Presley Norby is more than ready to try to lead the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team to a second consecutive IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.
The 17-year-old Norby received a crash course in leadership from the best women’s hockey players in the sport when she was invited to train with the U.S. Women’s National Team and later selected to play with the team in the Four Nations Cup.
“It was really cool and definitely a little intimidating at first,” Norby said. “But as soon as you get into the game, we were all working together and you realize every one of us is super competitive, so it makes it easier to bond.”
Norby, who as a junior led her Minnetonka (Minn.) High School team to the state championship game last February, grew up admiring players such as Gigi Marvin, Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan and others, admitting that she always wanted to be like them. The national team spotlight wasn’t too large for Norby, who experienced little trouble blending in with her new teammates on the ice, even though she was the youngest player on the roster.
“Not being close in age, I didn’t talk about my job or my house, but we connected so much on the hockey level,” Norby said. “I got so much closer with them that by the time we started playing, I didn’t feel like a 17-year-old, I felt like I was part of it.
“When I came back, I felt like so much more of a better person and hockey player. They are amazing hockey players, and to see how they were in the locker room was unbelievable. They are my idols, but I learned so much from them.”
It all started when Norby was selected as a non-roster invitee to train with the senior national team in an effort to learn on- and off-ice day-to-day habits from the older players.
“I hope that means they respect how I play, and I hope they like my worth ethic and competitiveness,” Norby said. “I felt they also thought I was a person that can jell with whatever group I was thrown into. I don’t think they would’ve invited me if they felt I couldn’t compete.”
Norby, a University of Wisconsin recruit, was on a line with former Badgers Decker and Hilary Knight.
“I was there to learn and wasn’t super nervous,” Norby said. “They’re so good, it’s hard to play bad with them. I just tried to keep up and make the right plays. I was having fun and making the most of it, and that’s probably when I’m playing my best.”
Little did she know at the time that her play at the training camp would lead to a trip to Sweden and an opportunity to play with the national team in the Four Nations Cup, which the U.S. won following an overtime win against rival Canada.
“Every game is fast at that level, and it’s fun to play in a fast game where everybody is super smart and makes the right decision,” Norby said. “The whole team aspect of the game opened my eyes.
“Every girl comes ready to play, whether it’s a practice or pregame skate. They’re consistent, and they mean business every day. That’s why they’re the best in the world.”
Norby wants to eventually reach that level, and returning to high school hockey, she’s just trying to make the right plays, do the right thing and bring back leadership skills so she can set a positive example for her teammates.
“It definitely helps me grow as a player, knowing I can compete at that level, but it also makes me realize how much further I have to go,” Norby said. “Being on the national team consistently is something everybody dreams about, so it opened my eyes to how hard I need to work to stay on that level.”
For now, Norby is focused on taking what she learned and winning a second straight gold medal with the U18 team next month in St. Catharines, Ontario.
“I have the countdown on my phone,” Norby said. “Even though we won gold last year, I’m even hungrier this year, being more of a leader and knowing my place on the team.
“Being that this is my last year, I want to go out on a high note, because I think we’re really special and we have a close group.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
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U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team Captures Silver Medal with 5-4 OT Loss to Canada at IIHF World Women's U18 Championship
WOODRIDGE, Ill. - The U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team captured the silver medal with a 5-4 overtime loss to Canada here tonight in the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U18 Championship gold-medal game in Walter Bush Rink. Team USA finished the tournament with a 4-0-0-1 record (W-OTW-OTL-L) after suffering its first loss in the three-year history of the event.
The U.S. was up 3-1 after the first period of the back-and-forth game and held a 4-2 lead late in the middle frame before Canada staged a comeback and tied the game midway through the final stanza. Tournament MVP Jessica Campbell scored the game-winner for Canada just 3:10 into the 4-on-4 sudden-death overtime session in front of a standing room-only crowd of nearly 1,200.
"That was a great hockey game between two great teams," said Katie King, head coach for Team USA. "I couldn't be more proud of how the team competed throughout the tournament. They all worked extremely hard and will learn and grow from this experience."
Less than a minute into the first period,Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) netted a power-play marker to give Team USA a 1-0 lead. From the right corner, Brittany Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.) passed to Carpenter, who snapped the puck under the pads of Canadian goaltender Carmen MacDonald from the slot.
After Canada's Laurie Kingsbury tied the game at 3:47 while on the power play,Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.) put Team USA back in front after skating around a Canadian defender and backhanding a shot past MacDonald at the 10:03 mark. Just :47 later, Zoe Hickel (Anchorage, Alaska) took a faceoff win from Melissa Bizzari (Stowe, Vt.) and wristed a shot over the goaltender's right shoulder to give the U.S. a 3-1 advantage.
Canada made it a 3-2 contest with a power-play goal from Christine Bestland at 9:29 of the second period, but Meagan Mangene's (Manorville, N.Y.) power-play marker at 16:17 put Team USA back up by two goals. Canada's Melodie Daoust closed the gap, 4-3, with a goal :37 later to close out the frame's scoring.
In the third period, Canada tied the game at 12:29 with a goal from Jenna McParland, and Campbell scored the overtime winner at 3:10 of the extra frame.
U.S. netminder Alex Rigsby (Delafield, Wis.), who was named the best goaltender of the tournament by the IIHF Directorate for the second consecutive year, turned aside 45 shots in the silver medal-winning effort. Meanwhile, Coyne was named the top forward after finishing with a tournament-leading 10 goals.
NOTES: Meagan Mangene was named Team USA's player of the game ... Although it appeared that Kendall Coyne had scored for the U.S. early in the third period, the goal was called off after it was determined that the puck hit the crossbar ... Team USA was 2-for-8 on the power play, while Canada was 2-for-9 ... Alex Rigsby, Coyne and Mangene were named Team USA's top-three players ... Rigsby finished the tournament with a 2-0-0-1 record (W-OTW-OTL-L), a .932 save percentage and 1.64 goals-against average ... The U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team has captured a medal at all three IIHF World Women's U18 Championships (Gold-2008, 2009; Silver-2010) ... Tournament photos are available at ImagesOnIce.net... The IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, which was staged for the first time on U.S. soil at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena, was held for the third time ... The eight-nation tournament included Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, Russia, Sweden and the United States ... Katie King, three-time Olympian and head women's hockey coach at Boston College, was Team USA's head coach, with Shelley Looney, two-time Olympian and girls'/women's hockey director for the New Jersey Colonials, and Catherine Hanson, former U.S. Women's National Team member who spent seven seasons as an assistant women's hockey coach at The Ohio State University, serving as assistant coaches ... For more information on the 2010 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, visit Chicago2010Hockey.com.
GAME SUMMARY
Scoring By Period
CAN 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 5
USA 3 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 4
First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Carpenter (Ammerman), :50 (pp); 2, CAN, Kingsbury (Rattray, Daoust), 3:47 (pp); 3, USA, Coyne (Figueroa), 10:03; 4, USA, Hickel (Bizzari), 10:50. Penalties: CAN, Kingsbury (diving), :44; USA, Lorence (hooking), 3:24; USA, Coyne (holding), 5:38; CAN, Armstrong (holding), 11:09; USA, Picard (holding), 15:14; USA, Hickel (tripping), 19:18.
Second Period - Scoring: 5, CAN, Bestland (Saulnier, Campbell), 9:29 (pp); 6, USA, Mangene (Coyne, Pelkey), 16:17 (pp); 7, CAN, Daoust (Lacquette, Kingsbury), 16:54. Penalties: CAN, Doyle (interference), 4:11; USA, Figueroa (holding), 7:42; USA, Figueroa (holding), 12:29; CAN, Cai. MacDonald (tripping), 15:05; CAN, Poudrier (hooking), 19:14.
Third Period - Scoring: 8, CAN, McParland (Poudrier), 12:29. Penalties: CAN, Kingsbury (holding), 1:35; CAN, Lacquette (roughing), 2:44; USA, Mangene (tripping), 4:58; USA, Gedman (slashing), 6:59; USA, Gedman (hooking), 9:44; CAN, Bestland (tripping), 12:33.
Overtime - Scoring: 9, CAN, Campbell (Lacquette, Ambrose), 3:10. Penalties: None.
Shots by Period 1 2 3 OT Total
CAN 14 16 17 3 50
USA 10 12 17 2 41
Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 OT Total
CAN, Car. MacDonald, 63:10 10-7 12-11 17-17 2-2 41-37
USA, Rigsby, 63:10 14-13 16-14 17-16 3-2 50-45
Power Play: CAN 2-9; USA 2-8
Penalties: CAN 8-16; USA 9-18
Officials: Referee-Tara Leighton (USA); Linesmen-Helene Roy (CAN), Therese Bjorkman (SWE)
Attendance: 1,127
U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team Advances to Gold-Medal Game with 5-0 Win Over Sweden at IIHF World Women's U18 Championship
WOODRIDGE, Ill. - Ten different players factored in the scoring as the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team advanced to the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's U18 Championship gold-medal game with a 5-0 win over Sweden here tonight in the semifinal round in Walter Bush Rink. With the win, Team USA improved to 4-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) and will face Canada in the gold-medal game tomorrow (April 3) at 7 p.m. CT.
"We came out with real good jump and played hard for 60 minutes," said Katie King, head coach for Team USA. "We've put ourselves in the position we want to be in and we're excited to play for the gold medal."
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead with aBrittany Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.) marker at 1:22 of the opening frame. After receiving an Emily Pfalzer(Getzville, N.Y.) pass near the top of the right circle, Ammerman skated to the high slot and wristed the puck past Swedish netminder Sofia Carlstrom low to the far side for her fifth tally of the tournament. Gabie Figueroa(Branchburg, N.J.) also collected an assist on the play.
Rachael Bona (Coon Rapids, Minn.) extended Team USA's lead to 2-0 at 12:37. Lyndsey Fry (Chandler, Ariz.) passed behind the net to Bona, who skated to the right of Carlstrom before sending the puck through the netminder's pads on the short side.
Team USA jumped out to a 3-0 advantage just 34 seconds into the middle frame. Amanda Pelkey (Montpelier, Vt.) fed Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), who came down the ice two-on-one with Taylor Wasylk (Port Huron, Mich.). After the pair exchanged passes, Coyne found Wasylk for a one-timer.
Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) netted her seventh goal of the tournament at 12:13 to give the U.S. a 4-0 lead. While on the power play, Carpenter received a pass from Pelkey, deked around a Swedish defender and fired the puck on the backhand over Carlstrom's shoulder.
At 4:29 of the final frame, Fry extended Team USA's lead to 5-0. Melissa Bizzari (Stowe, Vt.) skated down the ice along the right boards and sent a cross-ice pass to Fry, who directed the puck into the net to close out the game's scoring.
U.S. netminder Alex Rigsby (Delafield, Wis.) turned aside all 11 shots faced for her second shutout of the tournament.
NOTES: Amanda Pelkey was named Team USA's player of the game ... The U.S. was 1-for-6 on the power play, while Sweden was 0-for-4 ... Team USA has not allowed a power-play goal all tournament (18-18) ... The U.S. registered its third straight shutout ... Team USA will face Canada in the gold-medal game of the IIHF World Women's U18 Championship for the third straight year ... All tournament games are available via live webstream at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com... Tournament photos are available at ImagesOnIce.net... The IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, which is being held for the first time on U.S. soil at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena, is being held for the third time ... The eight-nation tournament includes Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, Russia, Sweden and the United States ... The U.S. is the two-time defending world champion, after capturing gold in Füssen, Germany, in 2009, and in Calgary in 2008 ... Katie King, three-time Olympian and head women's hockey coach at Boston College, is Team USA's head coach, with Shelley Looney, two-time Olympian and girls'/women's hockey director for the New Jersey Colonials, and Catherine Hanson, former U.S. Women's National Team member who spent seven seasons as an assistant women's hockey coach at The Ohio State University, serving as assistant coaches ... For more information on the 2010 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, visit Chicago2010Hockey.com.
GAME SUMMARY
Scoring By Period
SWE 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
USA 2 - 2 - 1 - 5
First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Ammerman (Pfalzer, Figueroa), 1:22; 2, USA, Bona (Fry), 12:37. Penalties: SWE, Lowenhielm (hooking), 2:48; SWE, Backlin (holding), 8:55; SWE, Hedengren (hooking), 12:43; USA, Hickel (holding), 15:51.
Second Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Wasylk (Coyne, Pelkey), :34; 4, USA, Carpenter (Pelkey, Pfalzer), 12:13 (pp). Penalties: SWE, Hedin (tripping), 5:12; SWE, Backlin (tripping), 10:49; SWE, Holmgren (body checking), 16:22.
Third Period - Scoring: 5, USA, Fry (Bizzari), 4:29. Penalties: USA, Pelkey (hooking), 1:02; USA, Team (too many players), 9:20; USA, Gedman (holding), 20:00.
Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
SWE 0 2 9 11
USA 19 10 12 41
Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
SWE, Carlstrom, 60:00 19-17 10-8 12-11 41-36
USA, Rigsby, 60:00 0-0 2-2 9-9 11-11
Power Play: SWE 0-4; USA 1-6
Penalties: SWE 6-12; USA 4-8
Officials: Referee-Melanie Bordeleau (CAN); Linesmen-Ilona Novotna (CZE), Johanna Tauriainen (FIN)