Geneviève Lacasse had her first taste of gold at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Burlington, Vt. And she wants more.

Just like veteran Team Canada forward Jayna Hefford, this up-and-coming, 23-year-old goaltender grew up playing girls’ hockey in Kingston, Ont., just down Ontario’s Highway 401 from Ottawa, where the puck drops on the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship this April.

Lacasse’s father, Eric, was a member of the Canadian armed forces, and so the family moved from Montreal, Que., to Petawawa, Ont., to Kingston, back to Montreal, and then back to Kingston. Her father now lives in Limoges, near Ottawa, and is a proud volunteer for this year’s world championship in the nation’s capital city.

After winning the world championship title last season south of the border, Lacasse hopes to make the cut for Canada’s National Women’s Team roster once again, and win a gold medal this time close to home, with her volunteer dad rinkside to watch.

At the recent National Women’s Team winter camp held at Carleton University’s Ice House in January, Lacasse both looked toward this year’s world championship, and looked back on last year’s world championship.

She fondly recalls helping injured teammate Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) from the stands down onto the ice to join in the team’s celebrations. While Lacasse didn’t get any ice time in Burlington, she said being there was an invaluable experience that has kept her in contention for a spot on Canada’s National Women’s Team.

Lacasse continues to work hard in hopes of earning her place on international ice. Last summer, she trained and practised in Ottawa with both professional and college level players.

And as the only Canadian playing for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s Boston Blades, if she is named to the Team Canada roster, she may be facing off against some of her friends on the American squad, including Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight, Kelli Stack, and fellow goaltender Molly Schaus.

Is there an advantage or disadvantage when you know your opponents so well? The upcoming world championship could provide an answer for Lacasse. In any case, after having a chance to wear that medal around her neck last year in Burlington, the only thing that glitters for her is “gold.”