2012 IIHF Women's World Championship

AGOSTA, JOHNSTON PACE CANADA IN 8-0 EXHIBITION WIN OVER SWEDEN

JAY PEAK, Vt. – Canada’s National Women’s Team has been tucked up in the mountains of northern Vermont since the players were named to the world championship roster.

Their isolation is about to come to an end.
The Canadians head to Burlington after their final practice at the Jay Peak Ice Haus on Friday, for the start of the world championship.

Canada opens Saturday against defending champion and host U.S. at the University of Vermont's Gutterson Field House.

Canada played its first game together since selection camp ended, beating Sweden 8-0 at the Ice Haus in a warm-up game Thursday.

“This was our first game as a team, so we were feeling out new lines and new combinations,” forward Gillian Apps (Unionville, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) said. “You could see thing were coming together, we were creating off the rush and we were getting a lot of shots on net, and that's what we came into this game wanting.”

Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) scored twice and Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Cornell University, ECAC) had a goal and two assists to pace Canada on Thursday.

Apps and Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./University of Minnesota Duluth/WCHA) both had a goal and an assist.

Vicki Bendus (Wasaga Beach, Ont./Brampton, CWHL), Jayna Hefford (Kingston, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) and Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Ohio State University, WCHA) also scored.

Charline Labonté (Boisbriand, Que./McGill University, CIS), and Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, Alta./Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, ACAC) split goaltending duties and the shutout.

Kim Martin allowed one goal and replacement Sara Grahn gave up seven in Sweden's net.

Canada and Sweden played in front of an appreciative crowd of about 400 people Thursday.

Twenty-three players were named to the Canadian team Sunday in Ottawa, Ont. They travelled the same day to Jay Peak, a ski resort just a few kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border.

The players worked hard, and just as important, rested hard after their gruelling selection camp, said head coach Dan Church (North York, Ont./York University, CIS).

“It's good to be in a kind of a remote location because we have to do that,” Church said. “If you go to Burlington too early, then it gets a bit stale and monotonous. This keeps it interesting.”

Apps says the team's stint in Jay Peak has the players anticipating their arrival in Burlington.

“We open with a huge game against the U.S.,” she said. “We've here known we would get through a week of hard work and rest and then we knew on Friday that we'd head to Burlington and the tournament starts Saturday.”

» Game Notes

Goals/Buts:
03:26 CAN Gillian Apps (Bailey Bram)

Penalties/Punitions:
04:55 CAN Jocelyne Larocque (Holding/Retenir)
11:01 CAN Brianne Jenner (Charging/Assaut)
16:49 SWE Erika Holst (Tripping/Faire trébucher)

Goals/Buts : 
12:23 CAN Meghan Agosta (Jennifer Wakefield, Haley Irwin)
15:22 CAN Rebecca Johnston (Jayna Hefford, Marie-Philip Poulin)

Penalties/Pénalités : 
none/aucun

Goals/Buts : 
07:28 CAN Vicki Bendus (Gillian Apps)
05:21 CAN Jayna Hefford (Marie-Philip Poulin, Rebecca Johnston)
08:22 CAN Natalie Spooner (Hayley Wickenheiser)
18:57 CAN Haley Irwin (Rebecca Johnston)
19:21 CAN Meghan Agosta

Penalties/Pénalités : 
09:54 CAN Brianne Jenner (Tripping/Faire trébucher)
18:39 SWE Frida Nevalainew (Charging/Assaut)