After graduating from university in 2019, Rebecca traveled from a small city of 40,000 people to Shenzhen, where she won the Russian Women's Ice Hockey League (WHL) in her first season with Shenzhen Vanke Sunshine, and two years later, she qualified to represent the Chinese women's national ice hockey team at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. On February 6, 2022, China played against Japan, rebecca assisted Hu Baozhen to break the goal, and finally helped China beat Japan 2-1 through a free kick battle.
The magic road to victory in Shenzhen
2020 is a magical year for Rebecca, in January, the 2019-2020 Russian Women's Ice Hockey League entered the off-season, she and her teammates were on vacation in Vietnam, suddenly received a call to return to Shenzhen, affected by the epidemic, the team needs to start the Russian journey immediately. 24 hours later, her Shenzhen Vanke Sunshine team flew from Shenzhen to Russia to continue the preparation for the second half of the season.
Over the next two months, the team began rafting in Russia, with Shenzhen Vanke Sunshine completing the final four rounds of regular season in St. Petersburg; defeating tornadoes in the semifinals, sweeping defending champion Ufa in a five-best-of-three final, and taking away the championship trophy in its first season in the Russian Women's Ice Hockey League.
In July 2019, Rebecca signed with the team with the encouragement of Shenzhen Vanke Sunshine coach Brian Idarski (Idarski coached her during her time at north Dakota University). Rebecca said, "It's incredible, I never expected to have this experience, I met my Chinese teammates here, Olympians and good players from the former NCAA First Division league, and I traveled with them to form a dynamic team, which is fantastic." Rebecca scored nine goals, five assists and 14 points in 30 games this season.
After arriving in China again in December 2021, Rebecca recalled: "My rookie season at Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing Hockey Club was an outstanding experience and I will be forever grateful for that experience. We had excellent training facilities and team staff in Shenzhen, which also led to our success that season. I enjoyed playing ice hockey at such a high level, winning league titles, traveling around the world, and building friendships that lasted a lifetime during this journey. ”
During college, he transferred to playing ice hockey
Rebecca was born in January 1997 in Mancardo, Minnesota, USA. As a child, Rebecca was involved in many sports, such as soccer, softball, athletics and ice hockey.
Influenced by her two older brothers, Rebecca began skating at the age of two and then played ice hockey, and she played ice hockey tournaments organized by the Mankado Regional Hockey Association at the age of 5-12. In the 7th grade, he played for the Mankado East Girls High School ice hockey team until his graduation from high school in 2015. Rebecca began her career in high school, scoring 233 points in six seasons.
Rebecca then entered the University of North Dakota for two seasons in the NCAA's top division, after which the school announced that it was abandoning the women's hockey program. Rebecca then returned to Mancado to play for two seasons at Minnesota State University. During college, Rebecca made 139 appearances, 19 goals, 18 assists, and scored 37 points.
After the magical championship season, due to many factors such as the epidemic, Rebecca returned to Mankado in Minnesota in 2020 to start working locally while coaching girls in the U10 group of the Mankado Regional Hockey Association to play hockey.
It is an honor to represent China at the Winter Olympics
That season in Shenzhen, Rebecca fully learned about China: "I went from a city of only 40,000 people to a metropolis of 12 million people, which is a huge transformation. Shenzhen is great, and I love riding my bike to explore the city and learn Chinese culture in the process. ”
Rebecca's relationship with China didn't end there after the magical championship season, and in 2021, she received a phone call from China: "When I learned that I could represent The Chinese team in the Winter Olympics, I was shocked. I am honored to represent China and I am excited to embark on this journey. "In the current Chinese team, many of her teammates and coaching staff are familiar to her.
Regarding the Olympics, Rebecca said: "Ever since I was a little girl, it has been my dream to be able to participate in the Olympics. It's going to be a dream come true, and words can hardly describe how excited I am and how grateful I am for this opportunity. ”
In response to the Chinese team's opponents in the Winter Olympics who are ranked higher than themselves in the world, Rebecca said: "At this level, every game is a challenge considering excellent coaches and top players. I am honored that China has given me this opportunity, and I will give my full ability to contribute to the team and teammates in every game I play for the Chinese team. ”