By Samantha Norwood, staff writer.
Photos: Meg Stokes.

Being a member of any national sports team is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any athlete, and it’s an experience Franklin Pierce University freshman Stefanie Caban has already had. The current women’s ice hockey defensemen for the Ravens was invited to be a member of the United States Women’s Ball Hockey team three years ago, and compete alongside other players from across the United States, including those in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL).

But what is ball hockey? “It’s basically ice hockey but without skates on. You run and have less equipment on but it’s the same rules and penalties,” explains Caban. “My mom put me into ball hockey when I was little. I just kept getting better at it and eventually went into hockey. I started going to Philly a few times a year for tournaments.”

The jump from tournaments in Philadelphia to being a member of the National Ball Hockey Team is not a small one, but one Caban embraced. “I heard about the USA ball hockey team and how they get to go to different countries every two years. I decided to try out, which took over a year. I had to go to camps and training, but made the team.”

To add icing to the cake, she was only 16, and the youngest woman to make the team. “I was actually shocked because she was so young. She was going up against women from the NWHL. I just wasn’t expecting it,” said Caban’s mother. “I had told her to just try her best and have fun, but she actually made it.”

She participated in many camps with the team. “It was really hard to get everyone together at the same time and place, so when it came to [the World Championships], it was the first time we were together as a team,” said Caban. “My first-year, Worlds was in the Czech Republic and this past year it was in Slovakia.” It was easier in the Czech Republic, and the language barrier in Slovakia was a huge struggle, but worth it, according to Caban.

As a 16-year-old, Caban earned All-Tournament honors in the Czech Republic at the 2017 World Championships, where she helped Team USA to the gold medal game, though they fell to the host country in overtime. Two years later in 2019, Caban was named the tournament’s Best Defenseman, as Team USA took home the silver medal again in Slovakia, this time falling to Canada. The next World Championships are scheduled for June 2021 in Brandon, Manitoba. Whether Caban will return to represent Team USA on the World Championships stage for the third time remains to be seen.

When asked what she took away from her national team experience, Caban said: “It was amazing being able to talk to people from the NWHL and playing with women at that level was inspiring.”

Caban’s mom hopes her daughter will always cherish her experience: “It was so great spending so much time with her. I want her to take it all in, going around the world, learning about different cultures, and mostly playing hockey, because one day you won’t be able to do what you used to.”

Caban grew up in nearby Fitchburg, Mass., and attended The Winchendon School, playing her prep school hockey in the same building the Ravens call home. Being a local, she is able to practice and play collegiately in the same areas she has played her entire life. “It’s nice. I can go back home and get food... I love all the girls on the Pierce team and we’re together all the time. I love the small school and being able to play hockey.”

After earning a spot on the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance All-Rookie Team during her freshman season with the Ravens, Caban has a bright future ahead, with three more years in a Franklin Pierce uniform and the potential to be among the best defensemen in program history. She is looking ahead to a career in either physical or occupational therapy, but one thing is clear, she will always have a place in her heart dedicated to hockey, whether it’s played with a ball or a puck, on the floor or on the ice.