Lera Doederlein will do everything in her power to make sure that the Team USA wins its third title in as many years at the World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Challenge, but she believes that the real winner this time around will be the sport of sled hockey.
For the first time since its inception in 2022, the Women’s World Challenge will be played away from U.S. soil. The event will take place Oct. 25-28 at Skien Fritidspark in Skien, Norway, where the U.S. will take on Canada, Great Britain, Team Europe and Team Pacific.
“Finally to have a host outside of the United States is a huge thing, at least from a player’s perspective,” Doederlein said. “Bringing it internationally is going to show a lot of younger girls that there’s a lot more room to grow the sport.
“Over here in Norway, it’s really cool to see even local support seems to be growing. It’s going to have an impact for future years.”
Doederlein, a 21-year-old forward from Escondido, California, said that growth has been apparent already in the U.S. Since she started playing with the U.S. Women's Development Sled Hockey Team in 2019, she’s never seen tryout camps as large as the ones that have taken place ahead of this tournament.
Doederlein, who led all skaters in scoring at last year’s Women’s World Challenge with eight points (3g, 5a), said she likes how the U.S. team has looked in Norway.
“We’ve had a few really good ice sessions so far,” she said. “The time change definitely threw us off a bit. Most of us pulled through the first full day and then slept for like 10 to 12 hours, thankfully.”
A well-rested U.S. team will be tough to beat. The Americans, who added only one new player, return everyone else from a group that has never lost in the event. In addition to Doederlein, other key players include second-leading scorer Catherine Faherty and alternate captain Kelsey DiClaudio.
“I’m pretty excited to have our team pretty much the same,” Doederlein said. “We can kind of just tighten up on some things that we’re always working on. We’re just dialing in a few things and really just working on communicating with each other.
“We’ve been playing for a pretty long time with the same squad. We’re here for one thing, and that’s to play.”
Doederlein, who was born in Russia and moved to the U.S. when she was 2, began playing sled hockey when she was 14. On top of hockey, she also competes in Para Nordic skiing and made her Paralympic debut in the sport two years ago in Beijing.
She hopes that women’s sled hockey will one day be included at the Games as well.
“That’s kind of always been our biggest goal,” she said. “Right now we’re looking at smaller goals, obviously, to create that potential.”
One short-term goal is a more competitive Women’s World Challenge, which Doederlein foresees this year now that teams have had more time to play together.
“We’re definitely going to be seeing some more competition on the ice, which is really cool.” she said. “Each team has had time to develop more. We’ve had time to develop more. I know that there will be a lot more competitiveness from each team, which the sport does need. People outside of the sport will see that we’re more serious about it because it’s going to be a tighter game this year.
Doederlein said the tougher competition comes with added pressure, but she described that as “good pressure” to have in an environment like this.
In between international tournaments, she has continued to work on her individual game and on maximizing her skill set.
“I’m just trying to round myself out a bit more,” she said. “I’m not just playing to put the puck in the net. I’m playing to protect my net, playing to protect my teammates and myself.
“My teammates are my family, so I’m just ready to put in the work. I’m just kind of ready to play.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
2024 Women’s World Challenge Schedule & Results
| Date | Opponent/Round | Time (Local/ET)/Result | Location | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 25 | Team Europe | W, 8-0 | Skien Fritidspark Skien, Norway |
Live Stream |
| Saturday, Oct. 26 | Great Britain | 5:00 p.m./11:00 a.m. | Skien Fritidspark Skien, Norway |
Live Stream |
| Sunday, Oct. 27 | Team Pacific | 8:30 p.m./2:30 p.m. | Skien Fritidspark Skien, Norway |
Live Stream |
| Monday, Oct. 28 | Canada | 5:00 p.m./11:00 a.m. | Skien Fritidspark Skien, Norway |
Live Stream |
Source: usahockey.com