Team USA Women’s Hockey opens play in a few weeks at Italy’s Winter Olympics, and Getzville native Hayley Scamurra will be ensuring there’s a distinct Western New York presence.
The team’s competitive relationship with Canada is an important dynamic that helps drive them to greater heights, She said.
“Whether it's at a world championship, whether it's at an Olympics, whether it's even rivalry series that we started in 2019," Scamurra said. "And so I just think it, you know, it cultivates that natural competitiveness that's in all of us that we want to be the best. And it's always so much fun, honestly like, it's not too hard to get amped up for those games, for sure.”
This will be Scamurra’s second Olympic appearance, earning silver with Team USA during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She also has three gold medals and three silver across six world championships, and helped the former Buffalo Beauts franchise win the 2017 National Women's Hockey League championship.
The passion for women's hockey is palpable in Buffalo, and Scamurra expects to see the city with another professional team in the future.
"They love their hockey; I think it would be a great market. I feel like you can get fans from, you know, Canada and from the States there," she said. "And you know, they show up for their hockey, for sure, especially when teams are doing well."
Scamurra now plays for the Ottawa Victoire in the Professional Women's Hockey League, making her the first person to play on all three Canadian PWHL teams, including the Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres.
Women’s ice hockey is scheduled for February 7 to 13 at the Olympics.
