UMD women's hockey: Rooney centralizing with Team USA ahead of 2022 Winter Olympics

Duluth News Tribune, Minn.
·2 min read

Jul. 10—Former Minnesota Duluth goaltender Maddie Rooney is one step closer to returning to the Olympics after being invited to take part in the U.S. Women's National Team Residency Program in preparation for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, China.

Rooney is one of 27 players and three goaltenders who has been invited to centralize starting in October at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota, in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Only 23 players, including three goaltenders, will travel with Team USA to Beijing.

The United States is the defending Olympic gold medalist in women's ice hockey from the 2018 Winter Games after Rooney made the game-winning save in a shootout to beat Canada in the final in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She is one of 14 returnees from the 2016 team that will be part of the residency program in Blaine.

Rooney was not among the initial 25 players named to the U.S. Women's National Team for the 2021 Women's World Championship back in March, however, the tournament was postponed at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally set to take place in May in Nova Scotia, the Women's World Championship is now scheduled for Aug. 20-31 in Calgary, Alberta.

A new 25-player roster will be named for the Worlds from the 27 players that are taking part in the residency program in Blaine, meaning former Bulldogs captain Sydney Brodt — who was on the original roster — will no longer be taking part in the World Championship after helping the U.S. win gold in 2019.

A native of Andover, Rooney has helped the U.S. win gold at the Women's World Championship tournament in 2017 and 2019, as well as first at a pair of Four Nations Cups in 2017 and 2018.

Rooney posted a 1.16 goals against average and .945 save percentage at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She shut out Finland with 14 saves in the semifinals and made 29 saves — plus two stops in the shootout — against Canada in the final for a 3-2 win.

Rooney graduated from UMD in 2020 as the program's all-time career leader in saves with 3,449. She has also played more career games than any other UMD goalie (122) and minutes (7,277:49). Her 59 career wins are third most in team history.