Olympic hockey should see big UW presence
While the latest surge of coronavirus cases has interrupted winter exhibition game plans, several former Wisconsin Badgers are training and vying for roster spots on Olympic hockey teams.
USA Hockey is expected to announce its lineup on Jan. 1 and it could include a few Badgers.
So could the Canadian Olympic team. “I've played with about half the players who are here, amongst Canada and U.S.,” American goalie Alex (Rigsby) Cavallini said recently while on tour with USA Hockey in St. Louis. “It just really speaks volumes as to how well the program is at University of Wisconsin, how good of a job they do not only recruiting but also developing players.”
The Beijing Olympics kick off Feb. 4 and women's hockey will compete with preliminary rounds on Feb. 3. The goldmedal game is Feb. 17.
Team USA could feature Brianna Decker and Cavallini, both Wisconsin national champions in 2011 along with Hilary Knight. Abby Roque is another former Badger (2019 national championship team) who is training with Team USA right now.
Madison native Amanda Kessel is also with Team USA.
Team Canada could feature Ann-Renée Desbiens, a goaltender for the Canadian women's hockey team who played for UW, and five other former Badgers — Kristen Campbell, Emily Clark, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull and Meaghan Mikkelson.
“You've got goalies between the U.S. and Canada — and that speaks a lot towards Wisconsin goalie (coach) Mark Greenhalgh,” Cavallini said. “He's been there for a long time now and to have three goalies represent their countries is honestly remarkable.”
Having so many players from one college program likely will lead to many advantages.
“At this level, everyone's pretty elite and brings a lot to the table,” Decker said. “But I've known Alex since I was 12. I played with Hilary Knight at UW and I've been playing with her for the last 10 years in the national team.
"Just knowing players, knowing how they are on and off the ice — that connection does really help. It helps with the success of the team. The more players you know, it definitely does help that team chemistry and team culture.”
There's less of a need for courtesy or formality when there's a challenging play, or platitudes when there's a confrontation in practice. It's OK to level with a teammate from 10 years ago and just say it: pick it up, tighten up the defense, look for someone on the wing.
“We just all know each other really well, we're able to be positive with each other,” Decker said. “We are able to give feedback when we need to.
“But we are able to expect a lot out of each other. That accountability aspect always comes into play, and we all hold ourselves accountable. And we hold each other accountable at the same token. It's a good balance that we have.”
Team USA also has a bit of the look and feel of a Mark Johnson-coached squad. There's a lot of skill up front, and the Americans play fast. The puck flies. The offense is creative.
And once in awhile, amid the wash of Team USA gear, equipment manager Sis Paulsen, who also played and worked at Wisconsin, will hook up the women with some dri-fit Badgers gear for practice.
Paulsen still works for UW. She's taking a sabbatical to work for Team USA.
“I love to be able to represent that and wear that underneath my hockey equipment,” Cavallini said. “You can definitely feel the pride in the locker room with the Badger hockey players.”
There may be another benefit: team unity. They won't have fans in the stands. Family and friends won't be allowed in mainland China with the COVID-19 protocol restrictions. They'll be isolated.
“We obviously watched the Summer Olympics where those athletes didn't have any fans and families and you could see them get so emotional when their families talked on the screen to congratulate them,” Cavalinni said. “We've talked about it.
“And we're just so fortunate as a team that we have each other — we're not an individual sport. We can lean on to support one another through this process.”
Of course the credit for all of this goes to Wisconsin and it's program.
But there's also a good movement in the state for developing up-and-coming talent for girls hockey.
“Yeah, it's definitely grown a lot since I came up,” Cavallini said. “The only option for us was boys hockey if we wanted to play at an elite level, so I played boys hockey until I went to college at Wisconsin.
“Now you see a lot more girls programs, a lot more girls around the rink, so it's really exciting for the sport.”
Decker created an endowment fund for girls hockey a few years ago to support U-8 to U-10 girls teams. Originally it was for Wisconsin, but now it's open to the nation.
“It's something that I'm passionate about,” Decker said.
Unfortunately, one match between USA and Canada in the My Why Tour was canceled over concerns about the latest spike in coronavirus, with a Canadian member testin...g positive.
All we know is the Beijing Olympics appear to be on, with China tightening safety protocols for the spread of coronavirus.
The U.S. Olympic women's team will try to defend its gold medal from 2018, its second-ever gold medal after earning the inaugural gold medal in the event at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. The U.S. has medaled in all six Olympic appearances (gold in 1998 and 2018; silver in 2002, 2010 and 2014; and bronze in 2006).
Team USA is still scheduled to wrap the My Why Tour in Canada in early January.