CANADA CLINCHES SEMI-FINAL BERTH WITH WIN OVER GERMANY

Brianne Jenner (St. Catherines, ON) and Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, ON) each scored their first two goals of the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship as Canada rebounded from a slow start to top Germnay 10-1 on Tuesday night.

The win moves the Canadians to 2-0 assures them of a spot in the semi-finals on Friday. A win over 0-2 Finland on Wednesday night would give the Canadians top spot in Pool A and likely avoid the USA until Saturday’s medal games.

Jenner and Watchorn each added an assist for a three-point night, while Player of the Game Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, QC) and Camille Dumais (Beaconsfield, QC) added a goal and two assists apiece.

Jenner opened the scoring just past the game’s four-minute mark, picking up a loose puck at the German blueline and going five-hole on German goaltender Julia Zorn for a 1-0 lead.

Watchorn got her first five minutes later to increase the lead to 2-0, sneaking in front the point, taking a pass from Poulin and beating Zorn.

Despite holding a commanding 18-4 lead in shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, the Canadians could not get another past Zorn and went into the intermission up by a pair.

The Canadian offense began to awaken early in the second period, as Chelsea Karpenko (Winnipeg, MB) and Carolyne Prevost (Sarnia, ON) struck within the first four minutes.

But the Germans responded, as Canadian netminder Amanda Mazzotta (London, ON) couldn’t control a rebound and Maike Hanke was on the spot to bury it and cut the Canadian lead to three at 4-1.

The Germans continued to apply pressure on the Canadian defense, and it wasn’t until the 17:45 mark of the period that Canada restored the four-goal lead, as Poulin finished off a give-and-go with Jenner.

Catherine White (Brampton, ON) sent the Canadians into the intermission with a 6-1 lead, as she converted a shorthanded breakaway with just 2.8 seconds remaining in the period.

Jenner and Watchorn picked up their second goals of the game in the final 20 minutes, and Dumais and Bailey Bram (Ste-Anne, MB) rounded out the scoring as Canada outshot the Germans 18-2 in the third period and 54-9 overall.

Canada and Finland face-off Wednesday night at 7:45 p.m. MT at Father David Bauer Arena, while the Germans and Czechs battle for a semi-final spot at 7:30 p.m. MT at Norma Bush Arena.