Five Badgers selected for USA Hockey's Four Nations Roster
October 06, 2016 | Women's Hockey
Pankowski joins four UW legends for international tournament in Finland
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin women's hockey junior Annie Pankowski will join former Badgers Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight and Alex Rigsby on USA Hockey's roster for the 2016 Four Nations Cup, the organization announced Wednesday.
Pankowski is one of three collegians on the 23-player roster for the international tournament that takes place in Finland November 1-5.
The five Badgers helped the U.S. win gold earlier this year at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, while the four former Badgers helped Team USA capture the 2015 Four Nations Cup.
Pankowski earned All-America honors last season for UW, playing in all 40 games while notching 22 goals and 36 assists during those contests. She was named a top-10 finalist for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and a 2016 NCAA Elite 90 recipient. In Wisconsin's most recent game, a win over St. Cloud State on Sept. 24, Pankowski assisted on two goals to lead the Badgers to a 4-2 victory.
The Laguna Hills, California, native is no stranger to international competitions, serving as captain of the U.S. under-22 team earlier this summer during its annual series against Canada. In addition, this year's tournament marks Pankowski's third Four Nations Cup appearance with Team USA.
Decker, a 2013 graduate and Wisconsin native, will be participating in the Four Nations Cup for the eighth time and has been a key cog for the national team over that span. She was a part of the 2014 Olympic team that won silver in Sochi, Russia, and has played in five International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championships, helping Team USA claim four gold medals.
Decker was a three-time All-WCHA First Team honoree from 2011-2013 as a Badger, and helped led Wisconsin to be the 2011 NCAA National Champions. She amassed many awards at UW, including the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and WCHA Player of the Year as a junior. She left Wisconsin as the second-leading point scorer in the history of the school.
Duggan has been a member of two Olympic silver medal-winning teams (2010 and 2014) after graduating from UW in 2011. She helped Wisconsin capture three NCAA National Championships, and won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award along with WCHA Player of the Year and First Team All-America as a senior.
With Team USA, Duggan has had the opportunity to be a captain of the national squad seven times over the course of her career, and has participated in the Four Nations Cup on five occasions. She has also played in seven IIHF Women's World Championships.
Knight is also a two-time silver medalist for team USA and this will mark her 10th appearance in the Four Nations Cup. She ranked third in the 2010 Olympic tournament with seven assists in five games and scored the game-winning goal in the 2015 Four Nations Cup to lift the U.S. past Canada.
Along with her numerous national team accolades, Knight enjoyed a spectacular career at UW. A 2012 graduate, Knight led the nation with 47 goals as a junior in 2011 while leading Wisconsin to the national title.
The fifth Badger to take the ice with the U.S. in Finland will be goaltender Rigsby. The 2014 graduate of UW has been a part of three International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championships and three Four Nations Cups teams. She was also named Best Goaltender by the Directorate in both 2009 and 2010 during the IIHF U-18 Women's World Championships.
At Wisconsin, Rigsby was the first goalie to be named captain of the Badgers in 2014. She was First-Team All-American and Wisconsin's Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior, along with helping UW win the NCAA Title in 2011.
The U.S. begins the Four Nations Cup with a bout against Sweden at 10:30 a.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The format of the tournament is a round-robin with the top two teams facing off on Nov. 5 for the championship.
