Duggan headlines women’s roster
New York — The U.S. women's Olympic hockey team is leaning on 13 newcomers as the Americans head to the Pyeongchang Games trying to end a 20-year gold medal drought.
USA Hockey announced the 23-woman roster Monday during the second intermission of the Winter Classic in New York. Captain Meghan Duggan is one of six twotime silver medalists, and there are four other returning players from 2014.
"Things look really good for our team," U.S. coach Robb Stauber said. "We caution our players day in and day out it's one game at a time. You don't go to the Olympics and just get to go to the gold medal game. That would be a mistake on our part. We focus day in and day out as a group that's going to use each day to get better. When we get to the Olympics, we're going to take it one game at a time."
Forward Alex Carpenter and defenseman Megan Bozek also won silver in 2014, but they did not make the cut from the national team that had been training since September in Florida.
Forward Haley Skarupa and defenseman Sidney Morin are on the roster after they were called up to the national team just after Thanksgiving. Morin was playing with MODO Hockey in the Swedish Women's Hockey League before joining the American squad.
Stauber said it's never easy to let veterans go, especially with Carpenter and Bozek. Carpenter is a former Patty Kazmaier award winner.
"At the end of the day we have to go to South Korea with what we feel most comfortable with. And that's a very difficult decision," Stauber said.
"On our end we just have to focus and make sure we get the best team there. Like I said, take it day by day."
Each of Team USA's three goaltenders — Alex Rigsby, Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley — will be making their Olympic debut.
Joining Duggan on a third Olympic roster are Kacey Bellamy, Hilary Knight, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Gigi Marvin. Kendall Coyne, Lee Stecklein, Brianna Decker and Amanda Kessel made their second Olympic team. The Americans lost the gold medal game in Sochi to Canada in overtime.
The U.S. women open Olympic play Feb. 11 against Finland.