TORONTO – Hockey Canada announced on Sunday Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team roster that will take part in a three-game series vs. USA’s Women’s Under-22 Select Team from August 20-23 in Pierrefonds, QC, just outside Montreal. The players were selected by head coach Sarah Howald (Regina, SK/University of Regina, CIS) and assistant coaches Pierre Alain (Mirabel, QC/St-Jérôme, Collégial AA) and Jim Fetter (Waterloo, ON/Wayne State University, CHA), along with National Women’s Team head coach Melody Davidson and Hockey Canada’s regional scouts.
The coaching staff also announced that 2006 Olympic gold medalist Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, ON/Mercyhurst College, CHA) will be Canada’s captain. Emmanuelle Blais (Montreal, QC/University of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) and Jocelyne Larocque (Ste-Anne, MB/University of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) will serve as alternate captains.
Canada’s roster of 22 players was selected following a seven-day camp from August 10-17 in Toronto, ON, attended by 40 of the top under-22 female hockey players in Canada – four goaltenders, 12 defensemen and 24 forwards. The camp included games between two Canadian teams and a team of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-stars.
“The coaching staff is very excited about the team that we have selected that will represent Canada during this series against the United States in Pierrefonds,” says Howald. “It was a very competitive selection camp and a testimony to the growth of women’s hockey in Canada. The players named today should be very proud of their accomplishment.”
Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team includes:
11 players who played with the under-22 program in 2007-08, a team which finished with a 7-0 record – the
first perfect season in the history of the under-22 program (Agosta, Birchard, Blais, Fridfinnson, Irwin,
Johnston, Larocque, Smith, Thibault, Wakefield, Ward)
5 players who won a silver medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in January 2008 in Calgary, AB (Bram, Haverstock, Karpenko, Rougeau, Spooner)
22 players who have taken part in either the National Women’s Under-18 Championship or the Canada Winter Games, the regional and provincial components of Canada’s female hockey Program of Excellence
5 players who will be representing Canada for the first time (Bendus, Bettez, Kessler, Knox, Maschmeyer)
The 22 members of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team are all products of the Hockey Canada development system, which is operated by Hockey Canada’s member branches. Six branches will be represented this August with Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team:
National Women’s Under-22 Team representation by Hockey Canada branch:
11 players from the OWHA
4 players from Hockey Manitoba
4 players from Hockey Quebec
1 player from Hockey Alberta
1 player from the Saskatchewan Hockey Association
1 player from Hockey Nova Scotia
CANADA VS. USA SCHEDULE AT THE PIERREFONDS SPORTPLEXE 4 GLACES
(AUGUST 18-23)
Canada’s games and practices are open and it is free admission. All practices and games will be held at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe 4 Glaces (14700 Pierrefonds Boulevard). All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (local time in Pierrefonds).
Monday, August 18 12:45 p.m. Canada – practice
Tuesday, August 19 10:00 a.m. Canada – practice
12:00 p.m. USA – practice
Wednesday, August 20 9:00 a.m. Canada – practice
10:00 a.m. USA – practice
7:00 p.m. Canada U22 vs. USA U22
Thursday, August 21 12:00 p.m. USA – practice
2:00 p.m. Canada – practice
Friday, August 22 9:00 a.m. USA – practice
10:00 a.m. Canada – practice
7:00 p.m. Canada U22 vs. USA U22
Saturday, August 23 9:30 a.m. Canada U22 vs. USA U22
* Please note that practices could change times or be cancelled without notice.
NOTE TO MEDIA: André Brin, Hockey Canada’s manager of communications, will be on-site with the National Women’s Under-22 Team. For any interview requests, he can be reached on his cell phone at (403) 540-8444 or by e-mail at abrin@hockeycanada.ca.