2015-16 National Women's Development Team

BLUE HANGS ON FOR WIN OVER GOLD AT DEVELOPMENT CAMP

KARA SPADY

CALGARY, Alta. – Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE) opened the scoring in the first period, Catherine Dubois (Charlesbourg, Que./Limoilou, CEGEP) added the winner in the second and Blue edged Gold 2-1 on Friday night at Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp.

Including its 3-2 shootout win on Tuesday, Blue has won the first two intrasquad games at camp.

A two-on-one gave Blue the early lead as Jade Downie-Landry (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que./Dawson College, CEGEP) fed a saucer pass to Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE), who beat Amanda Leveille (Kingston, Ont./University of Minnesota, WCHA) to the blocker side just 7:24 in.

That would be the lone goal of a defensive first period that saw the teams manage just five shots apiece.

Halfway through the second period, Blue found the back of the net again; Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C./Pursuit of Excellence, BCMAAA) dangled her way to the front of the net before feeding Catherine Dubois (Charlesbourg, Que./Limoilou, CEGEP) for the 2-0 goal.

The Dubois marker was followed almost immediately by a pair of Blue penalties that gave Gold a 93-second two-man advantage, but goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, Alta./Harvard University, ECAC) and the Blue defence kept it a two-goal game through 40 minutes.

Sarah Lefort (Ormstown, Que./Boston University, HE) ended Maschmeyer’s shutout bid 8:11 into the third period, redirecting a Micah Hart (Saanichton, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, JWHL) shot, but that would be as close as Gold would get.

Gold managed to outshoot Blue 11-6 in the third period as it tried in vain to get back into the game, but Blue finished with a 23-21 advantage overall.

Both goaltenders went the distance for the first time in camp; Maschmeyer stopped 20 of 21 shots, while Leveille turned aside 21 of 23.

Camp finishes Saturday (6 p.m. MT) with the third and final intrasquad game at the Markin MacPhail Centre, before Canada’s National Women’s Development Team is selected on Sunday morning.