December 27, 2017 – The 12 forwards for Team NWHL – the squad representing the National Women’s Hockey League in games against the U.S. Olympic Team next month – were officially announced by the league today.
They are…from the Boston Pride: Jillian Dempsey, Emily Field, Jordan Smelker, Dana Trivigno
Buffalo Beauts: Corinne Buie, Jess Jones, Hayley Scamurra
Connecticut Whale: Kelly Babstock
Metropolitan Riveters: Miye D’Oench, Alexa Gruschow, Erika Lawler, Rebecca Russo
Team NWHL will face the U.S. Olympic Team in games on Jan. 13 and 15 at the U.S. team’s training complex at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida. These exhibition games will be the final tune-ups for Team USA in preparation for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Start times for the games are 6:15 pm on Saturday, Jan. 13 and 2:15 pm on Monday, Jan. 15.
Team NWHL GM Hayley Moore selected the team in consultation with the coaches of all four NWHL clubs. The team will be led by Riveters head coach Chad Wiseman, with assistance from Boston coaches Thomas Poeck and Lindsay Berman.
Of the twelve forwards for Team NWHL, ten are American, while Babstock and Jones are Canadian. All played Division I hockey in the U.S., with eight different U.S. colleges represented; Boston College, Harvard and RPI have two players each. The average age of the 12 Team NWHL forwards is 25 years.
The league plans to name the two goaltenders and eight defenders for Team NWHL on Thursday.
Team NWHL: Forwards
Kelly Babstock – Connecticut Whale
Age: 25
College: Quinnipiac
Hometown, Mississauga, Ontario
This season: 2-4-6 in 7 games
Backstock leads the Whale in scoring this season and was named NWHL Player of the Week on Nov. 20. She had 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 35 games over the league’s first two seasons. She is the all-time leader at Quinnipiac in goals (95), assists (108) and points (203).
Babstock: “It was really excited hearing that I got the opportunity to play against Team USA. It should be a good couple games with Team NWHL and we are excited to push the U.S. so they’re ready for their trip to South Korea. At the end of the day, it’s all for the growth of the game and I show up and prepare for hockey games not playing just for myself but for something bigger than myself, and that’s the youth.”
Corinne Buie: Buffalo Beauts
Age: 25
College: Providence
Hometown: Edina, MN
This season: 2-3-5 in 7 games
Buie is the only two-time winner of the Isobel Cup, having won with Boston in 2016 and with the Beauts in 2017. At Providence, Buie was 44-56-100 in 128 games.
Buie: “Happy and grateful to have this opportunity! I’m honored to represent the NWHL. It’s going to be really high-quality hockey and I’m excited to be able to play the Olympians right before Pyeongchang. This is a great opportunity for the NWHL to show the depth of talent in women’s hockey and grow the game. It will also be fun to see the Olympic training facilities. I have some family that might be able to come watch. I’m really looking forward to it”!
Jillian Dempsey – Boston Pride
Age: 26
College: Harvard
Hometown: Winthrop, MA
This season: 4-3-7 in 7 games
Now in her third year in the NWHL, Dempsey leads the Pride in scoring this season. As a senior at Harvard, she was a finalist for the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Award. Dempsey played for Team USA in the 2012 IIHF World Championships and in the 2011 Four Nations Cup.
Dempsey: “I am thrilled to be named to Team NWHL and to have the opportunity to play against Team USA. We have a hard-working group who will compete hard and be tough to play against. I think our ‘Prove People Wrong’ mentality and gritty style of play will make for a great series. I’m excited to battle hard alongside the best of our league and enjoy this experience!”
Miye D’Oench – Metropolitan Riveters
Age: 23
College: Harvard
Hometown: New York, NY
This season: 6-5-11 in 7 games
D’Oench is tied for second in the league this season in goals (with Rebecca Russo) and points (with Courtney Burke). She was part of the U18 U.S Women’s National team in 2012. She played in 135 games in four years at Harvard and had 64 goals and 58 assists for 122 points.
D’Oench: “It’s an honor to be selected for Team NWHL. It’ll be exciting to play with so many great players from other NWHL teams, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help prepare Team USA to bring home the gold medal from the Olympics. I want to give them the hardest game that they can play – to get them as prepared as possible. I’m going to forecheck my best, make it hard on their defense, and make them earn any win. That’s the goal of our whole team.”
Emily Field – Pride
Age: 26
College: Boston College
Hometown: Littleton, MA
This season: 2-4-6 in 7 games
Now in her third NWHL season, Field was a member of Team USA that won gold at the 2011 IIHF World Championship. Over four years at BC, Field was 52-86-138 in 149 games and was a captain as a senior.
Field: “It shows how far the NWHL has come in brief time. Let’s face it, USA Hockey does not invite the NWHL to face them just a few weeks before the Olympics unless they know we’ve got depth of talent and the commitment to give them a few great games. It’s a proud moment for our league. I am extremely excited to be included on the roster for Team NWHL. I look forward to going down to the Sunshine State and give them two fun and competitive games as they prepare to leave on their journey for the 2018 Olympic games”!
Alexa Gruschow – Riveters
Age: 23
College: RPI
Hometown: Mechanicsburg, PA
This season: 7-6-13 in 7 games
Gruschow leads the NWHL in scoring and in goals this season. Over her collegiate hockey career at RPI, she was 46-47-93 in 133 games.
Gruschow: “I am honored and appreciative to be selected to represent Team NWHL in Florida. It will be an exciting experience for the players, the fans, the sport, and everyone involved. I am glad that we were presented with this unique opportunity, and I know that we will enjoy it and show the fans some good games! Hopefully we can help Team USA get in some last-minute preparation before they depart for the Olympics. It will be a special moment to be able to personally wish Team USA good luck before they head out to win the gold. It will be fun to see some familiar faces that played in the NWHL last year and catch up with friends. It will also be neat to be playing on the ice with these girls rather than just watching their games on TV. Also, a couple days in Florida sounds pretty nice to me”!
Jess Jones – Beauts
Age: 27
College: Mercyhurst
Hometown: Picton, Ontario
This season: 2-2-4 in 7 games
Jones co-led the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in scoring last season. This is her first season in the NWHL. While at Mercyhurst from 2008-2012, Jones was 61-93-154 in 136 games.
Jones: “This is an amazing opportunity. I’m so honoured and excited. I think what I’m most excited about is playing at such a high level. The U.S. Team is at the top of their game, right before the Olympics, so I’m anticipating a competitive and intense game, which is always fun.”
Erika Lawler – Riveters
Age: 30
College: Wisconsin
Hometown: Fitchburg, MA
This season: 1-2-3 in 7 games
Lawler, who is in her first season in the NWHL, was a three-time NCAA champion at Wisconsin and a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team. Her collegiate career ended as captain of the championship-winning Badgers in 2008-09, along with being a Top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. She played for Team USA at four IIHF World Championships.
Lawler: “I’m so pumped to play in the games and honored to be part of it. Being a USA Hockey alum, I am a close friend to a lot of players on the current roster. My very best friend is Meghan Duggan. We met playing hockey in 8th grade, and were teammates throughout high school and college. In 2010, we found ourselves walking side by side, with our jaws dragging on the floor in disbelief as we took that lap during opening ceremonies in Vancouver. We became Olympians together. We make each other better. We empower one another. We have the best friendship in the world and I couldn’t feel more honored to step back onto the ice with her and the rest of my buddies currently on Team USA to help them prep for success in South Korea.”
Rebecca Russo – Riveters
Age: 23
College: Boston University
Hometown: Westport, CT
This season: 6-2-8 in 7 games
Russo is tied for second in the NWHL this season in goals (with Miye D’Oench), with 6 in 7 games. She won the Fastest Skater competition at the 2017 NWHL All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. At Boston University, where her team won three Hockey East Titles during her time there, Russo was 15-23-38 in 39 games in her senior season.
Russo: “I’m very excited and honored to be representing the NWHL in the two-game series in Tampa against Team USA. This will be a great experience playing with and against the most-skilled players in the country. It’ll also be fun to play against my good friend and former roommate Amanda Kessel. It’ll be two amazing games and I’m hoping to see some NWHL fans in attendance because it’s going to be some great hockey. Let’s bring the gold back to the USA”!
Hayley Scamurra – Beauts
Age: 23
College: Northeastern
Hometown, Williamsville, NY
This season: 2-3-5 in 6 games
This is Scamurra’s first full season in the NWHL. In March, after completing her career at Northeastern, she joined Buffalo and had a goal and 3 assists in two playoff games as her team won the Isobel Cup. At Northeastern, Scamurra was 39-72-111 in 123 games.
Scamurra: “I was really excited when I learned that I made Team NWHL. It’s such an honor to be selected to this team, especially when there’s an extremely deep pool of talented and dedicated players throughout our league. It will be a humbling experience to play Team USA before they go to the Olympics! I’m looking forward to playing with some of the best players from the NWHL and competing against all of the amazing women of the U.S. Olympic team.”
Jordan Smelker – Pride
Age: 25
College: RPI
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
This season: 1-1-2 in 6 games
Now in her third season with the Pride, Smelker is a highly-regarded defensive forward. As a senior at RPI, she was a captain, the team’s MVP and a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward Award.
Smelker: “I was not expecting to get the call so I was really excited when I found out! I’m grateful that I get to participate in the event. As we all know the Olympics are only every four years so this kind of opportunity doesn’t present itself very often. My next thought was that I should probably lay off the Christmas cookies…”
Dana Trivigno – Pride
Age: 23
College: Boston College
Hometown: Setauket, NY
This season: 2-2-4 in 5 games
A member of Team USA when they won gold at the 2015 and 2016 IIHF World Championships, Trivigno is in her second season in the NWHL after playing last year for the Connecticut Whale. In her four-year collegiate career at Boston College, she was 57-81-136 in 148 games.
Trivigno: “Having recently been a part of the National Team Program and Team USA, I am very excited for the opportunity to go down to Florida and play against not only some of the best players in the world, but also some of my best friends.”
