Photos courtesy USA Hockey

Once more, a connection to the Mill City was revealed on the world stage, this time at the Winter Olympics.

During the U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey matchup against arch-rival Canada earlier today, broadcast cameras zoomed in on Defenseman Caroline Harvey while commentator Kathryn Tappen the revealed details about her time in Lowell.

Harvey grew up boxing at Ramalho’s West End Gym and was trained by Dicky Ecklund, who said she “hits like a truck” and encouraged her to continue in boxing tournaments. However, her mother stepped in and knocked out that idea, saying she didn’t want to see her daughter “hit in the face.”

Tappen went on to say the Olympian credits her training in the ring for helping with her foot speed, hand speed and endurance on the ice. She also mentioned the prominence of Ecklund and Ramalho’s Gym in the 2010 movie, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.

Harvey’s USA Hockey Bio lists Salem, New Hampshire as her hometown, though depending on which website you look up, her birthplace is listed as either Salem or Pelham, NH.

She made Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she took home a silver medal as the youngest member of the team. S

Harvey was named best defender at the 2023 and 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championships, helping Team USA winning gold at both tournaments.

She is a two-time NCAA champion for Wisconsin. Her coach there is Mark Johnson, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” men’s team that won gold in Lake Placid, New York.

Team USA routed their Canadian rivals 5-0 in today’s matchup. Harvey topped the scorecard, netting a goal and three assists in the 5-0 victory. She also logged the most ice time for the American squad, skating a total of 22-minutes, 18-seconds on the ice.