Kate Buesser '11 Scores for Team USA

After scoring 43 goals in an illustrious four-year career at Harvard, Kate Buesser ’11 now has one at the international level for Team U.S.A. women’s hockey. Her score was the first of an eight-goal onslaught against Sweden that earned the U.S. National team a third place result at the Four Nations Cup.

Coming into U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey selection camp, Kate Buesser ’11 didn’t expect to make the squad at all. She even had thoughts of giving up her dream of playing in the Olympics. But in late June of this year, Buesser was named to the 2013-2014 U.S. Women’s National Team as one of the five current or former Harvard players that would compete under Crimson women’s ice hockey coach Katey Stone.

But regardless of whether she will make the final cut for 2014 Olympic team in a month, Buesser had one of the highlights of her career this past Saturday.

After a botched face-off eight and a half minutes into the first period, U.S forward Monique Lamoureux swung the puck over to Buesser, who stuffed it into the net to spark the U.S. to give the squad a 1-0 lead. The floodgates opened from there, as the players decked in red, white, and blue scored seven more goals and took 59 shots on the day.

USA had beaten Sweden four days prior, but fell to Canada, 4-2, and Finland, 3-1, in the meantime to set up a third place showdown this past Saturday.

But the cheering by the U.S. bench after Buesser’s goal made it seem like the championship clincher. To make the storyline happier was the fact that Buesser’s family was there to see it all unfold.

For Buesser, the next step is making the final Sochi Winter Olympics squad. U.S. Ice Hockey will cut down the roster from 25 to 21 players in the next month or so. Scoring against Sweden was another step for Buesser in making her dream of making the squad into reality.

"You always hear never give up on your dreams and to be honest I did for a while," Buesser said to USA Hockey. "But when you come back around and realize what you play the game for and to take the chances when you can it's a great feeling."