Huntley High School senior Veronica Bac is a USA Hockey national champion.
Bac recently laid claim to the USA Hockey 2021 Youth Girls Tier I 19U title as a member of the Chicago Mission youth hockey club at the 2021 Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships held in West Chester, Pennsylvania on May 3.
During the tournament, she scored the winning goals in both the semifinal round vs. Detroit Belle Tire and in the final vs. RYA at Selects Academy.
For Bac, who started playing hockey at age 5, it’s a step in a journey that will take her to collegiate success and, she hopes, beyond.
“I was introduced to it by my father who played as a kid,” Bac said. “Growing up I played with the Leafs until I was 12, and then played AAA hockey for the Chicago Mission the rest of my youth hockey career.”
AAA (or Tier I) hockey is the top competition level available to youth hockey players in the United States, with USA Hockey determining which clubs are allowed to carry the AAA or Tier I designation.
The commitments of playing Tier I youth hockey are substantial, with rigorous practice and travel schedules.
“D158 has been super accommodating to all of the traveling I have to do for hockey,” Bac said. “All of my teachers have always been super supportive!”
After graduating from HHS, Bac will attend Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, where she will study accounting and computer information systems while playing for the school’s NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey Team.
After competing at the highest levels of youth and collegiate hockey, Bac hopes to play professionally in the National Women’s Hockey League or elsewhere.
Watch highlights from the championship game, including Bac’s game-winning goal, below:
