta Midget Hockey League teams, in preparation for Where the Journey Begins. Canada went 2-2-0 in four games, and Amy Potomak was in the lineup for three of the four games.

Hockey Canada has also started introducing its Olympic hopefuls on social media. Catch up on the posts featuring Sarah Potomak and Amy Potomak below.

Finland Women's National Team Update

University of Minnesota alumnae Noora Raty ('13) and Mira Jalosuo ('13) are also expected to represent their native Finland in the upcoming Olympic Games.

Raty is spending the 2017-18 season playing with Kunlun Red Star, a new addition to the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) this year, based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Meanwhile, Jalosuo recently visited the Minnesota Governor's Residence to meet Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, and Jenni Haukio, First Lady of Finland.

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Players Mentioned

21

Dani Cameranesi

F
/ Women's Hockey
19

Kelly Pannek

F
/ Women's Hockey
16

Amy Potomak

F
/ Women's Hockey
26

Sarah Potomak

F
/ Women's Hockey
2

Lee Stecklein

D
/ Women's Hockey

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