2009-10 National Women's Under-18 Team

CANADA BLANKS SWEDES; WRAPS UP FIRST PLACE IN GROUP B

CHICAGO, Ill. – Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team is off to the semifinals at the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.

Eight different players scored goals as Canada spread around the offence once again in an 8-0 win over Sweden in the preliminary round finale for both on Tuesday night. The win gives Canada top spot in Group B with a perfect 3-0 record and sends it to Friday’s semis.

Canada will wait for the results of Wednesday’s quarter-finals before finding out who its final-four opponent will be.

After routing Germany 15-0 in its last outing on Sunday, Canada continued its offensive roll early on Tuesday, taking a 2-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old thanks to goals from Christine Bestland (Brunkild, Man./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA) and Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L./Warner Academy, JWHL).

Brigette Lacquette (Waterhen, Man./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA) rounded out the scoring in the first period, snapping a shot past Swedish goaltender Annika Ferngren on a Canadian power play, increasing her lead atop the tournament scoring list for defencemen.

The offensive onslaught continued in the first minute of the second period as Kelly Terry (Whitby, Ont./Whitby, PWHL) notched her team-leading fourth goal of the tournament, blowing past the Swedish defence and tucking the puck past Ferngren.

Jessica Campbell (Melville, Sask./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA), Hannah Armstrong (Sharon, Ont./Aurora, PWHL) and Jenna McParland (Schreiber, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) also added goals in the second as Canada led by a converted touchdown through 40 minutes.

Canada rounded out the scoring in the third period with a goal from Laurie Kingsbury (Valleyfield, Que./Saint-Laurent, Collégial AA) – making her tournament debut – who tipped a Lacquette pass over the shoulder of Ferngren.

Lacquette finished with four points, adding three assists to her first-period goal, while Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) added four helpers, three of them coming with Canada on the power play.

As good as Canada’s offence has been, its defence has been equally impressive – the Canadians have allowed only 33 shots in three games and take a shutout streak of 131:47 into the semifinals, having not allowed a goal since the third period of their tournament opener against Russia on Saturday.

Carmen MacDonald (Pictou, N.S./Westminster School, U.S. Prep) and Erica Howe (Orleans, Ont./Ottawa, PWHL) split the goaltending duties for Canada against the Swedes; MacDonald made nine saves in her 30 minutes of work, while Howe stopped all three shots she faced.

Check out hockeycanada.ca for the complete semifinal schedule following the completion of Wednesday’s quarter-finals.

Goals/Buts :
05:38 CAN Christine Bestland (Erin Ambrose) PP/AN
07:50 CAN Sarah Davis (Brigette Lacquette, Erin Ambrose)
14:24 CAN Brigette Lacquette (Erin Ambrose, Jessica Campbell) PP/AN

Penalties/Pénalités :
01:15 CAN Mélodie Daoust (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
03:52 SWE Anna Borgfeldt (Charging/Assaut)
10:34 CAN Jenna McParland (Tripping/Faire trébucher)
12:55 SWE Lina Backlin (Body-checking/Mise en échec corporelle)

Goals/Buts :
00:57 CAN Kelly Terry (Caitlin MacDonald)
02:12 CAN Jessica Campbell (Jillian Saulnier, Brigette Lacquette)
05:56 CAN Hannah Armstrong (Mélodie Daoust, Emily Fulton)
15:18 CAN Jenna McParland (Erin Ambrose, Carly Mercer) PP/AN

Penalties/Pénalités :
13:35 SWE Fanny Akesson (Holding/Retenir)
14:27 SWE Anna Borgfeldt (Boarding/Donner de la bande)
17:54 CAN Hannah Armstrong (Interference/Obstruction)
18:41 SWE Melinda Olsson (Interference/Obstruction)

Goals/Buts :
13:37 CAN Laurie Kingsbury (Jenna McParland, Brigette Lacquette)

Penalties/Pénalités :
09:20 SWE Annika Ferngren (Tripping/Faire trébucher)
19:35 SWE Linnea Hedin (Tripping/Faire trébucher)