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NATIONAL WOMEN’S TEAM ROUTS U22S TO CAP SERIES SWEEP
CALGARY, Alta. – In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be for Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team.
Four players had two-goal nights and 12 recorded at least one point as Canada’s National Women’s Team
completed a three-game sweep of the U22s with a 10-0 rout on Thursday night at Father David Bauer Olympic
Arena.
Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, Sask.), Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.), Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville,
Que.) and Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont.) all found the back of the net twice for the national team, who led
5-0 after one period and 7-0 after two en route to the convincing victory.
After surviving a scare from the U22 side on Monday night – scoring twice in the final seven minutes for a
4-3 win – and earning a slightly easier, but still tough, 5-2 victory on Tuesday, the national side made sure
the result was never in doubt in the series finale.
Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que.) tapped home a cross-crease feed from Johnston after just three minutes
and Agosta buried a pass from Colleen Sostorics (Kennedy, Sask.) just five minutes later to open the flood
gates against U22 netminder Laura Hosier (Sharon, Ont.).
Wickenheiser scored twice and Johnston added her first of the game before the end of the opening 20
minutes as the national team put the game away early with five goals on 17 shots.
Goals from Agosta and Poulin in the first 2:43 of the second period spelled the end of the night for
Hosier, who was replaced by Christina Kessler (Mississauga, Ont.) after allowing seven goals on 21 shots in
23 minutes of work.
Kessler was perfect through the rest of the second period, but three beautiful goals pushed the national
team to double digits in the final frame.
First it was Poulin undressing a U22 defender before roofing a backhand over the glove of Kessler, followed
by Agosta putting a perfect pass onto the tape of Hefford on a 2-on-1 for the 9-0 goal before Johnston sped
away from the U22 defence and danced around Kessler to round out the scoring.
Johnston, Agosta and Poulin all finished with two goals and an assist, while Hefford had a goal and two
helpers and Sostorics had four assists.
The national team, which held a 41-20 advantage in shots on goal, outscored the U22s 19-5 in three games and
did not allow a goal at five-on-five – all five U22 goals in the series came on the power play.
Kim St-Pierre (Châteauguay, Que.) earned the shutout for the national side, making 20 saves.
The under-22 team wraps up its schedule Friday morning when it faces Canada’s National Women’s Under-18
Team (11:30 a.m. MT).
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