COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey has announced the 31 players that have been invited to the 2017 USA Hockey Women's U18 National Festival, which will take place Aug. 8-14 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The festival is an annual event that will also be used to select a 22-player Under-18 Select Team roster for a three-game series against Canada to be held Aug. 17-20 in Lake Placid.

The 31-player roster is comprised of athletes from 15 different states and 11 different districts, and includes seven members of the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team that won gold at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship – Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn.), Lizi Norton (Orono, Minn.), Gracie Ostertag (Shakopee, Minn.), Dominique Petrie (Beverly Hills, Calif.), Lindsay Reed (New Vernon, N.J.), Ally Simpson (Frisco, Texas) and Madeline Wethington (Edina, Minn.).

The players advanced to the Festival after participating in one of the three USA Hockey Girls Player Development Camps hosted in June and July (Girls U18 Select Player Development Camp, U18 Girls Player Development Camp and the 15 Girls Player Development). A complete roster (18 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders) and schedule are available here.

NOTES: All practices and scrimmages associated with the 2017 USA Hockey Women's U18 National Festival will be open to the public. Members of the media can register for a Festival credential here. The final roster for the U.S. Women's Under-18 Select Team that will play Canada Aug. 17-20 in Lake Placid is expected to be announced Monday, Aug. 14. Tickets for the three-game series will be available for purchase at the arena and each game will be streamed live at HockeyTV.com.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.