Star U.S. women's hockey player ready for final exam

By Phil Stacey She has waited for this moment for 16 years. It will all be over in less than two weeks.



Meghan Duggan of Danvers, Mass., and her Team USA women's hockey teammates hope to then be celebrating the single thing that has driven them for years: a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.



The 21-year-old Duggan is one of the standout performers for an American squad that, with host country Canada, is a favorite to win gold in women's ice hockey. She and her teammates began their journey with a 12-1 preliminary round win against China on Saturday.



"We're on the world stage and it's a huge, huge, huge event," Duggan said from the Olympic Village in Vancouver. "There's a ridiculous amount of media people here, security, fans ... all types of distractions. But our team's coaching staff and support staff are helping us deal with those distractions so we can remain focused.



"We're here to do one thing: go out on the ice, perform to the best of our ability and come home with a gold medal."



A veteran of international women's hockey, Duggan says playing for her country at the Olympic Games has been her goal "since I was 5 years old."



She is one of the bigger players on Team USA, at 5-foot-9, and possesses an array of intangibles and skills that bode well for her and her team — a smooth skating stride, a terrific shot, the ability to disrupt opponents with a physical style and a warrior's mentality.



"Meghan's so versatile in that she can do literally anything you ask her to," said her Olympic teammate and best friend, Erika Lawler of Fitchburg, Mass. "The best thing about Meghan is that she plays with a chip on her shoulder; she just battles hard and works her butt off every time she's out there. She wouldn't be able to look herself in the mirror if she didn't give it her all."



Coming from a large extended family — one of Duggan's first cousins is actress Julianne Nicholson from "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" — she will have a huge cheering section in Vancouver. But they all realize she's there for one reason -- to win gold.



Duggan, who wears No. 10, is a right wing on Team USA's first line. Her linemates are left wing Gigi Marvin and the team's captain, Natalie Darwitz, at center.



The lifelong Massachusetts resident compares training for the Olympics to preparing for a big test.



"You study and study and prepare and get yourself as fully ready as you can," she said. "Now, it's time for us to take that huge final exam."



Phil Stacey is the sports editor of the Salem, Mass., News. Contact him at pstacey@salemnews.com.