For the Averill family, representing the U.S. in IIHF competition was a mission that took decades to achieve. Today, Maggie and Caroline are back with the American U18 women’s roster, seeking to defend the gold medals they won a year ago in Switzerland.
But 30 years earlier, their mother Alison was suiting up for the first-ever American U18 women’s select team on a tour to Canada.
That 1995 team won its series in Ottawa, and produced future Olympians including Angela Ruggiero, Jenny Schmidgall and current Team USA defensive coach Courtney Kennedy. It was a pioneering roster, playing in a completely different hockey landscape.
For Alison Coughlin, now Alison Averill, mother of four hockey-playing daughters, watching the transformation of the women’s game inspires excitement, pride – and just a touch of envy.
“I do envy the experience [my daughters] have a bit,” she smiled. “It’s so nice that they have these great friends, teammates and competitors. It’s an awesome thing for a young woman, to band together and learn teamwork and friendships.
“Just watching them have fun with it is the thing I love the most.”
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