Five local girls play international hockey with Team USA

Maureen Mullen | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

PHOTO: Lexie Laing of Marblehead is one of five local players on Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s Under-18 championship in Hungary.

When the countdown timer on Katie Burt’s phone sounded off at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Star-Spangled Banner played. The 17-year-old from Lynn boarded a plane bound for Budapest, where she will represent Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s Under-18 World Championship.

“It is a huge honor,” said Burt, who has verbally committed to Boston College. “Getting to represent your country is probably one of the coolest things in the world. I’ve wanted to put on a USA jersey since I was a kid. I can’t believe that it’s actually going to come true.”

A junior goalie at Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge, Burt is among a contingent of five from the Bay State who will play for Team USA in Hungary from Sunday to the medal round March 30.

Becca Gilmore of Wayland, a freshman forward at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham who turned 16 last month, is one of the youngest on the team. It helps having her Nobles teammates at the world tournament: senior forwards Kenzie Kent of Norwell and Lexie Laing (pictured) of Marblehead are both making return appearances for Team USA.

Laing was named player of the year in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference after leading Nobles to an unbeaten regular season. The Independent School League champs finished 28-1-1 after losing to the Westminster School of Simsbury, Conn., 3-0, in the Division 1 NEPSAC tournament final.

“That’s incredible,” Gilmore said. “I’m so lucky to have two seniors at Nobles who are also going. They’re just great leadership on the ice and they really help me find my pathway on this team and introduce me to a lot of people they know.

“And I just look up to them as role models for me. It’s really nice knowing you have that support system when you are going to go and play.”

The US team will be looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to Canada in the finals of last year’s tournament, which was played in Finland. Canada tied the game with 12 seconds left in regulation before its overtime win.

Meeting players from other countries is one of the bonuses of playing in an international event.

“That was probably the best part for me,” said Kent, who has committed to playing for Boston College next year. “We formed a really good relationship with Team Russia. It was cool because we did not know what they were saying; they didn’t know what we were saying. They came to our game — the final game — they brought signs. It was against Canada in the championship, and Team Russia brought signs saying ‘Go USA’ and they cheered for us. It was awesome.

“Even if you don’t play a lot, you’re still going to get a great experience out of it.”

Woburn native Courtney Kennedy, a US Olympian in 2002 (silver medal) and 2006 (bronze), is returning to the U-18 team for her second year as assistant coach, the same position she holds at Boston College.

“I think for these kids this is the first step in being involved in something bigger than themselves, a bigger program,” Kennedy said. “So being selected for this team is very impressive because there are a lot of good hockey players out there who are under 18 and eligible for this program.

“The best part, and you really want to be in there to see it, is when the kids first get their jerseys,” Kennedy said. “You really want to see them look at it. It’s the USA jersey. It’s incredible to look at. It’s incredible to have in your stall with your name on the back.”

It also represents how far girls’ and women’s hockey has come in this country, especially in this area. The Massachusetts contingent, which also includes Caitrin Lonergan of Roslindale, is second only to Minnesota — with six players — on the team playing in Budapest.

“When I was that age,” said Kennedy, who will turn 35 while in Hungary, “there was a U-18 group that played in Canada and it was called the 18 select team. I think it was ’96, ’97. But it wasn’t a U-18 team as they are now, because they were kind of new.

“I’m from Woburn and when I grew up playing there wasn’t any girls’ hockey team. So you played with boys. And I ended up going to a prep school because I didn’t want to play for the boys’ team in high school, because they were big.

”These girls will be among the pool of candidates for the next two Olympic games. It’s hard for them not to think about it.

“It’s not necessarily one step away. [But] it’s one step closer,” said Burt. “It’s a possibility. You’re not just saying ‘Oh, I want to be an Olympian.’ It’s within reach. It’s possible.”

Laing has committed to playing at Harvard next year, where she will join her sister Brianna, a goalie for the Crimson.

“It’s definitely something I want to happen,” she said of playing in the Olympics some day. “[The U-18 world championship] is like a good step toward it, but then they always tell us everyone takes their own path. . . . So I think you just have to keep working hard and then make your own path and then see what happens in four years.”

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