|
January 4, 2010
NR.006
RAVENSBURG, Germany – Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team has arrived overseas and is set to go for
gold at the 2010 MLP Cup, which runs from January 5-9 in Ravensburg, Germany. Canada has won the tournament
six times in seven years, but enters this year looking to regain the gold it lost to Sweden in 2009.
In its lone pre-tournament game on Monday, Canada got two assists each from Emmanuelle Blais (Montreal,
Que./University of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) and Carolyne Prevost (Sarnia, Ont./University of Wisconsin, WCHA)
and goals from five different players in a 5-1 win over Germany. Despite icing only eight forwards and moving
one defenceman up from the blue line, Canada outshot the Germans 57-10.
The 2010 MLP Cup kicks off Tuesday, with Canada facing Switzerland in Group B action. The Canadians will
also face Germany in the preliminary round, while Finland, Russia and Sweden will comprise Group A. The top
two teams from both pools will face off against each other in semifinal action Friday, with the winners of
both those games moving on to the gold medal game on Saturday.
This year’s under-22 roster includes 18 of the 22 players who dressed for Canada in a three-game series
against Canada’s National Women’s Team last August in Calgary, Alta. The under-22 team lost all three games
against the National Women’s Team.
The roster for Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team also includes Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont.),
Jocelyne Larocque (Ste. Anne, Man.) and Jennifer Wakefield (Pickering, Ont.), who were all centralized in
Calgary with Canada’s National Women’s Team in preparation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver,
B.C. Jenner and Larocque were released from the team in late November, while Wakefield was released in
mid-December but remains an alternate with the team. Jenner will be making her debut with the National
Women’s Under-22 Team in Ravensburg.
The series against the National Women’s Team helped the development of our players tremendously, and we
are excited to see how our players fare against some of the best in the world,” said Margot Page, head coach
of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team. “Canada has a tremendous tradition at the MLP Cup, and we look
forward to continuing that tradition this year in Ravensburg.”
Canada’s roster for the 2010 MLP Cup includes 12 players who won silver at the 2009 MLP Cup (Bendus,
Bettez, Birchard, Blais, Bram, Deluce, Kessler, Larocque, Rougeau, Smith, Spooner, Wakefield) and three
players who won silver with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2009 IIHF World Women’s Under-18
Championship (Fortino, Jenner, Wong).
Canada is a six-time gold medalist at the MLP Cup (formerly the Air Canada Cup), winning gold in 2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
|
