When she was first introduced to the sport of hockey at the age of six or seven, Bianca Birrittieri would crawl into the goal – it was where she knew she wanted to be.
Birrittieri, 17, recognized even then that it was the position that could most influence the outcome of a game, and perhaps even more important, it was the position she wanted to play.
Fast forward more than 10 years to late January of 2026, when the Flower Mound native completed a 38-save shut out against Canada in Nova Scotia for the Gold-medal match of the U18 World Championship.
With the Olympics set to get underway on Feb. 6, fans of such sports as skiing, figure skating and ice hockey are joyfully anticipating what the best in the world of winter sports will have to showcase.
But as athletes gather in northern Italy next month, there is another group of athletes, like Birrittieri, chomping at the bit to get their chance to represent their countries in the French Alps in 2030.
Birrittieri’s performance against Canada in the Gold-Medal match not only shut up a loud, raucous and adversarial crowd last month, but also helped lead the Red, White and Blue to its 10th consecutive gold medal at the U18 Worlds.
The 17-year old went 4-0 at the competition and received immediate notoriety for prowess between the pipes, receiving an invite to a recent Pittsburg Penguins game where she was recognized and received a standing ovation.
Interestingly enough, her introduction to the sport of hockey almost did not happen.
“When I was probably four or five years old, I went to a Dallas Stars game on New Years because my parents couldn’t find a baby sitter,” Birrittieri said. “I just loved it and wanted to do it. Two years later, they signed me up for a league at Grapevine Mills Mall expecting that I would hate it, but I didn’t. I fell in love with the sport.”
Birrittieri said she was drawn to the position of goalie because of how a goalie could “make or break a game,” and said she enjoys it when the pressure is on her.
“I think it is really cool to be able to change the outcome of a game,” Birrittieri said.
Moving to Chicago at 11 to pursue her passion, Birrittieri played for three seasons in the Windy City before moving to Colorado and Utah, and eventually settling in Pittsburgh.
She is currently playing her final season of youth hockey for the Penguins Elite team.
Birrittieri first tried out for the U18 team three years ago when she was first eligible to do so, but did not qualify.
She came closer last year, but still came up a bit short.
Eventually, she qualified for this year’s team and was overjoyed.
“It was unbelievable,” Birrittieri said. “It was a dream come true. It was something that I’d wanted as long as I knew it was a possibility.”
Birrittieri is still a die-hard Dallas Stars fan, having attended her most-recent game on New Year’s, and her favorite player of all time is Kari Lehtonen, the former Stars goaltender.
The biggest challenges Birrittieri has had to overcome in her career have typically revolved around misconceptions about her.
“I played boy’s hockey until last year,” Birrittieri said. “A lot of people thought I couldn’t play with the boys, or that I couldn’t play because I’m from Texas. Being able to put my head down and push through the negativity was tough at times.”
But she has never let the naysayers hold her back.
Birrittieri does a self-paced online school that she completes when she isn’t training, working out, attending video sessions or her team’s twice-a-week, 30-minute practices.
Excited about the Winter Olympics, Birrittieri said she is already starting to visualize what it would be like to represent Team USA at the highest international level.
“For me, that’s my next big goal,” Birrittieri said. “It feels so close now, and it is definitely a dream that I want to be a part of one day.”
Birrittieri is still rooted in North Texas, frequently returning to the Lone Star State to go hunting with her grandparents.
Her ultimate goal is to play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) one day, but for now, the Flower Mound product definitely has her sights set on France in 2030.
“It’s obviously small steps, but it is something that I would like to work toward every single day,” Birrittieri said. “I have it in my mind that that could be me in four years.”
