University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
A Dozen Gophers Tabbed for 2025 USA Hockey National Festival
7/29/2025 10:40:00 AM | Women's Hockey
The group of current, former and incoming Gophers will compete for spots on the U.S. Olympic and Collegiate Select Teams.
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - USA Hockey has announced the list of athletes invited to take part in the 2025 USA Hockey Women's National Festival. The annual evaluation camp will be hosted at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. and will run from Aug. 3-9. It will feature 76 players who are currently either playing professionally or at the collegiate level.Â
12 current, former and incoming student-athletes from the Gopher women's hockey program are set to participate: Bella Fanale, Taylor Heise, Layla Hemp, Molly Jordan, Madison Kaiser, Ava Lindsay, Sydney Morrow, Abbey Murphy, Jamie Nelson, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein and Grace Zumwinkle.
The Festival will assist in the evaluation process for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Women's Hockey Team that will compete in next February's Olympic Winter Games in Milan. USA Hockey will also select a roster for the U.S. Collegiate Select Team, who will face Canada in a three-game series in Lake Placid from Aug. 13-16.
National Festival staff members with Golden Gopher ties include alum Courtney Kennedy (U.S. Under-18 Select Team Head Coach), associate head coach Greg "Boom" May (U.S. Under-18 Select Team Assistant Coach), Kaela Colvard (Sports Dietitian) and associate director of athletic performance Cal Dietz (Strength & Conditioning).