ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Bishop Kearney’s AAA hockey program has reached a new milestone. The 19U girls team won the USA Hockey National Championship, marking a significant achievement for the program.
The Bishop Kearney Selects have a history of producing top talent in women’s hockey. Many players have gone on to excel in college and international play. The program’s director Cari Coen said, “This program has proven over time, over the last nine years, that it’s one of the best in the country.”
“We had five young ladies won national championship, with Wisconsin at the Division one level,” said Coen.
Megan Healy, a player on the team, shared her experience, saying, “I’ve been here for five years and I think this is the third time I’ve been in a national championship. It kind of always felt like there’s maybe like a little bit of a curse on us. We couldn’t break it.”
The team broke the curse this past Sunday by winning its first national championship. “It’s so surreal. Like, it’s a moment we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives,” said Bella Fanale.
The Selects entered the USA Hockey Tier 1 tournament with confidence, defeating Assabet Valley 4-1 in the semifinals and North American Hockey Academy 8-0 in the final. Nela Lopušanová, who scored five goals across the two games, said, “You could feel the energy. And it was incredible.”
“No one was really that comfortable until like two minutes left in the third,” said Healy. “And then it kind of all hit us, and you start getting emotional on the bench.”
Head Coach Chelsea Walkland expressed the team’s bond, saying, “They’re going to be best friends for life. And, I think this is a really special place where, you know, people, they go through it and they become sisters at the end of it.”
The program’s success is expected to continue as players move on to higher levels. “We have four or five players with Team USA and some other international teams with Slovakia and Czechia, Germany coming up this week for the World Championships,” said Coen. “Being a part of it and seeing them grow and chase their dreams here, but then chase their dreams and live their dreams, to see where they are today is pretty special.”
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