Krissy Wendell-Pohl - Playing Career

Playing Career

While attending Park Center Senior High School, she led the Girls Hockey Team to a State Championship. When she graduated from high school, Krissy Wendell was the state of Minnesota's all time leading girls' high school scorer She went on to be one of the stars on the American national women's hockey team and served as their team captain. She was also a co-captain of the University of Minnesota Gophers women's hockey team. She is a forward, and has scored 133 points in two seasons (2002–2003, 2003–2004) for the Gophers. Wendell scored the game-winning goal in the 2005 WCHA championship game against Wisconsin. She followed that with a hat trick against ECAC champion Harvard. She was the NCAA runner-up in the scoring race to Gophers teammate Natalie Darwitz with 98 points. She did manage to lead the NCAA in short handed goals with seven. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2005 for best female collegiate hockey player. Krissy Wendell became the first player from Minnesota, and the first from the WCHA to win the Patty Kazmaier Award.

She made her debut with the U.S. National Team at the Three Nations Cup in 1998. At the 2005 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships, Wendell led all players in scoring with 9 points as the USA won its first gold medal at the women's world championships. She was chosen to represent the United States in the XX Olympic Winter Games.