November 8, 2008
NR.147

ONTARIO RED, QUEBEC TO PLAY FOR GOLD MEDAL
AT 2008 NATIONAL WOMEN’S UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP; MANITOBA, ONTARIO BLUE WILL PLAY FOR BRONZE

NAPANEE, ON – Team Ontario Red will meet Team Quebec in the gold medal final of the 2008 National Women’s Under-18 Championship on Sunday.

The game will be shown live on TSN, Hockey Canada’s official broadcaster, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

Team Ontario Red has won the National Women’s Under-18 Championship four straight times. Ontario Red and Quebec have met in every tournament final since its inception in 1993 (the event has been held in 1993, 1997, 2001, twice in 2005, and 2007).

Ontario Red reached Sunday’s final by beating Manitoba 5-2. Danica Knockaert (Winnipeg, MB/St. Vital Victorias) started the scoring early for Manitoba, just 19 seconds into the first period. But Ontario Red got first-period goals from Jenna McParland (Schreiber, ON/Toronto Aeros, PWHL) and Casandra Langan (Chatham, ON/London Devilettes, PWHL) to take a 2-1 lead into the second.

Brianne Jenner (Oakville, ON/Mississauga Chiefs, PWHL) and Heather Hughes (Stouffville, ON/Toronto Aeros, PWHL) scored for Ontario Red in the second, with Manitoba’s Christine Bestland (Brunkild, MB/Balmoral Hall Blazers) scoring for Manitoba in the third. Langan added her second of the game into an empty net.

In the first semi-final, Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, QC/Selects) scored at 6:35 of the second overtime period to give Quebec a 5-4 win over Ontario Blue. The goal was Daoust’s second goal of the game.

Vanessa Plante (Rivière-du-Loup, QC/Titans de Limoilou), Audrey Gariépy (Mascouche, QC/Blues de Dawson) and Ariane Barker (Napierville, QC/Remparts) also scored for Quebec. Taylor Horton (St. Thomas, ON/Bluewater Hawks, PWHL) and Bree Polci (London, ON/Toronto Aeros, PWHL) scored singles for Ontario Blue and Hannah Armstrong (Sharon, ON/Markham-Stouffville Stars, PWHL) added a pair.

Manitoba and Ontario Blue will play for bronze on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

Two consolation games were held on Saturday. In the fifth-place game, Team Saskatchewan downed Team B.C. 3-1. It was the second-straight year in which Saskatchewan finished fifth. In the seventh-place game, Alberta picked up its first win of the tournament by defeating Atlantic 4-2.

» 2008 National Women’s Under-18 Championship