2009-10 National Women's Team

LABONTÉ MAKES 39 SAVES AS CANADA GETS REVENGE OVER BISONS

CALGARY, Alta. – Canada’s National Women’s Team moved to 11-5 in NWT Midget Series action on Monday night, using 39 saves from goaltender Charline Labonté (Boisbriand, Que.) to earn a 3-1 win over the UFA Bisons.

The win was a measure of revenge for the Canadians – UFA had handed Canada its worst loss of the Midget Series, a 6-0 setback on October 22 in Strathmore.

Labonté made 19 of her 39 saves in the second period to score the win in net. Some of her best stops came in the middle frame as she and her teammates tried to protect a two-goal lead and the Bisons swarmed the Canadian net looking for their first, outshooting Canada 15-1 at one point in the period.

Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que.) got the scoring started for Canada at the 9:34 mark of the opening frame. Jayna Hefford (Kingston, Ont.) made a great behind-the-back pass from behind the net to Ouellette, who snapped a one-timer past Bisons goaltender Devon Fordyce.

Hefford scored a goal of her own in the second period to make it 2-0, her 17th against Midget AAA teams in 18 games, good for top spot on the team. Hefford also is leading Canada in scoring with 31 points over that stretch.

Canada went ahead 3-0 at the 15-minute mark of the second when Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.) scored her first goal against Midget AAA competition this season, taking a pass from Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, Sask.) and snapped it past a sliding Fordyce.

It stayed that way until late in the third, when the Bisons’ Kirby Ruzesky finally solved Labonté, batting a rebound past the Canadian netminder with just 1:50 left on the clock.

Canada’s National Women’s Team will travel to Denver, Colo., this weekend for a Saturday matchup against the United States (7 p.m. MT). The game will be the third of the six-game series between the two teams, a series which Canada leads 2-0.

Goals/Buts:
18:10 UFA Kirby Ruzesky (Joshua Smith, Keaton Lubin)

Penalties/Punitions:
13:17 CAN Becky Kellar (Holding/Retenir)
15:34 CAN Team/Équipe (Too Many Players/Trop du joueuses)
18:42 UFA Keaton Lubin (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
19:57 CAN Jennifer Botterill (Slashing/Coup de bâton)