WHITE CRUISES TO WIN OVER CIS AT SELECTION CAMP

JASON LA ROSE

CALGARY, Alta. – Rhyen McGill (Whitby, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC) scored a pair of goals, and White found the back of the net five times in the first period as it routed the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-stars 9-3 on Thursday night at Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp.

Emily Clark (Saskatoon, Sask./University of Wisconsin, WCHA) added a goal and two assists, and Rebecca Leslie (Ottawa, Ont./Boston University, HE) and Jess Healey (Edmonton, Alta./University of Minnesota Duluth, WCHA) had one of each for White, which was offensively efficient – it scored nine goals on 29 shots, a 31.04% success rate.

The university stars had the early power play but it was White that took the early lead; Healey snapped a shot from the point that eluded CIS goaltender Valerie Lamenta (Montreal, Que./University of Guelph, OUA) just 1:52 in.

Clark made it 2-0 at 6:29, beating Lamenta from the slot, and Kristyn Capizzano (Oakville, Ont./Boston College, HE) poked in the 3-0 goal just seconds after the midway mark of the period as White pulled away early.

Ève-Audrey Picard (Longueuil, Que./University of Vermont, HE) scored the eventual game-winner at 12:21, tucking the puck around a diving Lamenta, and Stephanie Sucharda (Mississauga, Ont./Princeton University, HE) capped the offensive onslaught just over five minutes later, wiring in a power-play goal to send White to the dressing room with a commanding lead.

CIS picked up its game in the second period, outshooting White 12-5, but it couldn’t put a dent in the deficit.

Leslie got into the scoring act just 56 seconds into the middle frame, cutting down the right wing and going low to the blocker side past Lamenta, who was replaced by Stephanie Sluys (Clinton, Ont./University of Waterloo, OUA) just minutes later.

Alex Poznikoff (Edmonton, Alta./University of Alberta, CWUAA) finally gave the CIS side something to cheer about at 3:35, showing off slick hands in front to roof a backhand over White netminder Julia Vandyk (Cambridge, Ont./Colgate University, ECAC) on the power play, and Kelty Apperson (New Hamburg, Ont./St. Thomas University, AUS) knocked in a  cross-crease feed from Taylor Day to make it 6-2.

But McGill answered midway through the second to get the White lead back to five through 40 minutes.

Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE) added the eighth White goal midway through the final frame, following up on a Ryleigh Houston (Winnipeg, Man./University of North Dakota, WCHA) chance to beat Sluys, before Day and McGill traded goals in the final two minutes to finish the scoring.

Camp concludes for both teams Saturday; White takes on Red in the early game (2:30 p.m. MT), before the CIS all-stars face off against Sweden in the camp finale (5 p.m. MT).