As the final seconds ticked off the clock inside Switzerland’s Zug Arena, the U.S. Women’s Under-18 National Team began to pour over the boards and mob goaltender Layla Hemp. Moments later, team captain Maggie Scannell accepted the IIHF World Championship trophy and was quickly engulfed by her teammates, including fellow New Yorker Bella Fanale.

Before the championship celebration made its way into the U.S. locker room, players hugged and posed for pictures as proud parents hung over the glass to capture the magical moment. 

Looking back at the events of last January, it was all a blur to Fanale, who didn’t take in the full magnitude of the moment until later when she watched her parents’ videos at their Webster home. 

“That feeling when you win, it’s like a blackout,” Fanale recalled of the gold-medal celebration. “You don’t remember it right after it happens, but it’s an experience you want to feel over and over again.”

Watching those videos never gets old as Fanale continues to use them for motivation as she looks to repeat the golden feat in what will be her third and final U18 tournament in Vantaa, Finland this coming January.

“Putting that gold medal around your neck is definitely something that you want to keep doing,” said Fanale, who will try to become one of a handful of women to compete in the tournament three times. “Winning one gold medal is super hard, but going back-to-back is even harder. It’ll definitely be a challenge, but I think we’re ready for it and I think we’ll do it.”

It’s fair to say that Fanale has grown up in the U.S. program. She made her international debut at the 2022 summer exhibition series against Canada and competed in her first IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship the following winter where she helped win a bronze medal. 

A year later she was part of the leadership group.

“My first year I was one of those girls who was looking up to our leadership crew and asking them questions. This year I’m the one being asked the questions,” she said. 

“That was a cool thing for me because it feels like I was a younger person not so long ago. It was really cool to just be able to help the younger girls just like the older girls helped me.” 

While her ultimate goal is to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, Fanale appreciates every moment she gets wearing the Team USA uniform and representing her country on the international stage. 

“Once you did it for the first time, it’s hard to put into words but it’s like all your hard work paid off in the end and it was all worth it,” she said. “Once you keep putting on that jersey, it never gets old. It’s such an honor to represent your country. It’s such an amazing experience and something you don’t take for granted.”

The championship shrine in her bedroom back home in Webster is a testament to her success on the international stage. One thing missing is a USA Hockey National Championship gold medal, which she came close to winning last season. 

After claiming the New York State Championship title in March, Fanale and her Bishop Kearney High School teammates headed to Nationals in Wesley Chapel, Fla., where they steamrolled into the title game where they lost an overtime heartbreaker to Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Facing the best 19 & under girls in the country, Fanale finished second to her teammate Nela Lopusanova in scoring with 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists).

As she returns to the ice for her senior season with BK, she and her teammates are determined to avenge last year’s loss and come home with the crown.

“It’s honestly the tournament of the year for us,” she said. “We haven’t won a national championship yet. We have gotten so close. It’s crazy because we worked so hard, and we fell short by an overtime goal. It’s like your goal is right there and now you have to restart your whole season just to get there again.”

It would mark a fitting end to her youth hockey career and provide a springboard of confidence as she heads to the University of Minnesota next fall, where she will join one of the top women’s programs in the country. After spending each of the past four summers attending a high school hockey camp in the Twin Cities, Fanale had no doubt that she had found the right place to take the next step in her hockey journey.

“I’ve always been familiar with the campus and the coaches, and I’ve always had a dream of going there,” she said. “They have a great program there and I felt like I would fit in well and improve the most there.”

Like many prospective freshmen, Fanale is still on the fence when it comes to choosing her major. Whatever field of study she chooses, she will be looking to find something that will suit her well long after she hangs up her competitive skates. Before that happens, there’s still a lot of ice for her to cover.

“Obviously, my goals are the Olympics and the [Professional Women’s Hockey League], but after that I think coaching at a Div. I school or in the pros or whatever would be really cool,” she said. “I just can’t imagine how my life would be without hockey.”