BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Getzville native Hayley Scamurra is no stranger to the Olympic stage, but she’s hoping her 2026 trip ends with a different medal than her first appearance.
In 2022, Scamurra made her Olympic debut and won a silver medal with Team USA. It’s still an incredible accomplishment, but four years later, Scamurra and her teammates are focused and well on their way to a gold medal.
But back in Western New York, her alma mater is proud regardless of the outcome. Scamurra graduated from Nichols in Buffalo, where the school is cheering on one of its most accomplished former players.
“I think what's cool is that the girls have a role model that's a female,” Nichols head coach Stephanie Nadler said. “I'm a bit older than them, but my role models were Steve Yzerman and Wayne Gretzky, so I think it's absolutely amazing for the girls to have not only a female role model, but Hayley.”
“It feels like your sibling or like one of your cousins is there,” senior Alexis Hudson said. “It's like we all watch the game and are cheering, and it's just really, really cool.”
Scamurra’s success is a reminder to youth hockey players in Western New York that with hard work and talent, anything is possible. That especially rings true at Nichols, where the current team understands that not that long ago, Scamurra was in their shoes.
“She was once just like me, going to lunch in the Commons, eating here with all the same teachers that I have, and now she's representing our country,” Ilsa Neumann said. “It's really cool to see.”
WATCH: From WNY to the world stage: Hayley Scamurra is inspiring the next generation
“We have someone playing in the Olympics who went to our school,” Charlotte Carlson added. “She learned from the same environment and got taught on the same ice that we play on.”
“To know that she went to Nichols and has played on this ice, and now I'm here, in her same position playing on the ice, I just think it's so impressive and just definitely someone I could look up to,” Riley Marrale said.
Scamurra has two goals in Team USA’s first four games. During the preliminary round, the USA has outscored its opponents 20-1, including a 5-0 shutout of Canada, which won gold in 2022.
