COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2018 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team heads to Dmitrov, Russia, this week to compete in the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship. The United States, which enters the tournament as the three-time defending champion, will compete in Group A alongside Canada, Sweden and host Russia.
The roster features seven players that helped the U.S. earn gold at last year’s IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Zlin & Prerov, Czech Republic, including Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn.), Lizi Norton (Orono, Minn.), Gracie Ostertag (Shakopee, Minn.), Dominique Petrie (Beverly Hills, Calif.), Lindsay Reed (New Vernon, N.J.), Ally Simpson (Frisco, Texas) and Madeline Wethington (Edina, Minn.). Heise, Ostertag and Wethington also helped the 2016 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team earn gold at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Joel Johnson (White Bear Lake, Minn.), associate head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s ice hockey team, is the head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team for the fourth consecutive year. Johnson helped guide Team USA to gold at the 2017 competition in Zlin & Prerov, Czech Republic, 2016 in St. Catharines, Ontario, and 2015 in Buffalo, New York.
All U.S. games at the 2018 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship will be streamed live, with links to be provided on game days. For complete coverage of the 2018 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team, click here.
2018 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship • Team USA Schedule
Jan. 6-13 – Ice Palace – Dmitrov, Russia
Date Opponent/Round Time (Local/ET)
Sat., Jan. 6 Sweden 7:30 p.m./11:30 a.m.
Sun., Jan. 7 Russia 3:30 p.m./7:30 a.m.
Tues., Jan. 9 Canada 3:30 p.m./7:30 a.m.
Wed., Jan. 10 Quarterfinals TBD
Fri., Jan. 12 Semifinals TBD
Sat., Jan. 13 Bronze-Medal Game 3:30 p.m./7:30 a.m.
Gold-Medal Game 7:30 p.m./11:30 a.m.
NOTES: Reagan Carey (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey’s director of women’s hockey, is the general manager of the 2018 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team … Joining Johnson as an associate coach is Maura Crowell (Mansfield, Mass.), head women’s ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth, while Courtney Kennedy (Woburn, Mass.), associate head women’s ice hockey coach at Boston College, is serving as an assistant coach … Team USA has played in the gold-medal game in all 10 of the previous IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championships, capturing the event’s top prize six times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017). The U.S. holds an all-time record of 41-4-3-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in 50 games at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan(Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. teams that compete internationally.
