Dominique Petrie is used to life in the fast lane, and that will help the long-time Jr. Ducks forward as she transitions to Harvard University, which she recently committed to.

Petrie, a 2001 birth year, was recently accepted to the Ivy League school and will enroll next fall when she’s just 17. Being one of the youngest students – if not the youngest – in her grade is nothing new. She said she has been a year ahead in school since she was in third grade. She also has driven south from Los Angeles for practice since she was a Squirt.

The college choice caps what has been an exciting year for Petrie. In January, she helped Team USA win its third consecutive gold medal at the Women’s Under-18 World Championships in the Czech Republic.

In August, she helped Team USA take two of three games from Canada at Lake Placid, N.Y., in the Under-18 Select Series.

“It’s been an exciting year,” she said. “I was very tedious in my college selection process, and there were a handful of other schools that were in the mix when it came down to it. But I decided going to an Ivy League school was something I really wanted.

“After my parents and I visited Harvard I realized it was everything I was looking for – the campus, the coaches, the community. And Boston is one of my favorite cities. It’s like a mini-L.A., just not as hectic. The combination of hockey and academics and location was what I was looking for.”

Petrie was a longtime member of the 2001 Jr. Ducks birth year team coached by Craig Johnson and Scott Niedermayer. She played Midget U15 last season for Darryl Tiveron and Mike Bickley.

“I’ve had many fun years and multiple great coaches with the Jr. Ducks,” Petrie said. “Mike Bickley stood out to me. He has really believed in me and took a lot of time working with me on my skill development.

“He has a tremendous passion for helping young players, as do Darryl, Craig and Scott. There are so many coaches who’ve helped me.”

Petrie, who is 5-foot-7, played boys hockey all the way up with the club. She had seven points in 17 games in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League last season and added seven more in 12 CAHA games.

“Dominique always has been a huge part of our teams,” said Johnson, who also is the Jr. Ducks’ director of coaches. “She could produce offensively and compete defensively.”

As much as what Petrie brought to her Jr. Ducks teams on the ice, she set a great example for her teammates off the ice as well, said Johnson, who coached her since she was a Squirt.

“She spent a lot of time working on her game and going to the weight room,” he said. “She always had a great attitude and was liked and respected by her teammates.

“She had high goals and went about working toward them every day. It’s great to see all that work pay off for her.”

Petrie becomes the 13th player with ties to the Jr. Ducks to make a Division I commitment in the past four seasons. She is the second this season, joining U16 forward Josh Groll, who committed Michigan at the end of October.

Seven players committed last season – forward Patrick Choi (Bentley), defenseman Slava Demin (Denver), defenseman Nicholas Kent (Quinnipiac), center Shane McMahan (Minnesota State) , defenseman Rourke Russell (Miami), forward Eetu Selanne (Northeastern) and defenseman Cam York (Boston College).

Justin Dixson (UMass-Amherst), Jack Gates (Colorado College) and Chad Sasaki (Colorado College) committed during the 2014-15 season and Rory Herrman (Arizona State) committed the next season. In addition, one of Herrman’s teammates, goaltender Carl Stankowski, is playing for Seattle of the Western Hockey League.

Stankowski and Demin are on NHL Central Scouting Service’s watch list for the 2018 Entry Draft.

-- Chris Bayee