Forty-one invited to selection camp

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey announced 41 players selected to participate in the 2009 USA Hockey Women's National Festival, which will take place August 18-24 in Blaine, Minn. The Festival will serve as the selection camp for the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team that will compete in the Qwest Tour, a 10-game domestic tour that begins Sept. 25 and ends just prior to the start of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C.

Among this year's attendees are nine Olympians, including Jenny Potter (Edina, Minn.) and Angela Ruggiero (Harper Woods, Mich.), who are each vying for their fourth Olympic appearance in 2010. They join two-time Olympians Julie Chu (Fairfield, Conn.) and Natalie Darwitz (Eagan, Minn.) as the most seasoned veterans on the camp roster.

In addition, all 21 members of the U.S. Women's National Team that captured the gold medal at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship will participate in the Festival, as well as seven additional players who were part of either the gold-medal winning 2008 U.S. Women's National Team or the U.S. Women's Select Team that garnered the 2008 Four Nations Cup championship. Further, six of the attendees earned a gold medal with Team USA at the IIHF World Women's U18 Championship in either 2008 or 2009.

"The selection process for this camp has been ongoing for years," said Michele Amidon, director of women's hockey for USA Hockey, as well as the general manager of the 2010 Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team. "Our staff has thoroughly evaluated the talent pool in the U.S. and has put together the absolute top crop of candidates to represent our country for the upcoming season."

The Festival participants will be divided into two teams for daily practices and games at the Schwan Super Rink, part of the National Sports Center. The Super Rink, which served as the home for the women's residency program set up by USA Hockey for post-collegiate members of its U.S. Women's National Program last season, will be the base for the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team from September until the Olympic Games.

On Aug. 24, USA Hockey will announce the roster for the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team. In mid-December, the 21 players who will compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be announced.