On Friday August 7, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth Girls Program hosted Olympians Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker, members of the United States’ Women’s national hockey team. Nearly 50 girls aged 5 to 15 from LVPY and the surrounding areas participated in the program.

Knight and Decker’s daylong visit was a “mini-camp” version of their program, Olympify Hockey, (www.olympifyhockey.com) which aims to inspire girls to take the next step in developing their game as well as offering unprecedented access to the world-class athletes.

LVPY Girls Coach Lauren Patterson was instrumental in bringing Knight and Decker to the Lehigh Valley. “These women are heroes; it is special to be able to bring in two of the best players,” Patterson said.

The busy day included a media session, an hour-long Q&A, lunch, two hour-long ice sessions and an autograph session.  The girls were treated to displays of Knight and Decker’s incredible skills, and also learned firsthand about the Olympians’ journey to the pinnacle of the game. Judging by the smiles, the girls had lots of fun, which was especially apparent on the ice.

“All the girls were thrilled to learn from some of the best skaters in girls’ hockey.  It was an awesome experience and I’ll never forget meeting the Olympians and working with them,” said Kelsey Staivecki, LVPY Girls U14/Bantam AA.

Judging by the smiles on the ice and off, Olympify Hockey netted all their goals in the Lehigh Valley.

Note: Since the clinic on August 7th, Knight has committed to play in the newly formed professional women’s league, the NWHL, which kicks off in October; although she has yet to reveal which team she will play for. And if you follow Knight on Twitter, you’re familiar with a recent back and forth with Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars regarding a one-on-one challenge. When I asked Hilary about it, she said “it’s on!”