The Canadian women’s hockey team defeated Team USA in an exhibition game at the Ottawa Civic Centre March 31 to wrap up their 2012 selection camp.
The camp took place March 26-April 1 in Ottawa, with the women skating at the Ottawa Civic Centre and Carleton’s Ice House.
Canada defeated the USA 1-0 thanks to Laura Fortino’s first career international goal at the end of the second period.
Olympic gold-medalist Shannon Szabados recorded a 24-save shutout for Canada, and stopped American forward Amanda Kessel on a shorthanded breakaway part way through the second period.
The game got physical in the third period as Canada took three body-checking penalties, but Canada was perfect on the penalty kill.
“Our [penalty kill] did unbelievable,” Fortino said. “It’s always important when you play the U.S. and we’re going to carry this momentum into the world championship.”
Canada played the exhibition without six of the veteran players who won gold at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver to give some of the younger players a chance to show the coaching staff what they’re capable of.
“Everybody stepped up their game,” said head coach Dan Church. “They have made our decision very tough in determining our roster.”
Canada’s roster was trimmed down to 23 players April 1. These players will represent Canada at the 2012 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Burlington, Vt., starting April 7, as well as the 2013 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Ottawa.
The roster features 11 members of the team that won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, including the face of women’s hockey Hayley Wickenheiser and gold medal game hero Marie-Philip Poulin.
Canada will look to win a gold medal at the world championship for the first time since 2007 — the last time the tournament was held in Canada.
Next year, the tournament returns to the nation’s capital for the first time since the inaugural tournament was held at the Civic Centre in 1990.
“Ottawa is a great host to women’s hockey and has had great events here like the world juniors,” Church said. “I thought the crowd was great [March 31].”
“For sure, it’s exciting for us to come back on our home soil and come back from Vancouver and it’s going to be good motivation for us,” Poulin said.
Canada won the first eight women’s world championships from 1990-2004, but has only won one of the past five. The other four times, they lost to Team USA. Every final of the tournament has featured those two countries.
