April 14, 2008

Providence College women's ice hockey junior forward Mari Pehkonen (Tampere, Finland) led Team Finland to a bronze medal finish in the 2008 women's ice hockey world championship, while former Friars Karen Thatcher '06, as well as Jackie Barto '84, helped Team USA to the Gold.

Barto, who served as the head coach for Team USA, Thatcher and Team USA beat Canada by a score of 4-3 in the Gold medal game at the Baqu Arena in Harbin, People's Republic of China on April 12. Prior to the gold-medal contest, Finland beat Switzerland by a score of 4-1 to secure the Bronze medal. Pehkonen notched the game-tying goal for the Fins early in the second period.

For the tournament, Pehkonen played in five games, recording three goals and three assists for six points on her way to being named Team Finland's best forward as voted by the coaches. Thatcher played in five games for Team USA, notching two goals and posting a +2 plus/minus ranking for the tournament.

Barto, currently the head coach at The Ohio State University, served as Team USA's head coach, leading USA to its second Gold medal in the 11 year history of the tournament. As a Friar, Barto tallied 113 goals and 87 assists for 200 points. Her 200 points are the fifth most all-time at PC. Barto also served as the head coach of the women's hockey team at PC, leading the Friars to the 1995 ECAC Title.

Pehkonen is a seasoned veteran for Team Finland, having appeared in the 2006 Olympics and the 2007 World Championship as well as the 2007 Four Nations Cup. Pehkonen finished 2008 as the Friars' third leading scorer with 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists. For her play in the 2008 Hockey East Tournament, including two goals versus Connecticut in PC's 5-1 upset win in the semifinals, Pehkonen was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive season.

While at Providence, Thatcher finished her career with 167 points in 132 games played and she had a hand in PC's Hockey East Tournament titles in 2004 and 2005. Thatcher ranks 10th in career points and led the team in scoring for the second straight time in 2005 with 47 points. She earned the Hockey East Sportsmanship award three consecutive seasons. Thatcher was named an All-America second team selection in her final season with the Friars.