Lindenwood women's hockey head coach Shelley Looney and former goalie standout Nicole Hensley will represent the Lions at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championships, Aug. 25-Sept. 4 in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark.

This is Hensley's fourth appearance at the women's worlds with the U.S. She was previously a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. squad in 2021 while the team brought home the gold medal in 2016 and 2017. The Lakewood, Colo., native won a silver medal in 2022 and a gold medal in 2018 with the U.S. Olympic Team, contributing a 5-0 shutout win over Russia during the 2022 Games. The shutout is one of seven among her nine career wins in international competition. Hensley also played for the United States at the 2016 and 2017 Four Nations Cups and was a member of the U.S. Under-22 Select Team in 2014 and 2015. She was a four-time All-CHA honoree for the Lions (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and earned CHA All-Rookie and Rookie of the Year accolades in 2012-13.

Looney, who completed her third season behind the Lindenwood bench was named assistant coach for the 2022 U.S.  Women's National Team earlier this summer. a two-time Olympian who helped the U.S. win Olympic gold in 1998, is making her debut on the coaching staff of a U.S. Women's National Team. Looney served as head coach for the 2019 and 2017 U.S. Women's National University Team, leading the U.S. to a fourth-place finish in 2019 and a third-place showing in 2017. She also was an assistant coach for the 2015 U.S. Women's National University Team.

As a player, Looney represented the United States at the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and in eight IIHF Women's World Championships. She scored one of the most important goals in U.S. women's hockey history, tallying the game-winning goal in the gold medal game at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Team USA opens the preliminary round today with a game against Japan, beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Hensley will get the start between the pipes.  The game can be seen on NHL Network.