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Pelkey, who was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team last season at the University of Vermont. is to local girls what St. Albans native John LeClair was to young boys growing up playing hockey. A native of Montpelier, Pelkey is not only making a name for herself at UVM, she is also a three-time member of the U.S. Under-18 Women's Team and hopes to wear the red, white and blue in Sochi in 2014. It wasn't just the capacity crowd that As a hockey role model of sorts, Pelkey came away from "The Gutt" impressed by watching the pinnacle of international hockey. Ben Smith has been in on the ground floor of the women's game, and even he knows that hosting a world-class tournament in a place such as Burlington can light the fuse for future growth. "I remember going to the movies on a Saturday afternoon and coming out afterward looking for a Palomino because I just watched Roy Rogers for an hour and a half," said Smith, who coached the U.S. Women's National and Olympic Teams from 1996 to 2006. "You certainly hope there's the spillover of an 8-year-old kid coming in with her mom and dad and looking through the glass at somebody who catches her eye. You hope those seeds get planted in the minds of the young kids who come to these games." Nestled between New York and New Hampshire, with Massachusetts to the south and Canada to the north, the Green Mountain State may rank 49th in population, but for 10 days in early April it was the capital of the women's hockey world. And while the tournament may have put Burlington on the map, at least as far as the international hockey community is concerned, known for years down the road. "When we were tapped [to host the event] well over a year ago, we saw an opportunity here to grow the game, not just in terms of the real success may not be Women's World Championship for only the third time – the first came in 1994 in Lake Placid, N.Y., and again in Minneapolis in 2001 – it looked for a place where the event would not get buried in the sports pages or the collective psyche of local sports fans. And Burlington, with its proud hockey When USA Hockey was asked to host the heritage and a small town feel, proved to be the perfect place as the community embraced its role as host, which was appreciated by competitors and organizers alike. "I community is why we had such great support," said U.S. captain Julie Chu, herself a native New Englander from Connecticut. "Even walking around town, I don't know think the fact that this is a small WATCHING LAST NIGHT WALKED OUT OF THE RINK ALL WIDE EYED AFTER SEEING THAT GREAT GAME. I THINK THAT WILL HAVE A BIG INFLUENCE ON THEM." —AMANDA PELKEY, "I THINK ALL THE LITTLE GIRLS UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT the sheer number of players but the attitude in general," said Keith Barrett, president of Vermont Amateur Hockey. "If you look at our numbers stacked up against the other New England states, we have seen a huge growth in girls' and women's hockey. Vermont has had a great tradition and a great heritage for hockey, and there's more to come." how many people would come up to us and say 'good luck in your game' or 'you're doing great.' It is just a great place to hold a world championship." Team wasn't able to win its fourth straight IIHF title in front of its home crowd, the experience of hosting the tournament was enough to make organizers consider a return engagement. And while the U.S. Women's National "In a perfect world you'd put this event in Madison Square Garden and everybody would know it's on. But we have so much [going on] in this country that we need to put it in a place where it's going to have proper profile," said USA Hockey Executive Director Dave Ogrean. "The experience has been so good that when the time comes down the road to look for the 2017 World Championships, we'll talk to Burlington." And with a little luck, local fans will once again pack "The Gutt," cheering on a few of their own suiting up for Team USA. N The pro-American crowds that packed the Gutterson Fieldhouse gave the host country a lift at the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship in Burlington, Vt. USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM JUNE/JULY.2012 29