Seven Fields resident Ava McNaughton, seen here in action while playing for the University of Wisconsin, is one of 23 players on the U.S. Women’s Hockey roster. The team opens play at the Winter Olympics in Italy next week. Submitted Photo

Ava McNaughton received her athletic inspiration at a very young age.

“I was 5 and watching the 2010 Winter Olympics with my family,” the resident of Seven Fields said. “I remember seeing the U.S. women’s hockey team playing in a game and was just fascinated by it.

“That’s when I began dreaming of playing in the Olympics. That’s the biggest stage in hockey, and I’ve always been a goal-oriented person.”

McNaughton’s dream will soon become reality. As one of 23 players on the U.S. Women’s team roster, the goalie left Thursday for Italy, where the Olympics will be held Feb. 5-22 in Milan.

“We’ve got a good mix of veterans and first-time Olympians,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting over there, competing and hopefully, bringing home the gold.”

Currently a junior at the University of Wisconsin, McNaughton, 21, turned in a superb sophomore campaign that helped her earn a spot on the U.S. women’s team. She compiled a 36-1-2 record, breaking the program standard for wins by a goalie in a single season.

The 2024-25 season ended with her making 20 saves to help Wisconsin defeat Ohio State in the NCAA championship game in March 2025. A month later, she helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 IIHF World Championships in Czechia.

“In June, I found out that I was named to the (preliminary roster of 30) for the U.S. women’s team,” McNaughton said. “But we still had many practices and a four-game series against Canada to get through. We knew only 23 players would make the official roster.”

The final cuts came Dec. 31, and McNaughton was one of three goalies to make the team.

It’s the latest chapter in a story that began in earnest when McNaughton’s parents signed her up for an introductory hockey program at Robert Morris University in 2010.

She went on to play for several youth teams as a goalie, including the Arctic Foxes and Pens Elite, competing against both boys and girls along the way.

“My generation, if you were a girl in this area and wanted to play hockey, you played with and against boys at some point,” McNaughton said. “It was a different pace and style, and it helped my development. I wouldn’t be the player I am today without that experience.

“Growing up near Pittsburgh, the opportunities for girls in hockey were a bit underwhelming, but it has definitely improved over the last decade or so.

“My parents have always been supportive, getting me to wherever I needed to go.”

McNaughton moved to Seven Fields three years ago. She was enrolled in the Pine-Richland School District through the eighth grade. Afterward, she began attending Bishop Kearney High School near Rochester, N.Y., and joined the school’s prestigious girls hockey program, which has produced multiple Olympians. Time there helped her earn an athletic scholarship to Wisconsin.

Two other goalies, Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips, are on the U.S. roster. McNaughton is the youngest of the three and the second-youngest player on the team overall.

The U.S. opens play with a preliminary-round game against Czechia Feb. 5.

“I will have to earn my time on the ice,” she said. “I want to be ready if and when my name is called.”