Alexandra Carpenter plays for the KRS Vanke Rays on Oct. 15 in Ufa, Russia. Carpenter, college hockey’s top player in 2015 and daughter of former NHL star Bobby Carpenter, is leading Russia’s Women's Hockey League in scoring. (AP photo)

Time was of the essence because, immediately after the game, Alex Carpenter was boarding a flight for China, of all places, with her new Shenzhen Vanke Rays teammates.

It was late January 2018, and Carpenter had gone some eight months without seeing his daughter while he coached Kunlun, the Chinese team in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League. Just as important, this also represented his first chance to speak to Alex personally since she was surprisingly left off the U.S. Olympic team preparing to play at the Winter Games in South Korea.

“I wanted to talk to her and make sure she was positive when she went over,” recalled Carpenter, who spent 18 seasons playing in the NHL. “So, I just kind of said, “This is great. I’m glad you’ve got somewhere to play right now. Don’t worry about the other thing.”

Two years later, Alex Carpenter has no regrets nor holds any lingering resentment over being left off a team that would go on to win its second gold medal and first since 1998.

Alexandra Carpenter goes through drills on Nov. 4 while playing with the U.S. Women's National hockey team in Cranberry Township in Butler County, Pa., ahead of scheduled exhibition games against Canada. Carpenter, college hockey's top player in 2015 and daughter of former NHL star Bobby Carpenter, is also leading Russia's Women's Hockey League in scoring while playing for the Chinese-based Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays. (AP photo)

“I don’t think it’s worth being bitter about. It was outside of my control,” said Carpenter, who had helped the U.S. win four previous world championships and a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Games. “It was decisions they made and I can’t do anything about it now.”

What matters is U.S. college hockey’s top women’s player in 2015 is back on the national team after helping the U.S. win its fifth consecutive world championship and ninth overall in April.

And the former standout at Boston College is still benefiting from her decision to play in China.

Carpenter is now in her third season playing for the Vanke Rays, who switched to the KHL-backed Women’s Hockey League after the CWHL folded last spring.