April 2, 2007

Current women's ice hockey player Mari Pehkonen (Tampere, Finland) and former Friar Kelli Halcisak '04 will participate in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championships. Halcisak will be skating for team USA, while Pehkonen will represent Finland.

Halcisak, a 2003 (second team) and 2004 (first team) All-American, will take her place on the blue line as Team USA looks to defend its 2005 world championship title. As a Friar she recorded 119 points (43 goals, 76 assists) and helped lead PC to three consecutive league championships. In 2003 and 2004, Halcisak was named HOCKEY EAST Tournament MVP for her efforts in helping PC to the titles. Halcisak was also a member of the silver medal winning 2004 U.S. World Championship team.

Pehkonen, a sophmore forward, is coming off a career year for the Friars. She notched a team high 18 goals and 11 assists for 29 points. Her ten power-play goals in league play ranked her tied for first in HOCKEY EAST. In helping PC to a second place finish in the HOCKEY EAST Tournament, Pehkonen was named to the All-Tournament team, as she had a goal and an assist in the tournament.

Former Friar Karen Thatcher '06, initially listed as a lock for Team USA when the preliminary roster was released, is unable to compete due to a knee injury. The 2007 Championship will take place from April 3-10 in Winnepeg and Selkirk Man. Team USA's first game will be played on April 3 versus Kazakhstan, while Finland will open its tournament slate against Russia on April 4.