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YOUNG GUNS HELP LEAD NATIONAL WOMEN’S TEAM TO WIN
CALGARY, Alta. – One night after needing two goals in the final eight minutes to escape with a win, the
National Women’s Team made sure there would be no such drama the second time around.
Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont.) scored twice and Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont.) added a goal and an
assist as the national team earned a 5-2 win over the National Women’s Under-22 Team on Tuesday night,
clinching a series win in the three-game set. It took Monday’s first game 4-3.
Both Irwin, 21, and Jenner, 18, would likely be playing for the U22 side in a normal year had they not
been selected for Olympic centralization, and the under-22 team could have used their offence on Tuesday. It
has yet to find the back of the net in the series at 5-on-5, scoring all five of its goals through two games
on the power play.
The U22 team came out with the same jump and same tenacious forecheck it had in Monday’s opener, but could
not find a way to beat netminder Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, Alta.) and, despite having a 6-2 advantage
early, was outshot 12-7 in the opening period.
With the game looking like it was headed to the first intermission scoreless for the second night in a
row, Sarah Vaillancourt (Sherbrooke, Que.) poked a loose puck past U22 goaltender Christina Kessler
(Mississauga, Ont.) with just 31 ticks left on the clock, giving the national team a 1-0 lead after 20
minutes.
It used a little luck to double the lead early in the second period as Irwin’s centering attempt deflected
off the stick of under-22 defender Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, Que.) and past Kessler.
After Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, Ont.) cut the lead in half with a power play marker, Jenner converted a
gorgeous pass from Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.) and Irwin tapped in a beautiful cross-crease feed from
Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunavon, Sask.) to send the national side to the dressing room with a 4-1 lead after
40 minutes.
The U22s struck again with the man advantage late in the third period when Jenelle Kohanchuk (Winnipeg,
Man.) redirected a Stephanie Ramsay (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) pass past Szabados, but Gina Kingsbury
(Rouyn-Noranda, Que.) rounded out the scoring into an empty net in the final 30 seconds.
The series wraps up Thursday night when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. MT at Father David Bauer Olympic
Arena.
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