By USA Hockey, 08/28/25, 12:45PM EDT
DOLNY KUBIN, Slovakia — Kelsey DiClaudio (Plum, Pa.) scored five goals and added an assist to help lift the U.S. Women’s National Sled Team to a 10-0 victory over Norway here today in the preliminary round of the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Women’s Championship at Winter Stadium.
With the win, Team USA wins the Group A preliminary round with six points and a 2-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record. The U.S. will play in the semifinals on Saturday (Aug. 30), with opponent and game time still to-be-determined. Every game from the tournament will stream live on the Paralympics YouTube and World Para Ice Hockey Facebook page.
“It was a really strong start and a great finish,” said Rose Misiewicz (Duluth, Minn.), head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Sled Team. “A complete effort by our team, and I’m so impressed with Kelsey DiClaudio’s performance today.”
DiClaudio put the U.S. out in front early when she collected a feed from Lera Doederlein (San Diego, Calif.) in the slot and slid the puck past Norwegian netminder Stine Frydenlund just 1:56 into the contest.
At the 7:58 mark, DiClaudio carried the puck into the offensive zone, weaving through the defense before firing home a top-shelf wrister to double the lead.
With 4:07 remaining in the period, Doederlein collected a loose puck in the defensive one and used her speed to blow through the neutral zone and create a breakaway chance, finishing off a deke to make it a 3-0 game.
DiClaudio completed a hat trick while on the power play at 2:37 when she buried a wrister from the slot off a feed from Erica McKee (Chicago, Ill.) to give Team USA a 4-0 lead.
Just 35 seconds later, Rachel Grusse (Vernon, Conn.) capitalized on a wrist shot from the top of the left circle. Jamie Benassi (Newtown, Ohio) and Doederlein recorded helpers on the play.
DiClaudio picked up her fourth goal of the contest with just four seconds remaining in the period, weaving through defenders before firing a shot past Frydenlund from the left circle to give Team USA a six-goal advantage.
After a scoreless second period, Doederlein made it a 7-0 game when she picked up her second tally of the contest on a wraparound 45 seconds into the third period.
Just 16 seconds later, DiClaudio scored her fifth goal of the contest when she redirected a pass from Kaden Herchenroether (Allison Park, Pa.) across the goal line from the bottom of the right circle.
At the 2:06 mark of the final frame, Catherine Faherty (Norwell, Mass.) took a penalty shot for the U.S. and capitalized when she slid the puck under the outstretched glove of Frydenlund.
Less than a minute later, Faherty found Grusse at the top of the left circle, who rifled home her second tally of the contest to account for the 10-0 final.
Gabby Graves-Wake (Phoenix, Ariz.) recorded the win in net for the U.S, not allowing a goal in 33:48 of action. Hope Magelky (Bismarck, N.D.) played the final 11:12 of the contest in net for Team USA.
NOTES: Team USA outshot Norway 27-2 … The U.S. was 1-4 on the power play, while Norway was 0-1 … Kelsey DiClaudio was named U.S. Player of the Game.
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