Minnesota homecoming sweet for members of U.S. National Team

ST. PAUL --Earlier this month, the United States Women's National Team took the ice at Xcel Energy Center for an exhibition game against Canada's National Women's Team, part of USA Hockey's The Time is Now tour. Every now and again, though, three members of the team are content to influence the game off the ice.
Hannah Brandt, Kelly Pannek, and Maddie Rooney are Minnesotans through and through, each playing hockey for as long as they can remember. Brandt and Panek played at the University of Minnesota, while Rooney plays for the University of Minnesota Duluth.

In fact, Pannek and Rooney are still in school, taking time off from their studies to train for the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
"It's kind of like having a regular job," Pannek said. "Maybe not with the amount of hours spent actually at the rink but when you kind of add in everything from the mental side to off-ice training and on-ice, it is like that full-time job."
Especially now, as the top American women's hockey players wrap up their nationwide tour that included winning the Four Nations Cup in Florida, there's little extra time. As the clock ticks down to the final roster reveal, things are even busier for the No. 1 ranked team in the world.
"We train six days a week usually, with some games spread in there," Pannek said. "Then it's just kind of every day practicing, working out, making sure you're getting your rest and off-ice stuff done as well as taking care of any minor injuries or stuff like that."
"And nutrition," Rooney added.
But between games, training events and media, the three enjoy chances to get back to Minnesota and spend time with friends, family and the hockey community.

"The atmosphere in Minnesota is always great," Rooney said.
"Whether it's family or friends, they're just so excited to come watch," the Plymouth-born Pannek said. "That's what makes it really cool as a shared experience."
And while being back in the Twin Cities is a family affair, the upcoming Olympics will be as well for Brandt. Her older sister, Marissa, was born in South Korea and will suit up for the host country for the first time. Marissa will go by her birth name, Park Yoon-jung, throughout training and the tournament.
"I'm super excited for my sister and myself to both be on teams and that we'll be together and share that moment and experience," Brandt said.
Even with such a monumental event ahead of them on the global stage, the three athletes still haven't forgotten their Minnesota roots. Though they all grew up playing multiple sports, hockey is the one that remains -- and when they think toward the future of girls' hockey in Minnesota and around the entire United States, all three are optimistic.
Each player's path to career success was different, and each faced unique challenges and obstacles - especially since the resources available for girls' hockey were less developed than they are for girls today.
Andover native Rooney grew up playing on boys' teams. The Brandts played roller hockey on their neighborhood streets in Vadnais Heights.
Now, their latest games have been televised on NHL Network and NBC Sports Network, shining an early spotlight on the U.S. team before their games are televised to the world from Kwandong Hockey Centre and Gangneung Hockey Centre, nearly 6,200 miles away from St. Paul.
The players hope their recent international tour will also help draw attention to the women's game and even inspire some young players to pick up their first hockey stick.
Ahead of the Wild's Girls Hockey Weekend presented by Schwan's this weekend, all three offered key advice for those developing players.
"You've got to just have fun," Rooney said. "At that age you make some of the best teammates and friends, and just enjoy it."
"Some days are better than others, but as long as you enjoy it, it makes the whole experience better," Pannek said. "It makes you a better player as well."
"And when you're having fun, you want to get better," Brandt added.
Always having fun at the rink is part of what drove the three to stick with hockey above and beyond other sports. Pannek said she wouldn't be at this point if she didn't enjoy every aspect of hockey, from run-of-the-mill drills to games and everything in between. And for aspiring athletes, she said, that's what really matters -- no matter what sport they may play or how they learn to play it.
Related items:
- Wild rolls in spite of injuries - Former Olympian Wendell practices with Minnesota - Watch: Women's national team players talk girls hockey