When the process began, there were more than 300 hopefuls trying to land a spot on the USA Hockey Women's National U18 team.
Now that number has been whittled to 28, and Roseville's Lee Stecklein and Kate Flug are still in the running.
Stecklein and Flug are among the 10 defensemen, 16 forwards and two goalies who were invited to the USA Hockey Women's National Festival in Blaine.
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Stecklein was on the team last year and has been named one of the team's captains, while Flug is hoping to land a spot for the first time this season.
“For Kate to be part of this and still be one of the younger players in the mix, that says a lot about her skill level,” said Heather Linstad, head coach of the U.S. U18 team. “She wins a lot of faceoffs, and she's got good vision so she sees the ice very well. And she's a good passer.”
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Not bad for someone who didn't start playing hockey until she was eight.
“My younger brother started playing hockey, so I did too,” Flug said.
Flug said the increased speed of the game has been her biggest adjustment.
“In high school (hockey), you have some good girls, but here everyone is at that (high) level,” Flug said. “You can't take any breaks on the ice.”
Flug admitted it was “intense” to think about playing against famous Olympians like Jenny Potter and Julie Chu.
“It's weird to think about that some day we might be at that level,” she said. “And that they were once like us.”
Linstad said Stecklein is expected to be a big part of this year's team.
“Lee, she's a top defenseman,” Linstad said. “Certainly her size is an asset, and she's got great reach. She plays the rush very well.”
Stecklein said she's a little more relaxed going through this year's festival.
“It's nice to know a little bit about what's ahead,” she said. “I remember last year how terrified I was.”
Stecklein, 17, said she wasn't sure hockey was her sport until she was a freshman, when she made an all-star team at hockey camp. That's the same year she first secured a spot on the Roseville Area High School team, where she'll be a senior this season.
“I tried out for varsity in eighth grade and didn't make it,” she said. “I couldn't play JV as an eighth-grader because they had too many (older) players.”
The festival started last week and continues through Saturday at the National Sports Center.
