UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State women’s ice hockey’s Natalie Heising has been invited to the 2018 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival, to be held Aug. 6-13 in Lake Placid, New York. The rising sophomore will have an opportunity to claim a spot with Team USA’s U-22 Select Team.
Heising is one of 75 players invited to the camp, which includes players vying for a position on U-18 and U-22 rosters. Two teams of 22 players will be selected from the festival to compete in a separate three-game series versus Team Canada Aug. 16-19 in Calgary, Alberta.
Joining Heising in Lake Placid will be Penn State assistant coach Allison Coomey, who was invited as one of its coaching instructors for the camp.
“We are super pumped for Natalie,” said Nittany Lion head coach Jeff Kampersal. “Considering the year she had and being named CHA Rookie of the Year, she is deserving of this opportunity to compete for a spot with USA Hockey. She will be given the chance to showcase her competitiveness and scoring ability, which are her trademarks at Penn State.”
No stranger to competing in international competition with Team USA, Heising was invited to the National Festival in 2016 and was selected to the U-18 roster that competed against Canada. Heising also won gold medals with the U-18 Select Team at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Heising had a record-setting year in her freshman season with the Nittany Lions in 2017-18. The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native had 19 goals to set a rookie program record. She also set a program record and tied for the NCAA lead with 10 power play markers. Heising was named College Hockey America’s 2017-18 Rookie of the Year while also being selected an All-CHA Second Team performer.
For additional information on the 2018 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival, visit Team USA’s U-22 Select Team page.
For the latest updates on Penn State women’s ice hockey, follow @PennStateWHKY on Twitter, “like” the Penn State Women’s ice hockey page on Facebook, and follow @pennstatewhky on Instagram.