Sarah Hood '98 wasn't waiting by the phone, checking the mailbox or nervously pacing when USA Hockey announced the 20-person squad that will compete in next month's Women's World Championships Tuesday night. Having been out of contact with the program since 1993, there was no reason to expect that this roster would have her name penciled in on the wing.
But last year's finalist for the Patty Kazmaier award for the nation's top female collegiate hockey player was pegged by Head Coach Ben Smith to join 11 of last year's gold-medal winners in three weeks at the pinnacle of women's hockey as they begin training camp at Lake Placid. And nobody is more surprised than Hood herself.
"I wasn't expecting this at all to be honest," Hood said. "I've had occasional contact with Coach Smith over the years, but I hadn't spoken to anybody at USA Hockey in awhile. I was out of the loop and all of the sudden they named me to the squad. I still haven't heard from them officially, but I have a letter which is real, so I know that I'm not dreaming."
Indeed, Hood has little time to celebrate the announcement and instead must prepare to take the ice against Canada in less than a month in an exhibition game. From there it is off to Espoo, Finland, where the U.S. will open up the tournament against Russia in the preliminary round on March 8. Luckily for Hood, she has been working out with the Big Green women's team since the beginning of the year and won't be starting from scratch.
"I started skating with the team in January just to stay in shape, and now I find myself preparing for the World Championships. It's unbelievable. Every time I think about it on the ice, I screw up. Hopefully that will change as the tournament gets closer."
Although some of last year's Olympians declined to play in this year's championships, Hood said she cherishes the chance to play at the highest level of competition available.
"Part of me is really intimidated to play with people like Cammi Granato, part of me is really excited to get the chance to compete at the top level and part of me feels that this is my chance to prove myself to everybody. I know some people turned down this chance, but I'm excited to go over there and see how I can do."
The current team of 20 players will be disbanded after the Championships next month, so Hood's placement on the team is only temporary. However, her includement on this team most likely indicates that she will be invited to future USA hockey camps and tryouts.
"I'm just playing as if this is my only opportunity. I know that this selection means nothing more than the fact that I will be on the team next month. It would be presumptous of me to say that this selection indicates anything beyond that."
One reason Hood was shocked by her selection is the fact that she has been passed over in previous years for camps and tryouts that have included anywhere from 20 to 60 women. Therefore, to be selected as one of the top 20 players in the country is all the more shocking to her.
"Whenever there would be 20-person teams, I never expected to be picked. If there were 40 people, I thought there was some chance and if they invited 60 people to a camp, I always figured for sure that it would include me. But then they would always pick a surprising group of people and I wouldn't be invited. That's why I have no idea how I wound up on a 20-person team to compete in the World Championships."
Smith, who coached the Dartmouth men's teams in the 1980's, said that it was a disgrace that a Kazmaier finalist like Hood had been overlooked by USA Hockey for so long.
The former winger from Keweenaw Bay, Mich. becomes the third Big Green player in the past two years to play for the women's national team. Former goaltender Sarah Tueting '98 and the program's all-time leading scorer Gretchen Ulion '94 won gold medals representing the USA in Nagano last February. Neither Ulion nor Teuting chose to play on this squad.
Hood ranks fourth on the Big Green's all-time scoring list and led last year's team with 22 goals and 21 assists.
