GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Danna Ramadan has to be extremely organized just to get the chance to focus on a specific task with her demanding schedule.

Currently, that task is stopping the puck.

Ramadan is one of two goalies in net for the Princeton Tiger Lillies of New Jersey this week at the 2024 Chipotle-USA Hockey Girls Tier II 16U National Championship in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Every game of the 2024 Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships is live streaming exclusively on USAHockeyTV.com.

Ramadan, who has dual citizenship, will then be in goal for the National Egyptian Women’s Hockey Team at the inaugural Dream Nations Cup — an international tournament that promotes hockey in non-traditional markets — in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at the end of April.

Somewhere amid training, practice and games, the 16-year-old also has to find time for her academic studies.

“As well as the SATs,” she was quick to point out.

With the Tiger Lillies, Ramadan shares goalie duties with Kelly Stevens.

“This is the first time they’ve played together, and their relationship is fantastic,” said Jim Donnelly, Princeton’s assistant coach and team manager. “They really pull for each other. They help each other during games. The backup is always very supportive to the starter.”

Any discussion about Ramadan’s approach has to start with her love of hockey, Donnelly said.

“She absolutely has an incredible passion for the game. And that is evident in the way she practices, the way she prepares, pre-game preparation,” Donnelly said. “And then when she’s on the ice, she’s laser focused.”

Ramadan, who said her goal is to play Division I college hockey, started playing about seven years ago. She became a goalie after about a year on the ice.

“It’s definitely different from being a (forward or defender), building that mindset,” Ramadan said. “It’s completely different, so I had to definitely work my way up there.”

The added stress of playing goalie, where mistakes are highlighted far more than other position, is something Ramadan sees as a positive. 

“Yes, there’s a lot of pressure, but, at the same time, I enjoy the pressure, if that makes sense,” Ramadan said. “Playing for a while, I’m obviously used to it. But I thrive with the pressure. I feel like it just comes with the game.”

Ramadan’s introduction to the sport is courtesy of her father, Sameh Ramadan, who was born in America and also has dual citizenship.

“I grew up in New Jersey as a Rangers fan,” Sameh said. “So, growing up, it was playing street hockey or ice hockey. You wanted to play for either the New York Rangers, Team USA, and kind of a joke was Egypt.”

In 2016, one of Sameh’s cousins from the United States was living in Egypt and playing as a goalie. That led to Sameh playing in the first African Ice Hockey Clubs Cup in Morocco.

“We got there, got destroyed, realized that we had to get a little more involved, and we put ourselves kind of on a pathway to get Egypt into the IIHF and get government recognition,” Sameh said. “Fast forward to 2021, we were accepted under the wing of the Egyptian National Olympic Committee as the sole group under Egypt ice hockey, developing hockey for Egypt.”

The Tiger Lillies have had a good season and Danna Ramadan said she expects them to be competitive in Green Bay. After that, she is looking forward to the Dream Nations Cup.

“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Egypt team and to be leading as their goalie, especially since I’ll be one of the first female goalies to be playing for them,” Danna said. “There’s just something so rewarding going into the game, knowing that it’s not just a game. It’s representing my country.”

Danna Ramadan said her Princeton teammates have been very supportive of her playing for Egypt. There’s no telling what could come next.

“You wouldn’t expect a desert country that barely has any rinks to have an ice hockey team,” Danna said. “You never know where the next Sarah Nurse or Hillary Knight will come from, whether that’s from Egypt or any other country.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.