NWHL to Faceoff Against Team USA in Tampa Florida

The National Women’s Hockey League on Thursday announced that an All-Star squad of players from the league will battle the United States Women’s National Team in two exhibition games in Tampa, Florida this January.

The games which will take place on Saturday, January 13, at 6:15 pm and Monday, January 15, at 2:15 pm, will be Team USA’s final preseason tune-ups before they set forth in their mission towards capturing a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Both games will take place at the U.S. Women’s National Team’s training complex at Florida Hospital Center Ice in the Tampa suburb of Wesley Chapel.

Final Tune Up in USA Quest for Olympic Gold

NWHL Commissioner, Dani Rylan said, “The NWHL is honored to be welcomed by USA Hockey and to participate in this pair of exhibition games. Our players, coaches and staff are excited to have this opportunity. The NWHL will do its best to give the players some strong competition so they are ready to bring home the gold in February.”

Deputy Commissioner, Hayley Moore will serve as general manager for Team NWHL, as Metropolitan Riveters Coach and General Manager, Chad Wiseman will guide them behind the bench. Boston Pride coaches, Thomas Poeck and Lindsay Berman will be Wiseman’s assistant coaches for the matchups.

Moore will select players from the rosters of all four clubs to build the roster for Team NWHL. Coaching staffs from the Riveters, Pride, Connecticut Whale and Buffalo Beauts will help give some input in the decisions. The NWHL Roster will be announced before the end of the calendar year.

NWHL Represented Among Team USA

Eleven of the players with the U.S. National Team have played at least one game in the NWHL over the first two seasons of the league.

Amanda Kessel played the 2016-2017 season with the Riveters, Haley Skarupa skated with the Whale last season as well as with the Pride this season. Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Briana Decker, Hilary Knight, Gigi Marvin and Amanda Pelkey have played for the Pride. Emily Pfalzer has laced them up for the Beauts.

Team USA Captain, Meghan Duggan represented the Beauts and Pride through the first two seasons of the NWHL. Carpenter, the daughter of former National Hockey League forward Bobby Carpenter, was also the first overall player taken in the first NWHL Draft in 2015.

Tickets and Broadcast Info Announced Soon

Tickets for the two exhibition games will be 10 dollars with 50 percent of the proceeds going towards the USA Hockey Foundation’s, Friends of Women’s Hockey Fund. Broadcast information as well as more information on how to purchase tickets will be announced shortly.