2009-10 National Women's Team

HEFFORD, ST-PIERRE SHINE IN SHOOTOUT WIN FOR CANADA

CALGARY, Alta. – Make it three in a row for Canada’s National Women’s Team in NWT Midget Series action.

Jayne Hefford (Kingston, Ont.) scored the lone goal in the shootout and Kim St-Pierre (Châteauguay, Que.) stopped all three attempts as Canada earned a 4-3 win over the Calgary Northstars on Tuesday night at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena.

The victory moves Canada to 9-3 in the Midget Series, and gives it three wins in as many games and four in its last five.

It was the Canadian power play that struck first, as Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que.) converted a cross-crease set-up from Hefford for the game’s opening goal just past the eight-minute mark of the opening period.

But it took just 40 seconds for the Northstars to return the game to even terms, thanks to Godric Tham.

After an even opening 20 minutes – the teams each had 12 shots on goal in the period – the Canadians started to control the play in the middle frame, and took a 2-1 lead when Cherie Piper (Scarborough, Ont.) blasted a shot from the slot past a sprawling Kenny Cameron.

The lead grew to two early in the third period after Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.) roofed a shot past Cameron, giving Canada a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead with time ticking down, but penalty trouble hurt the Canadians and back-to-back 5-on-3 goals by Jordan Eddy and Brendan Santini within 99 seconds of each other brought the game to 3-3 and forced overtime.

An uneventful extra frame gave way to a shootout, where the goaltenders shone early – St-Pierre and Cameron both turned away the first two shooters they faced.

Hefford, who has been Canada’s hottest player through the first dozen Midget Series contests, continued her sparkling play with a backhand just under the crossbar and past Cameron, giving the Canadians the lead, and eventually the win when St-Pierre kicked out the right pad to deny Eddy on the Northstars’ final attempt.

Canada is right back to action on Thursday night, when it welcomes the Calgary Buffaloes to FDB (7:30 p.m. MT). The Canadians already hold a victory over the Buffaloes this season, taking a 4-3 overtime decision on October 13.

Goals/Buts:
08:03 CAN Marie-Philip Poulin (Jayna Hefford, Gillian Ferrari) PP/AN
08:43 CGY Godric Tham (Brett Kondo)

Penalties/Punitions:
07:14 CGY Dalton Olson (Hooking/Accrocher)
15:40 CAN Jocelyne Larocque (Interference/Obstruction)

Goals/Buts:
06:57 CAN Cherie Piper (Jennifer Wakefield, Gillian Ferrari)

Penalties/Punitions:
08:59 CGY Marcus Cheng (Tripping/Faire trébuche)
13:39 CAN Delaney Collins (Tripping/Faire trébuche)
16:15 CGY Lagan Wall (Interference/Obstruction)

Goals/Buts:
01:46 CAN Meghan Agosta (Marie-Philip Poulin, Caroline Ouellette)
08:10 CGY Jordan Eddy (Sumeet Wareh, Andy Avery) PP/AN
09:49 CGY Brendan Santini (Brett Kondo, Dalton Olson) PP/AN

Penalties/Punitions:
06:16 CAN Bench (Too Many Men/Trop de joueurs)
08:03 CAN Jocelyne Larocque (Interference/Obstruction)
09:15 CAN Gillian Apps (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
12:20 CAN Caroline Ouellette (Hooking/Accrocher)

Goals/Buts:
None/Aucun

Penalties/Punitions:
None/Aucun