MANKATO, Minn. – Former Minnesota State women's hockey player and Mankato native Rebekah Kolstad has been named to Team China for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled for Feb. 4-20 in Beijing, China.

Kolstad, a product of Mankato East High School, competed from 2017-19 at Minnesota State after transferring back to her hometown from Grand Forks, N.D., where she played a pair of seasons (2015-17) at North Dakota for the Fighting Hawks women's hockey team. As a Maverick, Kolstad skated in 66 games and scored 13 goals while having 11 assists for 24 points. In her career at the collegiate level as a whole, the right-handed forward played in 139 career games while owning a line of 19-18--37 over four seasons.

Kolstad made her way onto the professional hockey scene for the 2019-20 season, skating with Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays in the town of Mytishchi, Russia, as part of the Zhenskaya Hockey League. In 27 games, Kolstad scored eight goals and logged five assists for 13 points
 

Kolstad will join the likes of Nina Tikkinen and Emilia (Andersson) Ramboldt as the only Minnesota State women's hockey players to have played in the Winter Olympics. Tikkinen played for the Finland National Team in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. With Team Sweden, Ramboldt also skated in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics as well as the 2018 Winter Games held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

China opens the Beijing Olympics with a contest against the Czech Republic Sunday, Feb. 3, at 8:10 a.m., CST.

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