Vancouver dreamin' in Blaine

The bleacher seats filled briskly Saturday, before the 41 women trying out for the U.S. national team had even left the locker rooms. By the time they skated out for warmups, fans had lined up four deep along the boards and in the balcony of Rink 6 at the Schwan Super Rink.

Some even brought stools Sunday to try and get a better view. Others stood on their toes, and parents hoisted little ones up on their shoulders. Only in Minnesota would people pull winter coats out of the closet on an 85-degree day in August to watch a hockey tryout -- which enhanced Blaine's status as the perfect incubator for a women's national program about to enter its fourth Olympiad.

The five-day selection camp ended with Monday's announcement of the 23-player roster, a process so emotionally taxing that it kept coach Mark Johnson awake much of Sunday night. Women's hockey continues to grow and mature rapidly, presenting the USA Hockey selection committee with an ever-deeper pool of elite talent that includes many women long past their college days. Ten of the women who made the national team spent last year here, in USA Hockey's newly established residency program, and the mutual benefits showed all weekend.

"This is my home rink now," said Caitlin Cahow, a 2006 Olympian who trained in Blaine last year and made the national team Monday. "Every time I step out here, it's like having a hometown crowd behind me.

"It's so nice to have so much interest, especially from the young girls and boys in the stands. It's remarkable to see them so excited about women's hockey. And the way the residency program is set up, it made a huge difference in preparing for the tryouts, and also for what's down the road."

At a training camp in Colorado Springs last June, Johnson told the 30 players in attendance that he hoped they would make the selection committee's job as difficult as possible. The Blaine residency program ensured that the older players would be ready to do so. For the first time, players who had finished college could train as a group in top-notch facilities, get all the ice time they wanted, play a full schedule of games and work with highly regarded coaches for eight months.

The program was born from the disappointment of 2006, when the U.S. women were upset by Sweden in the Olympic semifinals and finished with a bronze medal. The Blaine program has contributed to a dramatic turnaround. After winning the world championship in 2008, the United States defended its title for the first time ever last April, with 10 of the Blaine players leading the way.

The United States now enters the 2010 Olympics as the world's No. 1 team for the first time since the ranking system was created in 2004. In addition, the women in the residency program embraced the opportunity to promote a sport that remains underappreciated. They visited schools and hockey camps, did autograph signings at malls and made friends and fans throughout the community. Many of those people showed up for the tryouts last week, and players said the game-like atmosphere heightened the competition.

Gigi Marvin, who finished her Gophers career last season and made the national team Monday, was delighted to see a crowd of several hundred people who spanned all ages and genders. "When we walked out and saw it was standing room only just for warmups, we were pumped," she said. "And they were so into it. When Angie Keseley drilled little Kendall Coyne, everyone was talking about it."

The Super Rink will remain the national team's home until the Olympics in February. The future beyond that is uncertain. Michele Amidon, USA Hockey's director of women's hockey, said Monday the program is a "huge success" but added that the organization hasn't decided whether it will continue.

Seeing those crowds at the tryouts -- and seeing the heart and skill of the women who proved what they could do when given a postcollege training base -- ought to keep it alive.

"It's perfect," said three-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero, who trained in Blaine last year. "The last three Olympics, we were always packing a bag, going from city to city. The fact that we're in Minnesota, with tons of support all around you, all the facilities you need, plenty of ice time, and you can go home and sleep in your own bed, that will be great for us."

Rachel Blount • rblount@startribune.com