Engstrom Selected for 2005-06 U.S. National Team

August 25, 2005

MADISON, Wis.*Former Wisconsin Badger women's hockey standout Molly Engstrom (Siren, Wis.) earned a position on the 22-player roster for the 2005-06 U.S. women's national team. The team will compete in The Hilton Family Skate to 2006 Tour in preparation for the XX Olympic Winter Games, Feb. 11-20, 2006, in Torino, Italy.

The team was selected following the 2005 USA Hockey National Women's Festival, held August 18-24 at the Lake Placid Olympic Center. The Festival featured 40 of the top women's players in the nation.

"We are excited with the talent assembled for our U.S. women's national team," said U.S. women's national and Olympic team head coach Ben Smith (Gloucester, Mass.). "The festival featured a deep pool of players and really highlighted the tremendous development of women's hockey in the United States."

A recent graduate, Engstrom capped an already prestigious career as a Badger garnering first-team All-America honors. Last season, she was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, for the second consecutive year, as well as a first team All-WCHA selection. She ranked among the league and national leaders in scoring among defenders and was a top-10 finalist in the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Wisconsin's only other All-America first team honor was Wisconsin women's hockey pioneer and former USA national team member Kerry Weiland.

The 2005-06 U.S. Women's national team will include four players who captured gold and silver medals with U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey teams in 1998 and 2002: defenseman Angela Ruggiero (Harvard/Harper Woods, Mich.); and forwards Tricia Dunn (New Hampshire/Derry, N.H.), Katie King (Brown/Salem, N.H.) and Jenny Potter (Minnesota Duluth/Eagan, Minn.).

Also returning from the 2002 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team will be defenseman Courtney Kennedy (Minnesota/Woburn, Mass.); and forwards Julie Chu (Harvard/Fairfield, Conn.), Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota/Eagan, Minn.) and Krissy Wendell (Minnesota/Brooklyn Park, Minn.). See attached for complete roster.

The Skate to 2006 Tour will feature 11 games in the United State in preparation for the Olympics and will include two games against the WCHA All-Star team coached by Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson. The roster for the All-Star team has not been released. The games are slated for Friday, Sept. 30 at the Xcel Center in Minneapolis and on Saturday, Oct. 1 in Duluth, Minn.

Courtesy of Jennifer Werner

Athletic Communications Assistant