PLYMOUTH, MICH. -
Shannon Szabados didn’t want to use the “R” word, because it just wasn’t right.
Yes, the four women who will make their world hockey championship debut Friday night are technically rookies. But as Szabados said, motioning towards 5-foot-10 power forward Laura Stacey, they sure don’t look like rookies.
Nor do they play like them.
“They seem like veterans already,” the 30-year-old Team Canada goalie said prior to Friday’s tournament opener against the United States. “They’re faster, they’re stronger and they definitely shoot the puck harder. The young players coming up are giving the veterans a run for their money.