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12 // OCTOBER 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS COURTESY OF Getty Images (2); Rachel Lewis/Triple Deke Photography The U.S. Women's National Team will crisscross the country on the road to PyeongChang, South Korea as it prepares for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games with a series of games during The Time is Now Tour. The tour, presented by Toyota, will include three meetings against Canada, starting on Oct. 25 in Boston, followed by games in St. Paul, Minn., on Dec. 3 and San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 15. The squad will also face off against Sweden, Finland and Canada at the 2017 Four Nations Cup in Wesley Chapel and Tampa, Fla., Nov. 7-12. Currently ranked No. 1 in the world by the IIHF, Team USA has won seven of the last eight IIHF Women's World Championships, including the last four. It has also medaled in all five Olympic appearances, including a gold medal in the inaugural tournament in 1998. -Pat LaFontaine NHL's vice president of hockey development As stated in the Declaration of Principles, Hockey's greatest value is the role it plays in the development of character and life skills." USA Hockey Partnership Creates Opportunities Within ACHA Ranks k Since its inception in 1991, the American Collegiate Hockey Association has seen its ranks swell from 15 teams to more than 500 men's and women's squads playing non-varsity hockey at colleges and universities across the United States. Part of that growth can be linked to the organization's partnership with USA Hockey, which began in 1997, by creating a cohesive pipeline from the youth hockey ranks to the collegiate game. "A big part of our partnership is to showcase the ACHA as a viable option for youth hockey players to continue playing the game they love while getting an education," said Ashley Bevan, the senior director of adult hockey for USA Hockey. That partnership will continue thanks to a five-year extension that has USA Hockey providing support of the annual ACHA National Championships as well as the two organizations working together to field Men's and Women's National University Teams to compete in the World University Games. ACHA players and coaches also receive the full allotment of USA Hockey member benefits, including access to insurance, educational materials and a yearly subscription to USA Hockey Magazine. "Our member institutions and, most importantly, the thousands of student- athletes that play ACHA Hockey annually will continue to reap the benefits of the solid partnership," said Paul Hebert, president of the ACHA. P ACHA WOMEN The Clock Is Ticking On Women's Team Olympic Prep O F F T HE D R AW THEY SAID IT For more information visit: TheTimeisNowTour.com.