CANADA TO PLAY FOR GOLD ON HOME ICE AFTER WIN OVER SWEDEN

Eighteen years after Canada’s National Women’s Team took home gold on home ice in Ottawa, ON at the inaugural IIHF World Women’s Championship, Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team is one step away from duplicating the feat.

Catherine White (Brampton, ON) scored twice and Camille Dumais (Beaconsfield, QC) added a goal and two assists as Canada moved into the gold medal game at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in Calgary, AB after a 7-1 win over Sweden in Friday night’s semi-final.

Canada will face the USA on Saturday night (7:45 p.m. MT).

After a relatively slow start, Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, QC) scored on a Canadian powerplay just shy of the midway point of the period, finishing off a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play. Dumais and Audrey Bélanger-Cournoyer (Montreal, QC) picked up the assists.

Canada stretched its lead to 2-0 before the end of the frame, as Brianne Jenner (St. Catharines, ON) jumped on a puck in front and beat Swedish goaltender Valentina Lizana to give the Canadians a two-goal lead heading into the intermission.

The second period was all Canada, as four goals in a 10-minute span put the game out of reach.

With the Swedes threatening to pull to within one on a two-man advantage early in the period, Canada killed off the first minor and White picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and beat Lizana over the shoulder for a little bit of breathing room.

She added her second just three-and-a-half minutes later, and after Bélanger-Cournoyer roofed a backhand and Jenner found Carolyne Prevost (Sarnia, ON) alone in front, Canada was well on its way to a gold medal date with the Americans.

Dumais – who shares the tournament scoring lead with Poulin – made it 7-0 early in the final period before Lisa Johansson spoiled the shutout bid of Canadian goaltender Delayne Brian (Winnipeg, MB), converting on a breakaway midway through the final 20 minutes.

The Canadian powerplay was firing on all cylinders, finishing 4-for-6, while the Swedes were 0-for-4, including the crucial two-man advantage early in the second period.

Canadian captain Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, QC) was Player of the Game for Canada, while Cecilia Östberg took home the honour for Sweden, who will face the Czech Republic for bronze on Saturday (4:00 p.m. MT).