2017-18 National Women's Team

CANADA DROPS DECISION TO CHIEFS IN ESSO SERIES

JEMMA YOUNG

CALGARY, Alta. – Sarah Nurse scored in the second period, but Canada’s National Women’s Team suffered a 5-1 seetback at the hands of the Red Deer Chiefs in Esso Series action Tuesday night at the Markin MacPhail Centre.

Red Deer avenged a 5-1 loss on Nov. 25 on its home ice with strong offence and solid goaltending.

The Chiefs came out strong, with Daylan Kuefler beating Canadian goaltender Geneviève Lacasse (Kingston, Ont./Calgary, CWHL) just 3:13 into the opening frame.

Noah Danielson pushed the lead to two at 15:19 of the first period before a pair of quick-strike goals put Red Deer in control very early in the second.

Tye Carriere made it 3-0 only 28 seconds into the middle stanza, quickly followed – less than a minute later – by a Ryan McBeath marker to out the 2012 and 2013 TELUS Cup champions up by four.

That would be all for Lacasse, who was replaced by Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que./University of Wisconsin, WCHA) after allowing four goals on 12 shots. Desbiens stopped 21 of 22 the rest of the way.

Nurse finished a feed from Laura Stacey (Kleinburg, Ont./Markham, CWHL) to get the Canadians on the board just past the midway mark of the second period, but that would be the lone puck to beat the Chiefs tandem of Bretton Park and Duncan Hughes.

Ethan Schlag netted the fifth Red Deer tally at 10:22 of the third period, finishing the scoring.

The pre-Olympic schedule continues for Canada with two games against the United States – Dec. 15 in San Jose, Calif., and Dec. 17 in Edmonton, Alta. – before it returns to Esso Series action on the road against the St. Albert Raiders on Dec. 19.