CALGARY, AB – Canada’s National Women’s Team program has invited 28 players to attend a final selection camp in Calgary, AB from January 24-30, 2004 to evaluate and prepare for the selection of Canada’s roster for the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, March 30-.

The camp will be held at the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary, AB from January 24-30, 2004. Details on the camp (ice times, schedule, etc.) will be available at www.hockeycanada.ca in early January 2004.

The final 20 player roster for Canada’s team at the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Halifax and Dartmouth, NS will be announced in the weeks following the completion of the selection camp.

Team Canada’s Head Coach Karen Hughes, assistant coaches Ken Dufton and Doug Lidster, along with Head Scout Wally Kozak, have selected this final list of 28 candidates for Canada’s team at the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Championship. This comes following a thorough scouting and evaluation process, which included National Women’s Team camps and events as well as player’s performances with their respective club teams.

“This will be a very important camp for our team, as it will be the last time that we will be able to evaluate these players and then choose our roster of 20 players that will make our World Championship team,” said Hughes. “This camp will be the last step of a year long process of evaluation and preparation. We’re very happy with the depth, experience and talent of the 28 players coming to camp which should make for a very competitive week.”

The list of 28 players includes all 20 members of the 2003 World Championship Team which was unable to defend Canada’s World title when the 2003 IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship in Beijing was cancelled.

Goaltenders (3): Charline Labonté (Boisbriand, QC/ Montréal, NWHL); Sami Jo Small (Winnipeg, MB/ Toronto, NWHL), Kim St-Pierre (Châteauguay, QC/ McGill U., CIS)

Defencemen (9): Correne Bredin (Warburg, AB/ Calgary, NWHL), Therese Brisson (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC/ Oakville, NWHL), Delaney Collins (Pilot Mound, MB/ Univ. of Alberta, CIS), Gillian Ferrari (Thornhill, ON/ Toronto, NWHL), Becky Kellar (Hagersville, ON/ Toronto, NWHL), Carla MacLeod (Calgary, AB/ Univ. of Wisconsin, WCHA), Kim Malcher (Bolton, ON/ Toronto, NWHL), Cheryl Pounder (Mississauga, ON/ Toronto, NWHL), Colleen Sostorics (Kennedy, SK/ Calgary, NWHL),

Forwards (16): Dana Antal (Esterhazy, SK/ Calgary, NWHL), Gillian Apps (Unionville, ON/ Dartmouth Coll., ECAC), Kelly Béchard (Sedley, SK/ Calgary, NWHL), Jennifer Botterill (Winnipeg, MB/ Toronto, NWHL), Cassie Campbell (Brampton, ON/ Calgary, NWHL), Annie Desrosier (St-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, QC/ Toronto, NWHL ), Lori Dupuis (Cornwall, ON/ Brampton, NWHL), Danielle Goyette (St-Nazaire, QC/ Calgary, NWHL), Jayna Hefford (Kingston, ON/ Brampton, NWHL), Samantha Holmes (Mississauga, ON/ Calgary, NWHL), Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, QC/ St. Lawrence Univ., ECAC), Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, QC/ Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA), Cherie Piper (Scarborough, ON/ Dartmouth Coll., ECAC), Vicky Sunohara (Scarborough, ON/ Brampton, NWHL), Sarah Vaillancourt (Sherbrooke, QC/ Pomfret, USHS), Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, SK/ Calgary, NWHL)

During camp in Calgary, the coaching staff will be running the players through a number of practices and scrimmages, as well as games against local Men’s Midget AAA teams.