CANADA FALLS IN OVERTIME IN DEVELOPMENT SERIES FINALE

WENDY GRAVES

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE) gave Canada’s National Women’s Development Team the start it needed, scoring only two minutes into the game, but the team couldn’t build on the early momentum, falling 2-1 in overtime to the United States in the finale of the three-game series.

Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC) took an interference penalty with time running down in the third period. With extra space to skate and pass around the puck, the Americans needed only 32 seconds of the extra time, with Hannah Brandt beating Emerance Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, Alta./Harvard University, ECAC) cleanly from the face-off circle.

The Americans won the series two games to one. Canada is now tied 17-17-2 all time with the United States in the annual development team series.

For the third straight game it was Canada getting on the board first. Bach took a pass from Laura Stacey (Kleinburg, Ont./Dartmouth College, ECAC), outraced a duo of defenders down the wing and sent a wrist shot into the back of the net only two minutes in. It was the first shot Lexi Shaw had seen in this week after sitting for the first 120 minutes of the series.

The United States evened the score less than nine minutes later on the rush, when Brandt finished off a passing play by beating Maschmeyer top corner glove side from the slot.

Maschmeyer started all three games for Canada; after playing the first half of Game 1, she was in the Canadian net every minute the rest of the series. In approximately 150 minutes of action, she surrendered only three goals.

Although Canada was on its heels for much of the second period, it did manage to create the best scoring chance. Bach got behind a pair of defenders for a partial breakaway, but Shaw didn’t let the speedy forward beat her for a second time.

In the third Canada was able to kill off back-to-back minor infractions to Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC) and Cayley Mercer (Exeter, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC) midway through the period. The offence, however, was unable to build on the defensive stand and put away a second straight win for the development team.