2009-10 National Women's Under-18 Team

CANADA OPENS WITH TIGHTER-THAN-EXPECTED WIN OVER RUSSIA

CHICAGO, Ill. – It wasn’t the score that many expected, but Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team has its first win at the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.

Brigette Lacquette (Waterhen, Man./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA) scored once and added two assists and six different players notched goals as Canada earned a 6-3 victory over Russia in the tournament opener for both on Saturday afternoon at Seven Bridges Ice Arena.

The three goals given up by the Canadians are the most they have ever given up to a team other than the United States at the world championship, and came on just seven Russian shots at Canadian netminder Erica Howe (Orleans, Ont./Ottawa, PWHL).

At the other end, Canada peppered Russian goaltender Anna Prugova with 60 shots, but could only manage six goals on the Vancouver Olympian, who kept her team in the game with big save after big save.

Russia surprised the Canadians, scoring the game’s first goal when captain Olga Sosina – another Russian Olympian – found Howe’s five-hole just shy of the six-minute mark of the opening frame. But not only would that be the only goal the Russians would manage in the first period, it would be their only shot.

Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L./Warner Academy, JWHL) pulled Canada even at 13:14, taking advantage of a fortuitous bounce and poking the puck into an empty Russian net, and Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que./Edouard Montpetit, Collégial AA) and Jenna McParland (Schreiber, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) scored goals 13 seconds apart just minutes later to send Canada to the dressing room up 3-1.

Sosina and Jillian Saulnier (Halifax, N.S./Toronto, PWHL) traded goals in the second period as the Canadians continued to carry the play – outshooting Russia 17-5 in the middle frame – but had trouble beating Prugova.

Lacquette finished off a back door pass from Saulnier to make it 5-2 early in the third period, and after Lyudmila Belyakova got one back for Russia – who again scored on their lone shot of the period – Kelly Terry (Whitby, Ont./Whitby, PWHL) roofed one over the shoulder of Prugova to round out the scoring in the final minute.

In addition to Lacquette’s three points, Daoust, Davis and Saulnier all added a goal and a helper in the win, which was Canada’s seventh in a row in preliminary round play at the world championship.

Canada looks to go 2-0 in Group B action on Sunday afternoon when it takes on Germany, a game that can be seen live via webcast for just $6.99 at www.fasthockey.com, beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Goals/Buts : 
05:45 RUS Olga Sosina (Alexandra Tsirkunova)
13:14 CAN Sarah Davis (Brigette Lacquette)
14:52 CAN Mélodie Daoust (Emily Fulton)
15:05 CAN Jenna McParland (Mélodie Daoust, Brigette Lacquette)

Penalties/Pénalités : 
06:10 RUS Yana Vershinina (Holding the Stick/Retenir de bâton)
09:06 RUS Maria Bukshevannaya (Holding/Retenir)

Goals/Buts : 
09:11 CAN Jillian Saulnier (Christine Bestland, Jessica Campbell) PP/AN
11:35 RUS Olga Sosina (Lyudmila Belyakova)

Penalties/Pénalités : 
07:31 RUS Angelina Goncharenko (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
15:53 RUS Tatiana Akamanaeva (Hooking/Accrocher)
19:50 RUS Bench/Banc (Delay of Game/Retarder le match)

Goals/Buts : 
06:28 CAN Brigette Lacquette (Jillian Saulnier) PP/AN
08:13 RUS Lyudmila Belyakova (Olga Sosina, Maria Pechnikova) PP/AN
19:25 CAN Kelly Terry (Sarah Davis, Jamie Lee Rattray)

Penalties/Pénalités : 
05:01 RUS Maria Pechnikova (Hooking/Accrocher)
07:58 CAN Shannon Doyle (Holding/Retenir)
09:16 RUS Elina Mitrofanova (Hooking/Accrocher)
09:53 CAN Brigette Lacquette (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
10:34 RUS Bench/Banc (Delay of Game/Retarder le match)
15:20 CAN Cassandra Poudrier (Body-checking/Mise en échec corporelle)