[2] As a member of the U.S. national team, she competed in and won silver medals at four IIHF Women's World Championships.

Hamlen is from Glens Falls, New York, where she grew up playing hockey with the neighborhood boys, starting at age 5.

She was selected as a Central District High School Hockey League All-Star Honorable Mention.

[2] Hamlen played all four years she attended the University of New Hampshire, before graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1993.

[3] Hamlen shut out Dartmouth College in her collegiate debut and helped lead the Wildcats to two ECAC titles, in 1990 and 1991.

[5] After her graduation from college, Hamlen was working at an Adirondack Red Wings summer camp when two players introduced her to agent Steve Bartlett, who also represented Manon Rheaume.

He landed her an opportunity to tryout with the Red Wings, though she eventually signed with the Toledo Storm of the ECHL and coach Chris McSorley.

“If I could fit all the gear in a phone booth, I'm sure I'd have used one of those by now.”[2] As a goaltender with Toledo, she was the first woman to earn a victory in a professional ice hockey game, during a 6–5 win against the Dayton Bombers on October 30, 1993.

[6] At the time, Hamlen was under the misimpression that Rheaume, who had been the first woman to play in a pro hockey game during the prior season, had already recorded a win.

[5] Despite her age, Hamlen was still considered one of the top women's ice hockey players in the world in October 1997, four months prior to the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.

Ben Smith, coach of the U.S. national team, described her as “kind of the poster girl on the defensive side of things.

Smith cut her from the roster on December 20 in favor of goaltenders Sarah Tueting and Sara DeCosta.

Finnish national team coach Rauni Korpi was reportedly incredulous at Hamlen's absence from the Games, asking two American reporters, “Why is Erin Whitten not here?”[8] Hamlen worked her way back to the U.S. national team's roster in 1999, when she was starting goaltender for the 1999 IIHF Women's World Championships.

It took a lot for me to build up the confidence again.”[9] The U.S. team lost the next night to Canada, 3–1, which extended its streak of world championships to five.

Smith was quoted as saying: “This might be the best game against Canada I’ve seen her play.”[10] Teammate Cammi Granato told The Boston Globe that Hamlen had “played her heart out.

As a coach at UNH, Hamlen helped goaltender Jen Huggon earn All-America honors.

[5] Hamlen was an assistant coach for U.S. women's hockey team at the 2006 Four Nations Cup and at the 2007 IIHF World Championship.

I'm ready to tackle this now.”[16] Hamlen had support from Mark Dennehy, then the coach of the Merrimack men's team, and said she tried to emulate his approach.

[16] Hamlen said she felt her own success, in her college career at UNH and as a member of the U.S. national team, gave her clout as she tried to attract players to Merrimack.

Hamlen credited goaltending — by junior Samantha Ridgewell and sophomore Lea Kristine Demers — in both victories.

The Warriors posted the team's first-ever winning record, at 16–13—7, which included a 1–0 victory over No.9-ranked Boston College on December 8.

[20] In seven seasons, Hamlen's teams at Merrimack have produced six professional players: Dominique Kremer, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Courtney Maud, Dominika Lásková, Samantha Ridgewell, and Paige Voight.

[21] Two players — Dominika Lásková and Kateřina Bukolská — have competed in the Olympics, both for the Czech national team.