U.S. women's hockey has a place to call home

Like a collection of hockey vagabonds, many of the best female players in America used to travel the continent, just to find a place to play their game after they finished college.

Some relocated to Canada for the winter to join teams in that nation's elite women's hockey league. Some flew to Minnesota a couple of times a month to be part of the Minnesota Whitecaps, the only U.S. team for top-level women, while others found spots in men's amateur leagues. In hometowns from southern California to Boston, they worked out on their own to stay sharp for the few tournaments the national team played each year.

Last fall, they finally got the home they longed for. USA Hockey established a year-round residency program in Blaine, inviting 17 of the country's best post-college players to train and play together for seven months leading up to April's world championships. Many in the group will return to Blaine next fall as part of the 2010 Olympic team, which also will be based at the Schwan Super Rink during the five months leading up to the Winter Games in Vancouver.

USA Hockey started the program to give its elite women players the facilities and support they need to train effectively when their college careers end. After years of making their own way, they are grateful to have a rink to call their own.

"If USA Hockey hadn't committed to this program, I don't know if I would even be playing hockey now," said Angela Ruggiero, a three-time Olympian who has played a record 208 games with Team USA. "I don't know if I could have gone through another year of training on my own, flying in for games with the Whitecaps, trying to work, burning the candle at both ends.

"If you had the goal of winning a gold medal, those were the sacrifices you had to make. But if we were going to move the game forward, we needed to change. We were begging for something like this."

The team began play in September and is in the midst of a 47-game schedule. It plays in a Wednesday night men's elite league at the Super Rink, as well as against women's college and boys' high school teams. Longtime Twin Cities hockey coach Tom Osiecki is overseeing the group until April, when Olympic coach Mark Johnson will take over.

Pleading for a home

After winning the gold medal in 1998, when women's hockey made its Olympic debut, the Americans followed with silver in 2002 and a disappointing bronze in 2006, when Sweden upset them in the semifinals. Most years, U.S. players got together only for occasional training camps, leaving them to work out and find playing opportunities on their own. Canada, which won gold in '02 and '06, often brought its Olympic teams together months in advance for centralized training.

Five months after the Turin Olympics, USA Hockey hired Michele Amidon as its first director of women's hockey operations and considered veteran players' pleas for a training base. USA Hockey raised money through donors to fund a residency program. Amidon, who would not reveal the budget, said the organization chose Blaine because of the superb facilities at the National Sports Center; its location in a hockey-mad area with a wide range of teams to play; and the Twin Cities' appeal as a place to live.

"This was something we had been thinking about since I came aboard," Amidon said. "If these players wanted to be part of the women's national program, they had to move here and be part of this. No one questioned it. The program has to be their first priority."

The players receive stipends from USA Hockey to cover living expenses. Some, such as defenseman Caitlin Cahow and goalie Chanda Gunn, live in downtown Minneapolis apartments. Others share houses in the suburbs. Goalie Megan Van Beusekom commutes 90 minutes each way, every day, from the Cokato farm where she lives with her husband.

Rink rats all around, they thrive on a rigorous schedule. The players work out from 8 a.m. to noon most days, combining hockey practice with yoga, weightlifting and sport-specific workouts at the Herb Brooks Center that is part of the Super Rink complex. They have their own newly built locker room and work with a power skating coach, a conditioning coach and a sports psychology consultant.

'They really play as a team'

Though Amidon said none of the team's opponents replicates the competition they face in the women's international game, the variety offers plenty of challenge. Against high school boys and college women, they face quick players and skilled stickhandlers. The men's league puts them up against former college players who are bigger and stronger.

Top Cheese, a men's team that has beaten the U.S. team three times in league play, appreciates what the women bring to their Wednesday night games. "It's nice to get some new blood, especially someone as high-caliber as the girls' team," said Ryan Johnson, a former St. Cloud State defenseman who plays for Top Cheese. "They are good. They're fast and quick and disciplined, and they really play as a team. It will be cool to see some of them in the next Olympics."

The time they are spending together on and off the ice has already shown benefits. Several players were part of the U.S. team that won the Four Nations Cup last November, beating Canada 3-2 in a shootout. Their next measuring stick will come at the world championships, where a roster combining current national team players with top American college players will try to defend the gold medal the U.S. won last spring.

"The 2006 Olympics were a real eye-opener for USA Hockey," said forward Jenny Potter of Edina, a three-time Olympian. "They needed to find a way to bring us together. This is a great starting point and a good step forward for our program."