CANADIANS CAN’T COMPLETE COMEBACK IN SHOOTOUT LOSS

PIERREFONDS, QC – For the first time since 2006, Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team has come out on the losing end of a game, falling 4-3 in a shootout to the United States on Wednesday night.

With eight players who were part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Harbin, China in April on its roster, the USA’s Women’s Under-22 Select Team jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead – with all three goals coming on the powerplay – only to see the Canadians claw back to tie the game and force overtime, and eventually a shootout.

The loss was the first for Canada’s U22 team since August 24, 2006 a span of 14 games and almost two years.

A penalty to Canadian forward Jennifer Wakefield (Pickering, ON/University of New Hampshire, HE) just 10 seconds after the opening face-off gave the Americans an early powerplay, and Gigi Marvin connected just 27 seconds later, her long shot eluding Canadian goaltender Liz Knox (Stouffville, ON/Wilfrid Laurier University, CIS).

Emily West and Monique Lamoureux added goals on the man advantage late in the period as the Americans outshot Canada 23-7 in the opening 20 minutes and took a 3-0 lead to the dressing room.

With the United States threatening to turn the game into a runaway the Canadians fought their way back, as Bailey Bram (Ste. Anne, MB/Balmoral Hall, MB MAA) counted Canada’s first goal at the nine-minute mark of the second period, fighting off an American defender and depositing a rebound past USA netminder Molly Schaus to cut the lead to two at 3-1.

Canadian captain Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, ON/Mercyhurst College, CHA) struck just two minutes later on a powerplay, snapping a shot from the slot past Schaus to make it a 3-2 game.

Knox, despite a slow middle frame, had to come up big late, turning away American forward Meghan Duggan on a breakaway in the period’s final minute, keeping it a one-goal game heading to the intermission.

The Canadians continued to pressure for the game-tying goal in the third period and were finally rewarded when veteran forward Laura Fridfinnson (Arborg, MB/University of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) dug the puck out along the boards and fed Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, ON/University of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA), who beat Schaus and drew the Canadians even at 3-3 with just 2:39 left on the clock.

After a scoreless five-minute, four-on-four overtime, Sarah Parsons scored for the USA on its second shot of the shootout before Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, ON/Durham, PWHL) pulled Canada even on the third and final shot of regulation, going backhand to forehand to beat Schaus.

Kelli Stack and Wakefield missed in the first round of sudden-death extra shooters before Jocelyne Lamoureux tucked a backhand under Knox to give the Americans another lead.

Spooner failed to convert for the Canadians on their fifth chance, giving the Americans their first win over Canada since scoring a 2-1 overtime win in Ottawa in 2006.

After a day off on Thursday, the two teams will return to the ice at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe 4 Glaces on Friday night, with game time set for 7 p.m. EDT.

1

2

3

OT

SO

Final

0

2

1

0

0

3

3

0

0

0

1

4

Goals/Buts :
0:37 USA Marvin (Lawler) PP
14:28 USA West (Duggan, Marvin) PP
17:50 USA M. Lamoureux (West) PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
0:10 CAN Wakefield (Hooking/Accrocher)
4:52 CAN Karpenko (Hooking/Accrocher)
9:31 USA Lamoureux (Bodychecking/Mise en échec)
12:45 CAN Spooner (Penalty/Punition)
15:49 CAN Blais (Slashing/Cingler)

Goals/Buts :
9:00 CAN Bram (Ward, Spooner)
11:00 CAN Agosta (Maschmeyer, Johnston) PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
9:47 USA M. Lamoureux (Hooking/Accrocher)
12:23 USA Bassett (Interference/Obstruction)

Goals/Buts :
17:21 CAN Fridfinsson (Irwin, Blais)

Penalties/Pénalités :
12:31 USA Bellamy (High sticking/Bâton élevé)

Goals/Buts :
None/Aucun

Penalties/Pénalités :
None/Aucun

Goals/Buts :
USA Marvin (Miss), Parsons (Goal), Faber (Miss), Stack (Miss), Lamoureux (Goal)
CAN Wakefield (Miss), Rougeau (Miss), Spooner (Goal), Wakefield (Miss), Spooner (Miss)