ONTARIO RED WRAPS UP PERFECT ROUND ROBIN WITH WIN

For the third consecutive National Women’s Under-18 Championship, Ontario Red has finished atop its group with a perfect record following a 3-1 win over Manitoba on Friday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, their 17th consecutive win at the event.

Brianne Jenner, Kayla Sullivan and Player of the Game Candice Styles scored for Ontario Red (3-0), who will face Team Atlantic in Saturday afternoon’s first semi-final (4:00 p.m. ET). Jenner and Styles traded assists on each other’s goals, leading the way with two-point nights.

Amanda Mazzotta made 26 saves for Ontario Red, although she saw her personal shutout streak end at 65:19 and the team’s streak end at 125:19 when she was beaten by Manitoba’s Katie Wilson early in the first period. Ontario Red finished the round-robin with a tournament-best 0.33 goals against average, allowing only Wilson’s goal in three games.

Chelsea Karpenko picked up the Player of the Game nod for Manitoba (1-2), who, despite the loss, still clinched a semi-final berth, based on their superior goal differential over B.C. and Saskatchewan, both of whom also finished at 1-2. Fourth-place finishers at the last two U18 Women’s Nationals, the Manitobans will face Quebec in Saturday’s late semi-final (7:00 p.m. ET), looking for their first ever gold medal game appearance.