USA Women's Hockey

It may be the biggest thing to hit town since Ben & Jerry’s created “Chunky Monkey” ice cream at their factory 30 minutes up the road in Waterbury, Vt.

This news comes with all the fun and only half the calories.

It’s the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship, and starting Saturday and running through April 14 it puts the town of Burlington in the center of the women’s hockey universe.

At stake are international bragging rights as the U.S. Women’s National Team will be gunning for its fourth straight world title and fifth overall. Standing in the way will be a familiar foe from just north of the border, the Canadians, who will be gunning for their tenth IIHF championship chalice.

Since women’s hockey became an IIHF championship sport in 1990 the U.S. and Canada have met in every title tilt. This year’s tournament adds a new wrinkle to the rivalry as the two countries meet on the opening night featured matchup (Read more about this game).
The game set for 7 p.m., at University of Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse, and UVM ticket manager Jesse Bridges said the last of the 4,007 tickets were snatched up on Thursday afternoon.

Tickets are still available for all the other games — 11 at Gutterson; 10 at Cairns Arena — in the competition, including the medal-round games on April 14, Bridges said.

The hockey-mad area has been abuzz since USA Hockey announced that Burlington would be only the third American city to host the event since its inception in 1990. Lake Placid, N.Y., (1994) and Minneapolis (2001) have also played host.

As the hours tick down on the opening puck drop, the eyes of the Green Mountain State are focused on Burlington as the tournament draws top billing on the state’s sporting calendar. The nightly newscasts update the day’s action. The morning newspaper chronicles each team’s march toward the title from Canada training at a local watermark complex to Team USA’s visit to the children’s hospital.

With the 2014 Sochi Olympics just around the corner, this year’s championship offers every country an opportunity to see where they stand heading down the backstretch in their Olympic preparation.

Both Canada and the U.S. have blended a talented crop of newcomers with veterans who are used to the pressures of big-time international competition.

Canada features familiar faces such as Hayley Wickenheiser, Caroline Ouellette and Meghan Agosta up front and star goaltenders Shannon Szabados and Charline Labonte between the pipes.

Team USA will be playing its first tournament since Angela Ruggiero, a four-time Olympian and all-time leader in games played for Team USA, announced her retirement in December.

Ageless Jenny Potter continues to lead the U.S. attack, along with rising star Hilary Knight, who led the U.S. in scoring at last year’s tournament. With Jessie Vetter, Brianne McLaughlin and Molly Schaus taking turns in the crease, the Americans are as stingy as their Canadian counterparts when it comes to surrendering goals.

In addition to missing Ruggiero, the U.S. will be without key cogs in their offensive machine with the absence of veteran defensemen Caitlin Cahow and Molly Engstrom and forward Meghan Duggan.

Experience and depth among the typically tough Swedes and Finns promise to make the road to the gold-medal game will not be a cakewalk for their North American rivals. And after its surprise semifinal showing at last year’s world championship, Russia appears to be coming on strong as it gets ready for Sochi.

Slovakia and Switzerland have the talent in goal to stage a surprise during the tournament. Slovakian netminder Zuzana Tomcikova was named the player of the tournament in 2011 and Florence Schelling of Switzerland was a finalist for the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Award.

From the drop of the first puck until the final buzzer sounds, local hockey fans in Burlington will surely be treated to some of the best hockey action to hit town since Martin St. Louis and Tim Thomas teamed up for the hometown Catamounts.

Ticket information and a full schedule of games can be found at Burlington2012.com.