2008-09 National Women's Team

KIDS LEAD CANADA TO WIN OVER OPTIMIST REBELS

RED DEER, AB – It may be cliché, but the kids are alright.

Seventeen-year-olds Brianne Jenner (Oakville, ON/Mississauga, CWHL) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, QC/Dawson College/Collégial AA) combined for three goals and four points and 22-year-old Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, AB/Grant MacEwan College, ACAC) turned aside 38 shots as Canada’s National Women’s Team earned a 4-2 win over the Red Deer Optimist Rebels on Wednesday night.

In front of more than 500 fans at Red Deer Arena, Canada scored its second win in as many nights over Alberta Midget Hockey League competition – it topped the Calgary Northstars 6-3 on Tuesday.

A back-and-forth first period saw the home side take the early lead, as Andy Williams capitalized on a turnover at his own blue line and beat Szabados with an impressive deke just shy of the 13-minute mark of the opening frame.

But Poulin would pull Canada even just over two minutes later, blasting a shot from the top of circle off the crossbar and past Red Deer goaltender Garrett Laidler.

A 23-shot second period produced no goals, sending the game to the final 20 minutes still even at 1-1.

Outshooting Canada 26-22 through two periods, Red Deer took another lead early in the final frame as Wyatt Fraser poked a loose puck past Szabados to restore the Optimist Rebels’ one-goal advantage.

But just as it did in the first period, Canada replied quickly on a goal from Brianne Jenner just 40 seconds later as Canada’s women’s under-18 captain picked up a loose puck and roofed it past Laidler for her first goal of the January camp.

Sarah Vaillancourt (Sherbrooke, QC/Harvard University, ECAC) drove the net to give Canada its first lead at the 8:09 mark, and Jenner added her second of the game on a Canadian power play in the dying minutes to put the game away.

Despite taking the loss, Red Deer held a 40-34 advantage in shots on goal.

With the games versus Midget AAA competition in the books, the Canadians will play a pair of Red-White 4-on-4 games on Thursday (1:45 p.m. MST) and Friday (9:30 a.m. MST) at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary to wrap up camp.

Goals/Buts :
12:33 RD Andy Williams
14:56 CAN Marie-Philip Poulin (Jennifer Botterill)

Penalties/Pénalités :
17:05 CAN Bobbi Jo Slusar (Hooking/Accrocher)
18:13 RD Justin Krabben (Interference/Obstruction)
18:52 CAN Gillian Apps (Body-checking/Mise en échec)

Goals/Buts :
NO SCORING/AUCUN BUT

Penalties/Pénalités :
01:04 CAN Colleen Sostorics (Tripping/Trebucher)
01:24 RD Nathan Dennis (Body-checking/Mise en échec)
10:53 CAN Gillian Apps (Hooking/Accrocher)
11:09 CAN Sarah Vaillancourt (Delay of Game/Arrêter le match)
17:07 RD Wyatt Fraser (Roughing/Rudesse)

Goals/Buts :
03:21 RD Wyatt Fraser (Michael Marianchuk, Davis Claffey)
04:01 CAN Brianne Jenner (Tessa Bonhomme, Marie-Philip Poulin)
08:09 CAN Sarah Vaillancourt (Jayna Hefford, Valérie Chouinard)
16:01 CAN Brianne Jenner (Jayna Hefford, Meaghan Mikkelson) PP

Penalties/Pénalités :
08:32 RD Davis Claffey (Interference/Obstruction)
09:24 RD Justin Krabben (Body-checking/Mise en échec)
11:27 CAN Sarah Vaillancourt (Interference/Obstruction)
15:25 RD Michael Marianchuk (Body-checking/Mise en échec)
16:01 RD Justin Krabben (Roughing/Rudesse)