BLUE COMES BACK TO BEAT GOLD, EARN INTRASQUAD SWEEP

JASON LA ROSE

CALGARY, Alta. – Sierra Burt (Bayfield, Ont./Bluewater, PWHL) had a goal and an assist in a three-goal third period, and Blue came from behind to beat Gold 3-1 on Saturday night and finish a three-game sweep of the intrasquad series at Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp.

Blue posted a 3-2 victory in the camp opener Wednesday before winning 2-1 on Friday night.

Daryl Watts (Toronto, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) and Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Sask./Okanagan Hockey Academy, CSSHL) had the other goals for Blue, which was outshot in all three of its camp wins.

Gold made good on a first-period power play to open the scoring. The puck was worked around to Shelby Wood (Cambridge, Ont./Cambridge, PWHL) at the point, and her wrist shot found its way through traffic and past Blue goaltender Corinne Schroeder (Elm Creek, Man./Balmoral Hall School, JWHL) for a 1-0 lead.

The Gold netminding tandem of Kerigan Dowhy (The Pas, Man./Interlake, MFMHL) and Loryn Porter (North Bay, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) took over from there, keeping Blue scoreless on 12 shots through two periods.

But Burt finally got Blue even 3:26 into the third period, jamming a centering feed from Olivia Knowles (Campbell River, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, CSSHL) past Porter to tie the game.

Watts made it 2-1 midway through the middle frame, picking up the puck on the side-boards and dancing through the Gold defence before tucking a backhand past Porter, and Shirley netted her first goal of camp to cap the scoring with 3:38 left.

Schroeder and Édith D’Astous-Moreau (Laval, Que./Nepean, PWHL) combined to make 22 saves to record the win in the Blue goal. Gold finished with a 23-18 advantage in shots on goal.

With the camp schedule done, 22 players will be selected Sunday morning to represent Canada in a three-game under-18 series against the United States; the first game in the series is set for Thursday night in Calgary.