Former Wildcats Are Olympics Bound

Tricia Dunn '96 vividly remembers the first hockey game that she ever saw. "I was 5 or 6," she says, "and wanted to participate in a learn-to-skate program in Derry, New Hampshire. My parents thought I should actually see a game before they invested in the equipment. And I remember being in the stands and saying to them, 'This is what I want to do.'"

Sue Merz '94 will play hockey for the US team in the Winter Olympics.

Dunn says that her teammates on the U.S. Women's National Team all agree that there was always something magical about hockey, something that made them forfeit other sports and hobbies to play it--the athleticism that it takes to skate and play a game, perhaps, or maybe the speed. The magic continues for Dunn, a forward, and her teammates, defensemen Sue Merz '94 and Karyn Bye '93, as they were named in December to the 20-woman squad that will compete at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. All three were members of the 1998 team, which won a gold medal, and they hope to repeat that feat in March. The former UNH teammates are not the only women with a UNH connection to make the team; Tara Mounsey, sister of UNH men's hockey defenseman Mick Mounsey '04, will play defense for Team USA.

Tricia Dunn '96 with Merz and Bye were part of the '98 team which brought home the gold.

All three UNH graduates were standout players for the Wildcats. Bye was the second player in the history of the UNH women's ice hockey program to score 100 career goals and left the program ranked fourth on the all-time scoring list at 100-64-164; her 164 points currently ranks eighth. When she joined the U.S. Team, Bye made the transition to defense. Merz scored 55 goals and made 57 assists over her four years as a Wildcat for a total of 112 points. Dunn finished her Wildcat career with 117 points on 60 goals and 57 assists.

Merz, Dunn and Bye have been playing professional hockey since they graduated from UNH and are supported by grants and stipends from USA Hockey. Last season, they spent an intense six months training at the Lake Placid Training Center. This season, they have been touring to promote women's hockey and generate excitement for the upcoming Olympic games. In the United States, the crowds have ranged from 1,500 to 8,000 people. "We drew 15,000 people in Calgary, though, and that was pretty exciting," Merz says.

Karyn Bye '93 scored 100 goals for the UNH Wildcats in her college career.

Dunn and Merz say that this might be their last season. Dunn would like to teach elementary education, and Merz is thinking about working in research and development for an equipment company. "I'm so glad that I have chosen this for my lifestyle," Merz says. "Besides the obvious benefits of staying in shape, being in competitive sports has taught me how to focus, how to work hard and be decisive, all skills that will serve me well in the next phase of my career."