SAM FABER

HARBIN, China and MISKOLC, Hungary –– Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.) and Sam Faber (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) of the University of New Hampshire women’s ice hockey team won a gold medal as members of the U.S. Women’s National Team at the IIHF World Women’s Championship Division I on April 12, while fellow UNH Wildcat Angela Taylor (Paisley, Scotland) led Great Britain to a gold medal in Division III that same day.

Twin sisters Julia and Stefanie Marty (Nussbaumen, Switzerland) led the Swiss national team to the bronze medal game – the nation’s first appearance in a medal game – in the Division I tourney, but Finland captured the bronze with a 4-1 victory.

Bellamy, a junior defenseman at UNH in ’08, tallied two assists in the gold-medal game, including one on the game-winning tally, to lead the U.S. to a 4-3 victory against Canada. She recorded her first point of the tournament with an assist on the team’s second goal of the game, which gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead early in the second period. Bellamy also set up the goal that gave her team a 4-1 advantage later in the middle stanza. Bellamy played in four of the five tourney games and finished with 0-2-2 as well as a +2 rating.

Faber, a junior forward this past season, also skated in four games for the U.S. team. She did not record a point and was even in plus/minus. It was the first time competing on the U.S. National Team for both Faber and Bellamy.

Taylor, with team highs in goals (six) and shots (40), led Great Britain to an undefeated tournament and the right to be elevated to Division II in 2009. In the gold-medal game vs. Slovenia, Taylor scored the game-tying goal late in the third period and scored the only goal in the shootout to give Great Britain the 3-2 win. The junior forward finished the tourney with 6-2-8 as well as a +9 rating to earn selection as Best Forward by the Directorate.

ANGELA TAYLOR

In the tourney opener vs. Korea, Taylor recorded two assists, including one on the game-winning goal. She had two-goal efforts vs. both Croatia and Hungary; she netted the game-winning goal vs. Hungary and received Best Player honor in that game. This marked a successful return to international competition for Taylor, who was on the national team from 2001-05.

Stefanie Marty played in all five tournament games and recorded six points on four goals and two assists. Her other statistics included a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal and a +6 rating. She scored the team’s first goal of the tourney in a 3-0 preliminary-round win against Germany and had two points with a goal and an assist in a qualifying-round win (4-3 in overtime) against Sweden. The freshman forward then scored both goals in a 2-1 victory against Russia that lifted Switzerland into the bronze-medal game.

Julia Marty tallied two points – both on assists – and an even plus/minus rating in playing all five tournament games. She set up her sister’s goal that gave the Swiss a 1-0 lead in the 3-0 victory against Germany in the opener and tallied another assist in the third period for a two-point effort. Both Marty sisters have been members of the Swiss National Team since 2003.

STEFANIE MARTY

JULIA MARTY