PIERREFONDS, QC / LAKE PLACID, NY – Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team and National Women’s Under-18 wrapped up their respective three-game series against the United States on Saturday, with both teams earning overtime victories in the series finales.
The National Women’s Under-22 Team won its second consecutive game against the Americans in Pierrefonds, QC, scoring a 4-3 overtime win, taking two of the three games in the series, while the National Women’s Under-18 Team recorded a 3-2 overtime win in Lake Placid, NY, the only Canadian win in that series.
In Pierrefonds, Catherine Ward (Montreal, QC/McGill University, CIS) was the overtime hero, scoring 48 seconds into the extra frame to give Canada the win. Jennifer Wakefield (Pickering, ON/University of New Hampshire, HE), Emmanuelle Blais (Montreal, QC/University of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) and Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, QC/St-Jérôme, Collégial AA) also scored for Canada, who erased a 3-0 late second period deficit to force overtime.
The USA won Game 1 of the series on Wednesday night, needing a shootout to claim a 4-3 win after Canada fought back from a 3-0 first-period deficit, while the Canadians evened the series with a decisive 7-2 victory on Friday night in Game 2.
In Lake Placid, Breann Frykas (East St. Paul, MB/Balmoral Hall, MB MAAA) did the scoring for Canada in the extra frame, driving to the net and putting a rebound past the American netminder 3:11 into overtime. Laurie Kingsbury (Valleyfield, QC/Lac St-Louis, QC MAA) and captain Brianne Jenner (Oakville, ON/Stoney Creek, PWHL) also scored for Canada, while goaltender Roxanne Douville (Beloeil, QC/Richelieu, QC MBB) turned aside 41 shots to record the win.
The Americans opened the series with a 4-1 win on Wednesday night in Game 1, and picked up a thrilling 3-2 victory on Friday night in Game 2, a game that saw the Canadians tie the game in the final minute only to see the USA score the game-winning goal just 14 seconds later.
For game summaries, game reports and player profiles for both teams, go to www.hockeycanada.ca
Both teams will see action next in major international tournaments early in 2009; the National Women’s Under-22 Team will travel to Ravensburg, Germany for the 2009 MLP Cup (formerly the Air Canada Cup) – a tournament the Canadians have won six years in a row, winning 19 of 20 games – while the National Women’s Under-18 Team will be in Fussen, Germany for the 2009 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship, looking to improve on its silver medal from the 2008 championship in Calgary.
The rosters for the series this week will not necessarily be the rosters for the tournaments in January. Player evaluations will continue by the respective coaching staffs, along with Hockey Canada regional scouts, during the early months of the 2008-09 season, and final rosters for both tournaments will be announced in December.
The National Women’s Under-22 Team and National Women’s Under-18 Team are both key components of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, which helps identify, evaluate and develop female hockey players for Canada’s National Women’s Team. |