Baggot: Once-in-a-lifetime championship is coming to Madison
The world's best under-18 players to compete at 2022 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship June 6-13
Andy Baggot
6/2/2022
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. -- It was the first major sign that Sophie Shirley was on the right path to realizing her dream.
She was 16 when she was tabbed to play for Team Canada in the International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship in 2016. It was her first high-profile assignment skating for her homeland, one that Shirley hopes will one day lead to a place on the Canadian senior roster that’s used to stock its fabled Olympic team.
Shirley, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was still two years away from making her debut with the Wisconsin women’s hockey team. She’ll never forget the lessons and sensations that came to life during that U18 tournament, which was staged in St. Catharines, Ontario. She played well overall, totaling three goals in five games. She felt the energy of playing for her country on Canadian soil. She stepped on the ice at the Meridian Center and saw a crowd of 5,500 – by far the largest in the event’s history – waiting to see the gold-medal match versus the United States.
A 3-2 overtime loss to the Americans stung, but when Shirley looks back at the big picture, she remembers a fortifying experience.
“It was a huge step in your hockey career,’’ she said. “You’re developing as a player, but as a person, too.
“It’s a place where you’re really able to develop your game a lot and learn a lot, but you also meet different people. It’s a really exciting time.’’
Shirley returned for the U18 Worlds a year later in the Czech Republic, earning the award for best forward in the tournament. Though she came away with another silver medal following a 3-1 loss to Team USA in the finals, she got a chance to travel abroad and create bonds with two future UW teammates on Team Canada: Brette Pettet and Daryl Watts.
“I remember learning so much from all the people that were there,’’ Shirley said.
The journey for Shirley will hit home – somewhat literally – when the 2022 version of the IIHF U-18 Women’s World Championship is held in Madison and Middleton starting Monday. A year after the event was shelved by the COVID pandemic, games in Madison will be played at LaBahn Arena, headquarters for the UW women’s team, while the matches in Middleton will be held at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena.
“It’s going to be awesome,’’ Shirley said.
When Shirley returns to campus for classes this summer, she will be joined by Britta Curl, a fellow winger negotiating a similar path.
Curl, from Bismarck, North Dakota, won a gold medal in 2018 playing for Team USA in the U18 Worlds in Dmitrov, Russia. She’ll be back with UW after spending last season in-residence with USA Hockey as a candidate for the U.S. Olympic Team. At one point, Curl was summoned to Beijing, China, to play for the Americans, but tested positive for COVID at the last minute and was scratched.
On the way to helping Team USA to the U18 gold medal, Curl got a chance to appreciate the impact of being on a big international stage.
“It was a huge deal,’’ she said. “I tried for two years (to make the U.S. team). The first year I made the U.S. selects team, but didn’t end up on the roster to go to worlds that year. That really hurt. The next year I made the team and that was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in hockey.’’
Curl said the process had a two-fold affect.
“First, it really helps personally for your confidence,’’ she said. “I was playing North Dakota high school at the time and to jump up to that level and be successful, it helped me realize I was ready for the next level. I think it also showed the Wisconsin coaches, the Team USA evaluators that I could make the jump. I wouldn’t say it guarantees you an invite to the next camp, but it sure helps.’’=
Shirley and Curl had both committed to Wisconsin before their appearances in the U18 tournament. Three members of the U.S. outfit that will play here next week – forwards Laila Edwards, Claire Enright and Kristen Sims – have all signed National Letters of Intent and will be UW freshmen next season.
The U18 championships are an opportunity for those undecided and those still under-the-radar to make an impression on U.S. college coaches.
“Any success at the international level is going to catch attention from college coaches,’’ Curl said. “I suspect there’ll be quite a few in Madison.’’
Shirley said a great opportunity awaits those teenagers coming to town for the showcase, which runs through June 13.
“That’s a huge tournament for exposure, I think,’’ she said. “I can remember lots of different scouts from schools and coaches being there.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that we get to host it in Madison. This a chance for our community to show the hockey world that we support women and hockey in general. If you enjoy watching hockey, you’re not going to find more players and games to watch than at this tournament.’’Britta Curl on the upcoming IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship at LaBahn Arena
“Being able to get that exposure playing in a tournament like that is obviously going to help you with your hockey career going forward. Certainly it helped me a lot. It’s a great opportunity for all those girls.’’
There’s a distinct Olympic flavor at both tournament venues. UW women’s coach Mark Johnson starred for Team USA during its famed Miracle On Ice gold-medal performance in 1980 and coached the American women to a silver medal in the 2010 Winter Games. He also coached the 17 former Badgers who have played in the Olympics since 2006, including 10 in the ’22 Games.
Cap Ice, meanwhile, is named for its late creator, Bob Suter, who played with Johnson in the ’80 Games. The facility is currently funded by Suter’s son, Ryan, a two-time Olympian and long-time NHL defenseman.
Shirley implored U18 participants to check out the world-class facilities at LaBahn, which opened in 2012 and has a seating capacity of 2,273. That includes the six NCAA championship banners, the photo displays and the hockey-centric aspects of the adjacent Kohl Center.
“It’s an amazing place to be,’’ Shirley said.
Grace Bowlby won a pair of gold medals in the U18 tournament in 2015 and ’16, then developed into a first-team All-America defender for the Badgers in 2021. She said playing in the event in Buffalo, New York, and St. Catharines gave her a lot to think about.
“You get to play with a bunch of people from all over the country; some you know and some you don’t,’’ she said. “It’s fun to build relationships in however many weeks you’re together.
“That was the first time I was exposed to that level of hockey. Normally you’re the best player on your team and you’re used to being the one the coaches and the team lean on to be successful.
“The first year (in the U18 tournament) I was one of the younger players and didn’t play as much as maybe I was used to or was hoping to play. That made me very mentally tough and it made me realize how important it is to cheer your teammates on and how important each person is to the success of the team. We wouldn’t have won gold without every single person on that roster. It makes you better by being there.’’
Bowlby, from Edina, Minnesota, said there’s important meaning in playing for Team USA in the tournament.
“It’s a big deal to be selected for that team,’’ she said, “because it means you’re one of the top players in the U.S. and it’s an honor to represent the U.S.’’
What can fans look forward to?
“That (age) level has gotten so good,’’ Curl said. “They’re so smart and so skilled. They surprise me every time I watch.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that we get to host it in Madison. This a chance for our community to show the hockey world that we support women and hockey in general. If you enjoy watching hockey, you’re not going to find more players and games to watch than at this tournament.’’
Bowlby said players and fans have a lot to look forward to.
“I’m so excited for those girls,’’ she said. “I know that (the tournament) had been cancelled previously, so just having an opportunity for it to occur is super awesome let alone at LaBahn. It’s one of the best arenas I’ve ever played in. Get that building full and there’s not an atmosphere quite like it. It’s so awesome.’’