INNSBRUCK, Jan 11 - Libby-Jean HAY (NZL) has been counting down the minutes to her big moment in Innsbruck.

The hockey-mad 18 year old cannot wait to compete in the Skills Competition, which is part of the Ice Hockey programme at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, and on January 16 her time will come.

Rugby dominates the sporting scene in HAY's native New Zealand but thanks to an initiative organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the teenager has the chance to prove her prowess on the ice at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games.

The IIHF conducted a global qualification contest last year based on a series of skills, with the top 15 boys and girls from countries not competing here in Innsbruck advancing to the Games.

The skills test included fastest lap, shooting accuracy, skating agility, hardest shot, passing precision and puck control.

HAY finished fourth overall and is now taking aim at the Innsbruck 2012 medal podium.

"I am so into this it is ridiculous," HAY said during a break in training. "I have a very good chance. I think I can achieve it."

HAY was splitting her time between Figure Skating and Ice Hockey when her parents asked her to focus on one sport a few years ago, and the decision came easily.

Her father, Grant HAY (NZL), is president of the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation and her brother Joshua played professional Ice Hockey in Sweden.

She also trains with her 14-year-old brother Oliver and insists he has the most talent and potential.

"Me and my brother are quite competitive and we try to out-do each other," she said.

HAY plays on New Zealand's national women's team, with an all-women's team in Auckland and is also the only girl on a boy's team.

She admits facing off against the boys can be slightly daunting, but she does not mind the physical side of the game she loves so much.

"It is kind of scary sometimes because they are big. I'm a defenceman and it is my job to hit but sometimes it does not work and I am usually the one who ends up on their bum," she said.

"I like the speed. It is so fast-paced. I like the aggressiveness and I like working as a team. It is just so fast and so exhilarating."

HAY will soon finish school in Auckland and hopes her next stop is playing at university level in the United States.

Meanwhile, she is loving her time at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.

"You feel like royalty here. It is just amazing," she said.

YIS aa/rm