The pinnacle of American women's ice hockey is a game against Canada. The two national teams operate on a different talent plane, and the rivalry is more defined than the border separating the two nations. It's the sport's answer to the Hatfields and the McCoys, a never-ending turf war littered with wins and losses for both rosters.
The talent level is the most elite, so for the feeder programs, sending even one player into the matchup is a badge of honor. Programs sending more players become starlets in their own right, simply because legends born into the matchup are first hatched at the collegiate level.