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Six Badgers earn spots on Team USA for World Championships

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Annie Pankowski (Photo by David Stluka)

Annie Pankowski (Photo by David Stluka)

The U.S. roster for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship has a Wisconsin flair as six Badgers, one current and five former, make up more than one-fourth of the 23-player roster that was announced Wednesday by USA Hockey.

UW sophomore Annie Pankowski will join former players Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker, Jessie Vetter and Alex Rigsby in defending the gold medal won by Team USA last year.

Pankowski was a member of the 2015 gold-medal winning IIHF World Championship team and participated in the 2013 and 2014 Four Nations Cups.  She has skated in two Under-22 Series vs. Canada (2014, 2015) and two U-18 Series vs. Canada (2010, 2011).  Pankowski also won silver with Team USA at the U-18 IIHF World Championships in 2012.

The Laguna Hills, California native leads the Badgers this season with 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points.  She became the first UW player to score 50 points in a season since Decker in 2012-13.

The tournament runs March 28 to April 4 in Kamloops, British Columbia.  Team USA will play Canada, Finland and Russia in preliminary action.

Former Badger Osiecki to coach in World Juniors

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Former Wisconsin Badger player and coach Mark Osiecki, was named

Mark Osiecki

Mark Osiecki

the coach of Team USA in the 2015 World Junior Championships.

Osiecki was a top defender on Wisconsin’s 1990 NCAA Championship team.  He also served as an assistant coach under Mike Eaves at Wisconsin when the Badgers won the 2006 National title.  His stay in Madison also included the trip to the NCAA Title game in 2006.

Osiecki is currently an assistant coach in the AHL with Rockford.

The World Juniors run Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Montreal and Toronto.

Osiecki’s staff will include former Badger teammate Don Granato and former Badgers assistant Kevin Patrick.  Granato is currently with the National Team Development Program while Patrick is an assistant at Vermont.