Amanda Leveille, one of the two team captains, played four years at the University of Minnesota from 2012-2016 and won the league's championship, the Isobel Cup, with Buffalo last season. Katie Fitzgerald, who plays for the NWHL's New York/New Jersey team and was the league's goaltender of the year in 2016-17, played at St. Cloud State. Sydney Rossman of the Connecticut Whale is a native of Excelsior.
Corinne Buie -- the only two-time winner of the NWHL's Isobel Cup league championship trophy -- is from Edina. All-star defender Jordyn Burns is a Minnesota native and played for the Gophers. In addition, NWHL all-stars Lexi Bender, Alyssa Gagliardi, Rebecca Russo and Courtney Burke developed as outstanding players at Shattuck-St. Mary's.
To top it off, the NWHL has invited the Minnesota Whitecaps to participate in its All-Star Weekend. Minnesota's semipro team will be represented by forwards Kate Schipper and Sadie Lundquist.
In partnership with the Wild, the
2018 NWHL All-Star Weekend
will take place Feb. 10-11 at TRIA Rink, the Wild's state-of-the-art practice facility in downtown St. Paul.
The NWHL Skills Challenge will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 6:45 p.m. The 2018 NWHL All-Star Game is on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are available at
NWHL.zone/tickets
. Skills Challenge tickets are $15, All-Star Game seats are $25 and an All-Star Weekend Package with both events is available for $35. There will be an autograph session with the players after both events for all ticket holders.
"We are excited to partner with the National Women's Hockey League and showcase some of the best hockey players in North America at TRIA Rink in downtown Saint Paul," said Jamie Spencer, Minnesota Wild executive vice president of business development. "Participation in girls' and women's hockey continues to grow at record levels, and we look forward to creating a greater State of Hockey as hosts of All-Star Weekend."
The teams will be
coached by a pair of Minnesota residents
: three-time Olympian Tricia (Dunn) Luoma, who won gold with Team USA in Nagano in 1998; and Winny (Brodt) Brown, the first-ever winner of the Ms. Hockey Award for high school hockey in Minnesota and a member of the U.S. National Team program for a decade.
"We are honored to have a pair of women's hockey greats with deep connections to Minnesota join us for our All-Star Weekend in Saint Paul," said NWHL Deputy Commissioner Hayley Moore. "We felt strongly about having a Minnesota presence with our teams for these events, and we couldn't be more pleased that Tricia and Winny will serve as coaches."
The All-Star Game on Feb. 11 at TRIA Rink will consist of two 25-minute halves and each team will have 12 skaters and two goaltenders.
"We are so proud to have the opportunity to present the NWHL All-Star Weekend in St. Paul," said NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan. "As we strive to enhance our league and promote the women's game, our goal has been to showcase the great players of the NWHL beyond our original four markets. We're thankful for this partnership with the Minnesota Wild, a top NHL franchise that does so much for the development of hockey across all levels and genders."
