You never forget your first kiss. Especially when it’s planted on the championship trophy you’ve been chasing for the past three years.

When Maggie Scannell skated toward the contingent of IIHF hosts to collect the silver chalice awarded for winning the 2024 Under-18 Women’s World Championship it seemed like a lifetime in the making for the 17-year-old captain who was appearing in her third tournament.

With the eyes of her 24 teammates looking on, Scannell sealed the golden moment with a kiss before handing the trophy over for others to embrace.

As one of two three-time veterans, Scannell had come close twice before but left the ice feeling as if something was missing. 

In 2022 she was a member of the U.S. squad that took home a silver medal after losing to Canada in the finals. And in 2023, a stunning semifinal defeat to Sweden left her playing for bronze. Even though most players would be proud of the medals haul, Scannell returned this year with a determination to make the final step to the top of the podium.

“I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to be with this team for three years. I’m so grateful for every shift and moment together,” she said after leading the team with nine points, including the opening goal in the 5-1 championship-game victory over Czechia. 

“Having a silver and bronze has definitely helped me understand what it takes to be successful in this kind of tournament. My goal was to help my teammates believe that we could, and we would win the gold medal by playing our way every shift and trusting in each other.”

More than the five goals and four assists she tallied, Scannell is most proud of the leadership role she played in helping every one of her teammates realize the importance of their individual roles in running the table with a 6-0-0-0 tournament record.

“I think that my strength is being able to help everyone recognize the importance of their roles and the strength that we had together as a group playing our way and just bringing everyone together,” she said.

That team effort extended into the stands as Scannell was fortunate to have the support of her mother, Christine and father, Bryan, along with her brother, Owen and younger sister, Zoe.

“I’m so grateful that my whole family was there,” Scannell said. “We all had family time afterwards and had a little celebration in our hotel with our families. It was just so nice being able to see them and celebrate with them after all that they’ve done for me. I’m just so grateful; being able to share that experience with them was so amazing.”

With an IIHF championship under her belt, Scannell returned to Shattuck-St. Mary’s campus to catch up on her schoolwork and set her sights on helping her teammates defend their USA Hockey National Championship title at the Girls Tier I 19 & Under division. After missing out on a medal in her first two trips to Nationals, Scannell and her teammates took home the crown last year in Dallas.

That experience only left her and her teammates hungry for more, and they’ve maintained a laser focus on repeating this April in Wesley Chapel, Fla.

“I'm so excited to go this year to Nationals with my team,” the senior forward said. “We’re continuing to grow as a team each day, and we want to build on our success from last year. We just look at each game as a new opportunity to grow as a team and move forward, shift by shift and keep playing our way. And that’s how we’ll find success there.”

No matter how the puck bounces in Florida, Scannell knows it’s just another step in her evolution as a player and a person. And she’s been fortunate enough to grow under the watchful eye of three-time Olympian Brianna Decker, who is an assistant coach at Shattuck and served a similar role with Team USA.

More than what Scannell has done on the ice, Decker is impressed with the person the Wynantskill native has grown into away from the rink.

“We kind of talk about it at Shattuck, when kids come through this program, are they one of us? And she’s one of us at Shattuck as far as commitment to getting better every single day,” said Decker, who graduated from the Faribault, Minn., prep school in 2009.

“She is just a great example off the ice as far as respecting adults, respecting teachers, working hard in school and then most of all, just being a great teammate. She leads by example in all those ways, but then also can back it up all the time and encourage others to be the same way.”

That drive to get better every day has also earned Scannell a spot at the University of Wisconsin, where she will skate for iconic hockey coach Mark Johnson in the fall. 

“I’m excited for her to go there,” said Decker, who also played for the Badgers and Coach Johnson before launching her storied international career with Team USA.

“I’ve been warning her that obviously it’s going to be a huge change of pace from a small-town school, like Faribault and then to Wisconsin. It’s going to be a big change as far as people and all of that, but she’ll fit in great there and Wisconsin will be a good culture for her to step into.”

As she’s proven time and again, no moment is too big for her to handle. The fire to succeed burns deep beneath the humble exterior of her 5-foot-10 frame. Whether it’s a USA Hockey National Championship or an IIHF gold medal, every championship she plays a hand in winning only fuels her to work even harder to win the next one. Her journey has only just begun, and there’s a long way to go before she’s satisfied.

“I’m just so grateful for all of my experiences up to this point,” she said. “My goal for myself is just to continue to develop and be the best version of me on and off the ice every day.”