With only 35 Division I Women’s Ice Hockey programs in the country and 18 full scholarships available, an invitation to the camp usually puts players on the radar to be scouted by college hockey coaches. The July camp was the second week-long national camp for Natalie and the first for Annie. Both have been playing since they were 5 or 6 years old and reached the quarterfinals of their age group’s national tournament last year as members of the Pittsburgh Pens Elite Girls team.
Playing for an elite travel team, on the road many weekends during the season, can be a grind mentally, financially and physically,.
"There are no open ice checks in women's hockey, but that doesn't mean it's not physical," Annie said. "It's a lot harder than people think. They know football and men's hockey are tough, but we're traveling every other weekend. It seems like we're always gone and having to catch up on school work. There's a lot of driving to tournaments. And then on the ice, we get beat up a lot. It's much more challenging than people give us credit for."
Although the skill level is high at the elite league level, it's nothing like what the girls faced at the development camp.
"Every single girl is so good that it's very competitive," Natalie said. "The hardest part of the camp is probably going through all the skill sessions before we start team practices and playing games. It's pretty physically demanding. By the end of the day I'm beat. You can see in people's faces by the end of the week that they're pretty tired. I think it just shows you that this level is more competitive and because of the skill level, participating gives you a higher level of expectation. Everybody who attends is a first liner on their amateur teams."
"It's not all on the ice," Annie added. "We worked out, did team bonding activities, and attended seminars. I learned what it takes to take your hockey game the next level and many other tips on hockey."
"Some of my favorite memories included hanging out with friends before and after an ice session and playing the games," Annie said. She then went on to explain that since all the girls attending the camp were already strong fundamentally, there were a lot of team-based activities that were focused on developing mental aptitude and learning to play in a system.
Both Annie and Natalie said they felt that they improved as players during the week.
"I felt I was definitely a better player at the end of the week because I played with some highly skilled players throughout the week," Annie said. It made it more challenging to go up against players at that level. I had to step up my game and that's why I feel I improved. Everyone around you develops and when you take your game up a level everyone around has to match you."
"The high level of hockey is what I remember most," Natalie said. "I see improvement in my game because of the camp. While I think most of the contact from colleges comes from my amateur team, the recruiters do keep aware of who has been invited to and attends the camp."
The girls also felt that there was much to be gained off the ice as well. Both said they grew socially because everyone was initially strangers thrown into a melting pot.
"It was fun to stay in the dorms," Annie said. "I roomed with someone I never met before, so it was cool getting to know people from other parts of the country and learning about their lives and home towns. My roommate was from Boston and her accent was funny to me and mine was to her. It was a good mix of cultures."
"I made some really good friends that I talk to all the time," Natalie added. "Some of the girls I keep in touch with are from Minnesota and New Hampshire. We're all different, but we have the hockey in common, so that helps us open up."
Each player has had contact with colleges and hope for an opportunity to play at the Division I level, but that's not the end of it. Seminars at the camp gave insight to the opportunities available to the girls. A college education is an important factor. Looking towards the future, Penn State is one of Natalie's top schools. Annie hopes for a D-I shot, however she's open to playing D-III at the right school. There will be national team opportunities and further down the road, the possibility of playing for National Women's Hockey League that formed this year.
"I would definitely encourage more females to get into hockey,"Annie said. "Work hard at it and amazing things can happen."
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