ST. LOUIS — When Team USA women's hockey hits the ice in Beijing to compete for another gold medal, there will be a trio of athletes with St. Louis ties along for the ride.
Team USA announced the women's Olympic hockey team on Saturday, and there will be some familiar names for St. Louisans.
O'Fallon, Missouri, native Jincy Dunne will be a first-time Olympian in 2022. Dunne, 24, plays defense and captained her team at Ohio State for two years, scoring 17 goals and netting 99 total points in 147 games.
Dunne also served as captain for the 2015 IIHF Under-18 USA team that brought home a gold medal at the World Championships.
Most recently, Dunne has been a member of the U.S. Women's National Team that took silver in the IIHF World Championships and also the "My Why Tour," which recently stopped in St. Louis.
The Dunne family has created a hockey dynasty in St. Louis, with multiple family members playing at a high level. Jincy's brother, Josh, recently debuted in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Goaltender Nicole Hensley is originally from Lakewood, Colorado, but became a star at Lindenwood University in St. Charles.
Hensley was a two-time all-conference selection at Lindenwood and was inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen of the Year Hall of Fame following her senior season of 2015-2016.
Hensley, 27, was part of the 2018 Team USA Olympic roster who beat Canada for the gold medal in South Korea. She played in one game in the Olympics, shutting out the Olympic Athletes from Russia and stopping all 13 shots she faced.
Goaltender Alex Cavallini has a named that's sure to be recognizable for St. Louis hockey fans.
Cavallini, 30, was on the roster for Team USA's gold medal in the 2018 Olympics and has been on the U.S. Women's National Team for World Championship teams in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Prior to that, Cavallini was a star at the University of Wisconsin, going 100-23-8 in four seasons in Madison.
Cavallini, who's maiden name is Rigsby, is from Delafield, Wisconsin. She is married to Aidan Cavallini, who is former Blues forward Gino Cavallini's son and former Blues defenseman Paul Cavallini's nephew. Gino also coached Alex growing up.
