It’s been quite the year for Becca Gilmore, and the best might be yet to come.
The 25-year-old from Wayland, MA graduated from Harvard University last spring, signed with her hometown Boston Pride, played her first professional season in the Premier Hockey Federation, and is now a member of the U.S. National Women’s Team with her sights set on winning gold at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
“I’m really excited to make this roster and be part of this team,” Gilmore said after suiting up for her first World Championship game at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario, a 7-1 victory over Japan. “It was a great first win by the team to get our legs under us and keep that momentum as we go game-by-game with the goal of winning a gold medal at the end of this.”
Two days after the Pride’s season came to an end, Gilmore was one of 46 players invited to the program’s evaluation camp March 27-31 in Blaine, MN and became one of 25 players officially named to the roster on April 1.
“It was a great camp, a really competitive camp, and I’m just really honored to get the call to be part of this team,” she said, then described how she eagerly shared the news with family. “I had to Facetime my parents, of course, they put a lot of effort over the years to show up to every game and they’re just as excited as I was to be named.”
Gilmore is one of six U.S. players making her senior debut at an IIHF event but is no stranger to representing her country. She competed at three-straight Under-18 World Championships earning silver in 2014, then won back-to-back gold medals scoring a team-high nine points in five games at the 2015 tournament and tied for second with six points in five games in 2016. This season she skated in five games of the Rivalry Series against Canada.
“Every time you put on this jersey, you don’t take it for granted, so each time is just as exciting as the last time,” she said. “It was great (at Rivalry Series) to get comfortable and get to know the girls in the room and build relationships off the ice that can help translate into on ice competition as well.”
Part of Gilmore’s comfort for competing at the highest level can be attributed to her season in Boston where she recorded six points in 11 games with the Pride.
“It was great,” Gilmore said. “I owe a lot to Paul Mara, an incredible coach who really knows the players and is a sound mind on the bench, and all the team, they pushed me in practice. I know it wasn’t the result we wanted in the end but I think that’s motivation for next year as we gear up to bring a championship back to Boston.”
Even though the Pride fell short of their ultimate goal of winning an Isobel Cup, Gilmore likes how the team battled to clinch first place during the regular season’s final weekend in Toronto.
“I think the group of girls kind of came together and competed and fought for that win,” she said. “That’s a good place to know we were right there with the people who won and that we can be number one again next year.”
Gilmore feels fortunate to have been surrounded by so many leaders during her first pro season in Boston, including eight-year veterans Jillian Dempsey and Kaleigh Fratkin, plus the support of Kali Flanagan who has gold medal experience with Team USA at the 2017 Worlds and 2018 Olympics.
“They (Dempsey and Fratkin) were phenomenal role models,” Gilmore said. “Also, Kali Flanagan, I had a lot of roommate time with her as well. She’s won a gold medal for Team USA and nothing but encouragement from her as I put this jersey on for the first time. You look at the older girls who have really grown the game as well. I’m really lucky I got to exit my college career and there’s a pro opportunity waiting for me. You have to pay a lot of debt to the girls that came before me.”
The PHF provided Gilmore an opportunity to develop and compete against many of the top talents in the world as she looks to take her game to new heights.
“As you play professionally, it’s a little tougher to win battles one-on-one whether that’s in the corner to get it to the net or win a chip off the boards to break out,” she said. “That’s where my focus is, on getting stronger and making sure I’m each battle whether it’s in the o-zone, d-zone, or neutral zone.”
This season the PHF was home to six World Championship gold medal winners from the U.S., a list Gilmore hopes she can add her name to while pursuing a united goal with her new teammates from across the country.
“When we’re wearing Team USA, we’re all one. They’re teammates and there’s no difference. It’s incredible to play with them. It’s such an honor no matter where you come from.”
