CALGARY – Forty of Canada’s top female Under-22 players (born in 1987 or later) will gather at York University in Toronto, ON from August 10-17 for the National Women’s Under-22 Team selection camp.
The 40 players – four goaltenders, 12 defensemen and 24 forwards – will compete for spots on Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team, which will play the USA’s Women’s Under-22 Select Team in a three-game series in Pierrefonds, QC from August 20-23. The coaching staff, led by head coach Sarah Howald (Regina, SK/University of Regina, CIS), in collaboration with Hockey Canada scouts, will name the team on August 17.
Fifteen players return from last year's National Women's Under-22 Team, which finished with a 7-0 record – the first perfect season in the history of the under-22 program. In addition, 11 members of Canada's silver medal-winning 2008 National Women's Under-18 Team will attend the camp, as well as two players (Meghan Agosta and Rebecca Johnston) that won a silver medal with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship.
The players have been split into two teams for the selection camp – Canada Red and Canada White. The teams will play a pair of games against each other, as well as a pair of games against a team of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) All-Stars, all at the Canlan Rink on the campus of York University.
The camp will mark the second year of a two-year partnership between Hockey Canada and the CIS. The CIS will send a national team of Canadian university women’s hockey players to the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China, the first time that women’s hockey is part of the World University Games.
All practices and games will be open to the public. Admission is by donation; all funds collected will go to the York University women’s hockey team.
After the final National Women’s Under-22 Team roster is named on August 17, the team will travel to Pierrefonds and practice twice at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe – on August 18 and 19 – before opening the series against the USA.
CANADA VS. USA – UNDER-22 SERIES (all games at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe)
Wednesday, August 20th 7 p.m. EDT
Friday, August 22nd 7 p.m. EDT
Saturday, August 23rd 9:30 a.m. EDT
Admission to all games is free of charge. |