2006-07 National Women's Team

Team C/Red 2 - Team B/Black 3

Fall Festival
Round Robin
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
7:00 pm ET
Kenora, ON

Box Score

TEAM BLACK HOLDS ON FOR 3-2 WIN

Kenora, ON – Over 1000 fans crowded into the Kenora Recreational Centre for women’s hockey action at the 2006 National Women’s Team Fall Festival on Wednesday evening. And three games into the series, it’s a three-way tie. Team Black held off Team Red for a 3-2 win on this night. Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, SK) led the winning side, with two assists, while the winner was registered by Jana Harrigan (Burlington, ON).

Now all three teams, Teams Black, Red and White have identical 1-1 records going into the next round, a 4-on-4 double round robin.

Team Black came out strong in the first period, looking to avenge a loss on the first day to Team White. Their efforts were rewarded on a power play, as Wickenheiser set up Katie Weatherston (Thunder Bay, ON) for the opening goal. Team Black held a 1-0 advantage through the first period, as well as a 12-4 lead on the shot clock.

Team Black took a two-goal lead at 7:36 of the middle frame, as Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, ON) came in on the wing, and put her own rebound past Laura Hosier. But less than 20 seconds later, Team Red was on the scoreboard. At 8:54, Olympic flagbearer Danielle Goyette (St-Nazaire, QC) sped in from the off wing and banked the puck in off a defender past Laura Hosier (Sharon, ON) to make the score 2-1 in favour of Team Black. Both goaltenders were replaced at the 10:07 mark. Shannon Szabados gave way to Sami Jo Small for Team Red, while Kim St-Pierre (Châteauguay,QC) took over for Hosier.

At 10:34, on a power play, Team Red evened the score at 2-2, as Joanne Eustace (Torbay, NF) beat St-Pierre from the slot. But Team Black was back in front before the second period came to a close. Harrigan took a pass from Wickenheiser and beat Small over her glove hand. Team Black’s 3-2 lead would hold up through an exciting third period, as both teams had chances but St-Pierre and Small were up to the challenge.

The next two days at the National Women’s Team Fall Festival will be devoted to a double round robin of 4-on-4 action as all three teams will be called upon to play four times in less than three days.

The coaching and management staff has also added a few wrinkles to the next series of games, putting some additional pressure on players and giving the fans the opportunity to witness the ever-popular shootout. At the conclusion of each period of the first series of 4-on-4 games, there will be a three person shoot out, with each goal scored counting towards the final game score. At the end of the third period, the goals scored in the shootout not only go towards the score but count as a point in the standings.

The shootouts will not be in play for the second series of games, with games coming to an end after regulation time, regardless of the score. The final 4-on-4 game will be played on Saturday morning (September 9th) at 10am, and will followed by a 3-on-3 game among the players on the third place team in the standings at 6pm, and the Fall Festival Championship Game at 8:30 pm between the two top teams in the standings.