Tabor Academy’s Samantha Davis didn’t last long as a figure skater.

She started skating at the age of 5, a year later, she decided she’d rather play hockey like her older brother and sister.

The years of practice led her to the U.S. Women’s Under-18 National Hockey Team this summer where she faced off against Team Canada in Calgary in August.

“It was one of the greatest experiences I ever had,” Davis, a forward, said. “I got chills when I put on the jersey for the first time. It was the best.”

A three-season captain of the field hockey, ice hockey and softball teams at the school, Davis was chosen for the team after tryouts in Minnesota and in Lake Placid, New York pitted some of the best players in the country against each other.

The tryouts whittled the potential U.S. Team players from 200 to 22. She was picked to serve as the team's assistant captain.

"We, as a program and a school, [were] thrilled to hear the news of Sammy's appointment to the U18 National Team," Tabor Hockey Coach Eric Long said. "She has trained extraordinarily hard both on and off the ice of the last few years to accomplish this goal and is a terrific role model for her teammates."

The team lost the series to Team Canada 2-0. However, Davis said the match was good practice for the Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship, set for January in Buffalo, New York.

“It keeps us on our toes,” she said.

Davis will find out if she was chosen to play for the world championship team later this year.

Davis, who is from Pembroke, said she’s looking forward to next year, when she’ll take the ice for Boston University. She committed to the team last year as a junior at Tabor.