Avalanche To Honor Gold Medalist Nicole Hensley

United States Women's National Team goaltender Nicole Hensley will drop the puck in a ceremonial faceoff prior to the Colorado Avalanche's game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Center.
Born and raised in Colorado, the Lakewood native was a member of the U.S. squad that defeated Canada in the gold-medal game on Feb. 22 at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It was Team USA's first gold medal in the women's ice hockey since the inaugural tournament in 1998.
The Avalanche will honor Hensley prior to the 1 p.m. MT contest, and fans are encouraged to be in their seats early to watch the ceremonial puck drop.
Limited tickets for the Avs-Knights games are still available.

Hensley, 23, grew up playing in the Foothills Hockey Association and the all-girls Colorado Select club team, an organization supported by the Colorado Avalanche. Hensley also went on to play four years at Green Mountain High School, helping capture the 2012 state championship as a senior while also serving as one of the squad's captains.

Following high school, Hensley played four years at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, where she finished her collegiate career as the NCAA all-time record holder for saves with 4,094.
A standout from the very beginning with the Lady Lions, Hensley put herself on the national stage as a true freshman when she made 90 saves in a triple-overtime game against Robert Morris University in the 2013 conference tournament. She went on to post three seasons with a .920 save percentage or better and won a Presidential NCAA Award for maintaining one of the highest grade-point averages among student-athletes nationally.
Hensley was also part of Team USA's 2016 and 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship teams that won back-to-back gold medals. Between the two tournaments, Hensley went undefeated with a 4-0-0 record and had three shutouts.
A three-time winner of the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year award, Hensley was inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen Hall of Fame in 2016.