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BECHARD’S SHOOTOUT GOAL GIVES CANADA ANOTHER WIN
Calgary, AB – Kelly Bechard (Sedley, SK/Calgary, WWHL) scored in the shootout to lift Canada’s National
Women’s Team to a 4-3 victory over the UFA Bisons midget AAA boys team on Friday night.
Bechard, Canada’s third shooter, took the puck to her left, then right, before lifting a forehand over
UFA’s Brayden Hopfe. Kim St-Pierre (Chateauguay, QC/Montreal, CWHL) made a great glove save on the Bisons’
Corban Knight to preserve the win. St-Pierre made 27 saves for the win.
Canada’s National Women’s Team, which is holding its January evaluation camp through Sunday at Father
David Bauer Olympic Arena, is now 2-0 against midget AAA boys teams this week. Canada beat the Calgary Royals
5-2 on Wednesday.
On Friday night, UFA took a 1-0 lead at 11:27 of the second period on a goal by Steven Fernie. Canada,
though, answered back 24 seconds later, when Ashley Riggs (Pickering, ON/Niagara, CHA), after taking a pass
from Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, QC/Calgary, WWHL), went forehand to backhand to beat UFA’s starting
goaltender, Michael Snider.
Canada took a 2-1 lead 51 seconds into the third when Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, QC/Minnesota, WWHL)
snapped a shot past Hopfe. UFA tied it at 2:58 on Lane Wagner’s goal.
Canada took the lead once again at 4:52, when Kingsbury completed a nice tic-tac-toe play. Tessa Bonhomme
(Sudbury, ON/Ohio State, WCHA) and Katie Weatherston (Thunder Bay, ON/Montreal, CWHL) got the assists.
Andrew Bergmann made it 3-3 at 7:42, forcing a five-minute overtime period and, eventually, the
shootout.
Canada returns to action on Saturday when it faces Calgary Edge, another midget AAA boys team, at 1 p.m.
MT. The evaluation camp, which is one of the tools used by Hockey Canada to select the team that will play at
the IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship in April in China, concludes on Sunday when Canada faces the
Calgary Buffaloes (11 a.m. MT). Both games are at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena.
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