The kids in Naperville's Brookwood Trace neighborhood don't need the latest hockey equipment.
They've got the gear of Olympic silver medalist Molly Schaus.
Schaus, a goalie on the U.S. women's hockey team in Vancouver, reunited with friends, family and even some of that old gear Saturday as the city she considers her hometown welcomed her back with a reception at Rosebud Italian Specialties and Pizzeria.
"We're all proud of her and it's a big big accomplishment," said former neighbor Jody Factor. "We knew her when she was a little kid and she always had her head on straight, a very smart girl, focused. She's a real good example for kids to follow and not just because she went to the Olympics."
Factor, a former hockey player himself, said Schaus could stop his slapshots when she was just 13. He brought Schaus' old hockey stick to the reception Saturday and said his children and others in the neighborhood still take turns using her equipment when playing street hockey.
Schaus lived in Naperville from age 7 until her sophomore year of high school, attending Spring Brook Elementary, Gregory Middle School and freshman year at Benet Academy. She now attends Boston College.
"I'm so pleased and proud to have her with us back home in Naperville," Mayor George Pradel said Saturday. "She's a wonderful, wonderful girl, very personable, very easy to talk to."
He gave Schaus a key to the city and also declared April 3, 2010 as Molly Schaus Day in Naperville.
"Everywhere you go today they're going to say, 'What day is it?'" Pradel said.
"Molly Schaus Day!" the group of about two dozen shouted.
Schaus said she appreciates Naperville's support.
"Throughout the Olympics I'd get text messages and e-mails from people back in Naperville and it really meant a lot and it's unbelievable to be here today," she said. "I had a lot of fun memories this year but this is up there, this is one of the most special days in the whole process."
Schaus's aunt, Julie Galbato of Geneva, said she is not surprised someone so focused was able to achieve her dreams.
"We couldn't be prouder of her," Galbato said. "You don't find too many teenagers who have the motivation and dedication to achieve this."
It was hard not to be in Vancouver to watch Schaus play, Galbato said, but the family is hoping to be there for the 2014 Games in Sochi.
"The Schaus family is going to Russia, that's the slogan," she declared.
Two of Schaus' closest friends from Naperville, Jacqueline Gargaro and Jenny Braun, wished they could have been in Vancouver too. They have been cheering Schaus on since they were kids and said there was a lot of screaming at the TV as they watched their friend compete in the Olympics.
"She's talked about it since we've known her when she was 7 or 8, and to see it happen was pretty crazy," Braun said.
The two say Schaus hasn't changed since her Naperville days and is just as laid back and humble as ever.
"We have to yell at her to be like, 'Let us see your medal, show us your jersey,'" Gargaro said.
"She's not very flashy about it," Braun said. "She's very modest."
Schaus will be asked to show off her medal again Monday as she visits both Spring Brook and Gregory.
The two schools recently celebrated another alumnus who brought home some Olympic hardware. Evan Lysacek won Olympic gold in figure skating and returned to Naperville for a rally and school visits on March 26. He too received a key to the city.
Molly Schaus in a game against the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Stars on January 3, 2010.
US Olympic ice hockey silver medalist Molly Schaus returned to her hometown of Naperville, Illinois last weekend. Her travels culminated in a visit on Monday to Spring Brook Elementary School, where as a fourth-grader she set the goal of some day being an Olympian. Schaus's dream was fulfilled this year during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, when she played for the US women's ice hockey team and won a silver medal. 

As she addressed and answered questions from students and teachers at the grade school, Schaus explained the large amount of work she had to invest to achieve her goals. The ''Chicago Daily Herald'' reports that "she has been practicing for three to four hours a day nearly every day for the past year." She told the students to "make a dream and follow it because you never know what can happen and just have fun with it."

The nostalgic visit to her elementary school followed a weekend of other appearances in Naperville, including a celebration last Saturday at Rosebud's Italian Specialties and Pizzeria. Saturday had been declared Molly Schaus Day by Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel, who also gave Schaus a key to the city. 

Schaus has not been the only Olympic alumnus to return to the school; figure skater and gold medalist Evan Lysacek returned to his Naperville hometown and spoke to the students at Spring Brook on March 26. "It's amazing we had two Olympians come to our school. It's like 1 million to one that they both get medals," remarked fourth-grader Alexandra Van Cleave.

Schaus lived in Naperville until moving to Massachusetts during her sophomore year in high school, having attended Gregory Middle School for junior high and Benet Academy during her freshman year of high school. After speaking at Spring Brook on Monday, she visited Gregory later that day and then went home to Massachusetts. She is expected to visit the White House with the rest of her team later this year. She will also start preparing for her final season at Boston College.