Lake Forest College women's hockey player Cagla Celik and the rest of Turkey's senior national team recently earned bronze medals at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship Division II Group B Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia.
Celik, a forward who just completed her third year at Lake Forest College, is the first Turkish player to play NCAA women's ice hockey. She has appeared in 14 games for the Foresters and scored her first career goal in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Slaats Cup Playoffs in late February.
Turkey split four games and outscored opponents 28-13 in Croatia to finish third behind Iceland and Australia. The six-day event concluded on May 22 with Turkey's 16-3 medal-clinching triumph over the host country. Celik appeared in all four contests and was +1 in the tournament.
"I am thrilled to update everyone back in The Forest about Team Turkey's bronze medal victory at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship in Zagreb, Croatia," Celik began. "This was a huge accomplishment for our team and I am extremely proud and honored to be part of this group of players and coaches. It has been a wonderful experience and I am thrilled to represent not only Lake Forest, but my country as well."
Celik was first selected for the Turkish national team in 2015 when she was just 16 years old. To learn more about her story, check out this Forester Feature from January 28, 2021.