20 current/former WCHA players were chosen including Megan Bozek

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced the 79 players selected to participate in the 2012 USA Hockey Women's National Festival, which will take place Aug. 5-13 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. The Festival will culminate with the selection of teams to represent the United States in a U18 series vs. Canada in Blaine and a U22 series vs. Canada in Calgary, Alberta. Both events will include three games between the two nations to be staged from Aug. 16-19.

Attending the USA Hockey Women's National Festival are 21 of the 23 members of the U.S. Women's National Team that turned in a silver-medal performance at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship in Burlington, Vermont. In addition, 14 of the players were on the 2010 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team, including four-time Olympian Jenny Potter (Edina, Minn.), three-time Olympian Julie Chu (Fairfield, Conn.) and two-time Olympian Molly Engstrom (Siren, Wis.).

Among the players under the age of 18 invited to the Festival are five members of the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team that skated to a silver medal at the 2012 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship, including goaltender Sidney Peters (Geneva, Ill.), defenseman Natasha Rachlin (Brookline, Mass.) and forwards Danielle Cameranesi (Plymouth, Minn.), Sydney Daniels (Southwick, Mass.), and Kate Schipper (Brooklyn Park, Minn.).

"We're excited to be heading to the National Sports Center with 79 of the most talented players in the nation," said Reagan Carey, director of women's hockey for USA Hockey. "We're proud of the success our women's program has achieved, but we are driven to become even better."

The Festival participants will be divided into teams for daily practices and games at the Schwan Super Rink, part of the National Sports Center.

For the complete Under-18 roster, click here. For the complete over-18 roster, click here.

NOTES: All practices and scrimmages are open to the public ... All Festival activity will take place on Rink 6 in the Schwan Super Rink ... The U.S. Under-22 Select Team will face Canada on Rink A at the WinSport Canada Athletic and Ice Complex in Calgary on Aug. 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. MT and Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. MT. See schedule below for details on the U.S.-Canada U18 Series in Blaine.

Release courtesy of USA Hockey, Inc.