Women's Ice Hockey | 8/25/2022 9:41:00 AM

TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete Nina Christof and 2022 graduate Lilli Friis-Hansen have been selected by their respective nations to take part in the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championships, which will take place August 25 to September 4 in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark. Christof plays for Germany, while Friis-Hansen will suit up for host nation Denmark.

A freshman forward from Hammelburg, Germany, Christof is making her second appearance on the senior national team after nettings a pair of goals in four games at the 2021 World Championships in Calgary. She earned Player of the Game honors in her first ever World Championship game after scoring in a 3-0 victory over Hungary.

Christof made 35 appearances for Germany at various youth levels, scoring 14 goals and assisting on 10 more for 24 points. A computer science major, she spent the last two years with the Bishop Kearney Selects in Rochester, N.Y., earning the Award of Excellence in Mathematics.

A forward and 2022 graduate from Lyngby, Denmark, Friis-Hansen played in 90 games for the Engineers from 2018-22, collecting two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 90 games. A three-time recipient of RPI's Bob Conway Scholar Athlete Award, she was a multiple ECAC Hockey All-Academic selection, earning Commissioner's List honors in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22. The Dean's List honoree earned a bachelor's degree in Business and Management and an MBA in her time at Rensselaer.

Through 73 career appearances for Denmark across multiple levels, Friis-Hansen has 50 goals and 50 assists for 100 points. The first woman in RPI Athletics history to appear in the Olympic Games when she played for Denmark at Beijing 2022, she picked up an assist in four games. She has also helped the Danish national team to a Silver Medal at the 2018-19 World Championships (D1A) as well as a Gold at the 2017-18 World Junior Championships (D1B), earning Best Forward honors.

Germany and Denmark square off against one another on August 30 at Iscenter Nord (1:30pm ET), the final day of pool play. The knockout stage gets underway two days later on September 1. Christof and Friis-Hansen are the first players from RPI to play in the competition since Josefine Hansen '19 represented Denmark in 2018.

The IIHF World Women's Championship, the premier international women's ice hockey tournament, was established in 1990 with Canada as the most successful team with 11 titles. During Olympic years, the Top Division has not held a tournament dating back to 2014. This year's tournament field also includes, the Czechia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Japan, the United States and Canada.