Friday Feature: Why We Love Hockey – SoCal Style
By Ed Stein
Cayla Barnes
At 5′ 2” Barnes isn’t a prototypical sized defenseman at the international level. Luckily for her, size didn’t matter when she was picked for this year’s USA Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. In a recent interview with the LA Times, she said of her selection; “They said they wanted my energy, my youth. That’s what I could bring to the team and that’s what I’ve been bringing,”
She did bring it, and in doing so helped her team win gold in Pyeongchang last month. Barnes, from Eastvale in Riverside County, started out as a member of the Lady Ducks program. She would continue her career at a New England prep school, before enrolling at Boston College. According to USA Hockey, Barnes is the only US hockey player to win three consecutive U-18 gold medals.