The Winter Olympics get underway in about a month and there will be a lot of local hockey players in Italy who started skating at rinks in New England.
“Massachusetts, New Hampshire, even Maine, Connecticut, all those states have great teams,” said Caroline Harvey, a member of the U.S. women’s hockey team who grew up in Salem, New Hampshire.
“It brings so much emotion. It’s so exciting.”
Rosters for the women’s and men’s hockey teams were announced Friday and they include locals like Harvey and Alex Carpenter. For the men’s team, there’s Matt Boldy, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and head coach Michael Sullivan.
“New England has always been a hockey hot bed so you get a lot of great talent that comes through here,” said David Flint, head coach of Northeastern’s women’s hockey team.
The Boston Fleet – the city’s professional women’s team – is well represented, as are the Bruins.
Jeremy Swayman is one of three goalies and Charlie McAvoy is a double dipper – having played at BU before turning pro.
”You just have the sense of pride watching America compete. It just means something more,” McAvoy said.
A large number of the players are products of local college hockey.
“There’s quite a few of us that went to BC on this team. A lot of girls from Mass. and the New England area so it’s exciting to have those Boston roots,” said Megan Keller, a member the Boston Fleet and Team USA.
The women’s team at Northeastern has four former players on Team USA.
“I’m just proud of our players that have worked so hard to achieve a goal a lot of people only dream of,” said Flint.