HOCKEY CANADA
2009-10 National Women's Team
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Canada 7 - Sweden 2
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CANADA INTO FINAL AT HOCKEY CANADA CUP AFTER TESTY SEMIFINAL WIN OVER SWEDEN
VANCOUVER _ If Canada wanted a shot of adrenaline to take into Sunday's final against the U.S. at the Hockey Canada Cup, they got it from Saturday's nasty 7-2 semifinal win over Sweden. A couple of near-line brawls - a rarity in women's hockey - erupted at the end of the second and third periods as the Canadians took exception to Swedish assistant captain Danijela Rundqvist's play.
Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser yanked the helmet off Rundqvist in the final minute of the game. She said Rundqvist slough-footed Marie Phillip-Poulin after the faceoff. "Those are the times when the team rallies together and it brought us a lot of emotion on the bench,'' Wickenheiser said. "It's a whole new game against the U.S. "We've got to regroup and enjoy this one because it was kind of fun to play.'' Canada and the U.S., a 4-0 winner over Finland earlier Saturday, will meet in Sunday's final (TSN, tape delay midnight ET) in the Olympic test event. Wickenheiser, from Shaunavon, Sask., and Sarah Vaillancourt of Sherbrooke, Que., each had a pair of goals Saturday. Jayna Hefford of Kingston, Ont., Gina Kingsbury of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., and Poulin of Beauceville, Que., also scored in front of 2,751 at GM Place, which will be called Canada Hockey Place during the Olympic Games in February. Meghan Agosta of Ruthven, Ont., had three assists and Winnipeg's Jennifer Botterill collected a pair of helpers. Kim St. Pierre of Chateauguay, Que. made nine saves for the win. Rundqvist and Isabelle Jordansson countered for the Swedes, who will play Finland for bronze Sunday. Goaltender Sara Grahn was tenacious in net with 37 saves, but was often left unprotected by the defence in front of her. Sweden beat Canada for the first time Nov. 7, 2008 at the Four Nations Cup with a 2-1 overtime victory and Grahn in net. Canada's win Saturday was its third straight against the Swedes since then. The hosts scored six unanswered goals in the first two periods, but it was far from a tame affair. Rundqvist and Canadian defenceman Gillian Ferrari went down in a heap along the boards late in the second period and Rundqvist shoved her gloves in Ferarri's face. Canada's Gillian Apps threw herself on top of Rundqvist which brought Anna Borgqvist into the fray followed by Swedes and Canadians on both sides. The principles involved all received roughing minors and Rundqvist got a double minor. "There was lots happening in the game for a change,'' Wickenheiser said. "We've seen that movie many times over the years with (Rundqvist) in particular. "We talked as a team about playing with more grit and energy and emotion. We wanted to send a message that we're not to be pushed around or outdone in our own building.'' The Americans have won five of their last seven games against Canada, including Thursday's 4-2 victory to
end the preliminary round. "We've got nothing to lose. It's the beginning of the year and we're in our fifth or sixth game of the season. We're in the Olympic venue,'' Davidson said. "We've got to show up and play and see what the score is when the buzzer rings.'' The U.S. will be more rested than Canada in the second game for both teams in as many days. "When you're playing five games in seven days conditioning becomes a factor and we're in the early part of September and not the latter part of January,'' U.S. coach Mark Johnson said. "Fatigue becomes a little bit of a concern so hopefully we'll be able to respond in tomorrow's night's game similar to the last time we played the evening game. We're playing for a championships now so the excitement should be a little bit higher.'' U.S. captain Natalie Darwitz's status for the final is uncertain. She was shaken up after she was knocked hard into the corner boards by Finnish defender Mira Jalosuo late in the third period. "Probably a little bit scared more than anything when you go into the boards like that,'' Johnston said. "I think she'll be fine and we'll see how she's feeling tomorrow morning.'' Canadian forward Cherie Piper went down hard during the final drill of the pre-game skate Saturday and immediately left the ice holding her arm. She was scratched from the lineup and replaced by Poulin, who was slated to sit out the game. Davidson said Piper would be a game-day decision. Meghan Duggan scored a hat trick and Jocelyne Lamoureux also had a goal for the U.S. against Finland. Goaltender Jessie Vetter made 19 saves and Finnish counterpart Noora Raty stopped 31 shots. Notes: Kingsbury played her 100th game Saturday and became the 16th player to do so . . . Canadian defenders Meaghan Mikkelson and Jocelyne Larocque also sat out the game along with goaltender Charline Labonte (ankle), defenceman Delaney Collins (post-concussion) and Jennifer Wakefield (shoulder). |
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| Game Information/Reseignements sur le match | |||
| Event/Événement | Hockey Canada Cup | Location/Emplacement | Vancouver, BC, CAN |
| Date | Sat. Sept. 5, 2009 | Arena/Aréna | GM Place |
| Time/Heure | 19:30 PT | Attendance/Assistance | -,--- |
| Round/Ronde | Semi-Final | Game # | 08 |
| Box Score/Compte |
1
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2
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3
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Final
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| CAN |
2
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4
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1
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7
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| SWE |
0
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0
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2
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2
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| Goals/Penalties |
| First Period/Première période |
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Goals/Buts : Penalties/Pénalités : |
| Second Period/Deuxième période |
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Goals/Buts : Penalties/Pénalités : |
| Third Period/Troisième période |
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Goals/Buts : Penalties/Pénalités : |
| Goaltenders | CAN | Kim St-Pierre | |||
| Gardiens de but | SWE | Sara Grahn | |||
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| Shots on Goal | Team | 1 p | 2 p | 3 p | Ttl |
| Shots on Goal | CAN | 10 | 20 | 13 | 43 |
| Tirs au but | SWE | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
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For more information: André Brin Director, Communications | Directeur, relations médias |
