BELLAMY ('09) NAMED TO 2010 U.S. OLYMPIC WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY TEAM

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Kacey Bellamy (UNH ’09) was one of 21 players named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team in an announcement made Thursday afternoon by USA Hockey. She will represent the U.S. at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, from Feb. 12-28.

Bellamy, one of six defenseman on the Olympic squad, was selected from the current 23-member 2009-10 U.S. Women’s National Team that has been based in Blaine, Minn., since early September and is competing in the Qwest Tour, which included a Nov. 22 game at UNH’s Whittemore Center vs. the Hockey East All-Stars.

The United States, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, has medaled in all three previous Olympic appearances (1998-gold, 2002-silver, 2006-bronze).

Since 2006, Bellamy has competed on a U.S. team in nine international competitions and compiled two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 29 games. She won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. team at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women’s Championship in both 2008 and 2009, and in both years she recorded two points (all on assists). Bellamy was named one of Team USA’s top three players following the 2009 tournament.

Bellamy is a four-time member of the U.S. team that competed at the Four Nations Cup; the team won the 2008 title and finished as runner-up in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Furthermore, Bellamy is a two-time member of the U.S. Women’s Under-22 Select Team; she had a team-high four points in 2007 and led U.S. defensemen in points (two) in 2008.

In her four-year career at UNH (2006-09), Bellamy amassed 27 goals and 80 assists for 107 points in 143 games. She ranks third on UNH’s leaderboard among defensemen in both assists and points – the school benchmark for points is 108. Bellamy ranked third in the nation in defensemen scoring (0.80 points per game) as a senior en route to being named to the RBK All-America First Team. Her Hockey East accolades included First Team All-Star, Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team; she was also honored as UNH’s Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year.

Bellamy led UNH to four consecutive Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, as well as four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament with two trips to the Frozen Four.

Bellamy will be the fifth UNH alum to compete on a U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team. Karyn Bye (’93), Colleen Coyne (’93) Tricia Dunn (’96) and Sue Merz (’94) all skated for the 1998 gold-medal team that was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame earlier this year. Bye and Merz also skated on the 2002 Olympic team, while Dunn competed again in both ’02 and ’06.