2014 Olympic Winter Games (Women)

Canada – OHA Prep

Johnston’s hat trick and first period burst help Canada’s National Women’s Team beat prep Lower Austria Stars 8-1 in final pre-Olympic game

by Kristen Lipscombe

ST. PӦLTEN, Austria – Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) scored three of Canada's seven goals in the first period, and added an assist, while Jayna Hefford (Kingston, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) recorded five points to lead Canada’s National Women’s Team to an 8-1 win over the  Lower Austria Stars prep team on Tuesday at the Okanagan Hockey Academy Europe.

It was the red and white’s final game before they hit the ice in Sochi, Russia, next month to defend their gold medal at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The victory over the top boys’ team at the hockey academy in St. Pölten allows Team Canada to cap off a busy 2013-14 season on a positive note.

Hefford kicked off Canada’s scoring just 30 seconds into the game, with Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./Boston University, HE) and Johnston both assisting. Meghan Agosta-Marciano (Ruthven, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) added another at the 3:23 mark with help from Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, Sask./University of Calgary, CIS), and Johnston scored her first at 5:14 with assists from Hefford and Poulin to make it 3-0 early in the first.

Hefford also set up the next play, feeding Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que./Montreal, CWHL) at 7:24, then following up to assist Johnston’s second goal, which came on a power play, along with Poulin. Canada quickly capitalized on another power play, with Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) and Ouellette assisting Agosta-Marciano’s second goal of the game at 12:33, while Hefford and Gillian Apps (Unionville, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) helped Johnston complete her hat trick with less than a minute in a half left in the first to give the Canadians an impressive 7-0 lead going into intermission.

That first period offensive burst was too hard to repeat in the second and third, with Canada adding just one more goal in the final 40 minutes, again on a power play midway through the game. Catherine Ward (Montreal, Que./Montreal, CWHL) and Poulin set up Wickenheiser to increase the lead to 8-0 at 12:26 in the middle frame.

But the Lower Austria Stars were able to narrow the gap back to a seven-goal difference in the third, with Marton Ladanyi scoring the prep team’s lone goal of the game at 5:58 in the period. The clock ran out before the Okanagan Hockey Academy squad was able to add another, and Canada’s National Women’s Team skated away with a confidence-boosting win before the puck drops Feb. 8 at Sochi 2014.

Team Canada netminder Charline Labonté (Boisbriand, Que./Montreal, CWHL) turned away 31 shots, while three OHA goaltenders split duties between the posts for the Lower Austria Stars. Canada’s National Women’s Team has been competing, training and practising at the Canadian-run Okanagan Hockey Academy Europe since Jan. 22 and leaves for Russia this Saturday.

Follow Canada's National Women's Team at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games by visiting Hockey Canada's official website at www.hockeycanada.ca/2014women and checking out our social media at twitter.com/hc_women and www.facebook.com/hockeycanada.

Game Information/Renseignements sur le match
Game #/Match no
02 Round/Ronde Pre-Tournament
Arena/Aréna Klenk Dome
Location/Lieu St. Polten, AUT
Date Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Time/Heure 11:30 ET

 

Box Score/Compte 1 2 3 Total
CAN 7 1 0 8
OHA-P 0 0 1 1

 

Goals & Penalties/Buts et pénalités
First Period/Première période

Goals/Buts :
00:30 CAN Jayna Hefford (Marie-Philip Poulin, Rebecca Johnston)
03:23 CAN Meghan Agosta-Marciano (Hayley Wickenheiser)
05:14 CAN Rebecca Johnston (Marie-Philip Poulin, Jayna Hefford)
07:24 CAN Caroline Ouellette (Jayna Hefford)
10:31 CAN Rebecca Johnston (Jayna Hefford, Marie-Philip Poulin) PP/AN
12:33 CAN Meghan Agosta-Marciano (Caroline Ouellette, Natalie Spooner) PP/AN
18:38 CAN Rebecca Johnston (Gillian Apps, Jayna Hefford)

Penalties/Pénalités :
08:35 OHA-P Reyn Nikita (Hooking/Accrocher)
10:56 OHA-P Paul Hochman (Hooking/Accrocher)

Second Period/Deuxième période

Goals/Buts :
12:26 CAN Hayley Wickenheiser (Marie-Philip Poulin, Catherine Ward) PP/AN

Penalties/Pénalités :
03:22 CAN Natalie Spooner (Slashing/Coup de bâton)
05:00 CAN Laura Fortino (Delay of Game/Retarder le match)
11:37 OHA-P Reyn Nikita (Cross-checking/Double-échec)

Third Period/Troisième période

Goals/Buts :
05:58 OHA-P Marton Ladanyi (Gonzalo Ruiz, Cedric Irhuesogie)

Penalties/Pénalités :
03:28 OHA-P Cedric Irhuesogie (Hooking/Accrocher)
08:13 CAN Meaghan Mikkelson (Slashing/Coup de bâton)

 

Goaltenders/Gardien(ne)s de but
CAN Charline Labonté
OHA-P Maximilian Wehrhan; Patrick Brna (in 1st/08:35); Frederick Foltan (in 2nd/03:05)

 

Shots on Goal/Tirs au but 1 2 3 Total
CAN - - - 46
OHA-P - - - 32
Videos
Photos
2014 Celebrity Classic Golf Day
Alumni gathered for the annual fund-raising tournament.
2014 Celebrity Classic Gala
Hockey Canada’s 2014 gold medallists received their championship rings.
2014 OLY: Gold medal front pages (W)
Newspaper cover pages from Feb. 21, the day after Canada won gold in Sochi.
2014 OLY: CAN 3 – USA 2 (OT)
Marie-Philip Poulin scored the overtime winner as Canada won Olympic gold.