SIX GOPHERS TO PARTICIPATE AT USA HOCKEY WOMEN'S FESTIVAL

    Five members of Minnesota's 2000 national championship and one newcomer
to the 2000-01 roster have been invited to the 2000 USA Hockey Women's
Festival, Aug. 14-20, in Lake Placid, N.Y.
    USA Hockey announced the 18-player rosters for the four teams that will
compete at the Festival today. The teams will train and compete at the
Olympic Center and will compete in a round-robin tournament, with games
scheduled for Aug. 15-16 and 18. Teams will then be seeded for medal-round
competition with the semifinals schedule for Aug. 19, and the finals for
Aug. 20.
    Gopher sophomore forward Ronda Curtin (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area)
will play for the Red Team, which will be coached by Wisconsin men's hockey
coach, Jeff Sauer. Senior goalie Erica Killewald (Troy, Mich./Troy), senior
defense Courtney Kennedy (Woburn, Mass./Buckingham, Browne & Nichols) and
junior forward Laura Slominski (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville) will be joined
on the Blue Team by incoming frosh Bethany Petersen (Bloomington,
Minn./Bloomington Jefferson) and will be coached by Bowling Green men's
coach, Buddy Powers. Senior defense and 2000 WCHA defensive player of the
year Winny Brodt (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) will play for the Black
Team, under the direction of New Hampshire women's coach, Karen Kay.
    U.S. National Team head coach Ben Smith will oversee the Festival, which
serves as a national-level identification, training and development camp.
Twelve members of the gold medal-winning 1998 U.S. Olympic Team will be in
attendance at the camp.

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Craig Roberts
Asst. Media Relations Director
University of Minnesota Women's Intercollegiate Athletics
Phone: (612) 624-0522     Fax: (612) 624-8018
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