Rae's own future arrived with less fanfare but no less significance, in the form of an email that landed in her inbox on a quiet Tuesday afternoon in early April, from an address she didn't immediately recognize.
SUBJECT: USA Hockey Women's National Team Development Camp — Invitation
She read the subject line three times before opening the actual message, disbelief warring with a cautious, building excitement she almost didn't trust herself to feel.
The email, from a USA Hockey scouting coordinator, explained that Rae's performance throughout the season — statistics, game film, and, notably, several detailed reports from scouts who'd attended Ironbrook's conference finals run specifically to evaluate her — had earned her an invitation to a summer development camp for the women's nationa
