BURLINGTON, Vt. – Canada’s National Women’s Team has earned a bye to semifinals at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, finishing atop Pool A with a 2-1 record. Canada suffered a 9-2 loss to the United States on Saturday, before defeating Finland 3-2 on Sunday and Russia 14-1 on Tuesday.

This year’s results give Canada a 37-1-0 all-time IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship preliminary round record since 1990, when the inaugural event was held in Ottawa, Ont.

On Tuesday, captain Hayley Wickenheiser (Shaunovan, Sask./University of Calgary, CIS) led Canada with a hat trick and two assists, earning player of the game honours, while Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) and Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Ohio State University, WCHA) both scored twice and Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, Que./Cornell University, ECAC) earned her first international goal with Canada’s National Women’s Team. Ten different players scored, and 16 different players contributed points, to Canada’s 14-1 win over Russia.

Canada moves on to play the winner of the quarter-final between Finland and Sweden in Friday’s first semifinal at 3 p.m. ET, while Pool A leader the United States takes on the winner of the quarter-final between Russia and Switzerland in the late semifinal at 7 p.m. ET Friday. All of Canada’s games, including Friday’s semifinal, are being aired on TSN and RDS, official broadcasters of Hockey Canada. Medal games take place Saturday, April 14. Please check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.

Canada’s National Women’s’ Team includes 16 returnees from the Canadian contingent that claimed silver at the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Winterthur and Zurich, Switzerland, last April and 13 players who won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. The 23-player roster is comprised of three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards.

Canada’s National Women’s Team was selected by Church (Toronto, Ont./York University, CIS), assistant coaches Doug Derraugh (Arnprior, Ont./Cornell University, ECAC) and Danielle Goyette (St-Nazaire, Que./University of Calgary, CIS), along with Hockey Canada’s head scout of national women’s team programs Melody Davidson.

The 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship is the 14th since the tournament’s 1990 inception. Canada’s National Women’s Team has appeared in every world championship gold medal game, winning nine gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 20) and four silver (2005, 2008, 20).

NOTE TO MEDIA: Kristen Lipscombe, Hockey Canada’s coordinator of communications, will be on site with Canada’s National Women’s Team in Burlington. Please contact her for interview requests at [email protected] or (403) 826-4819.

To stay up-to-date on Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship this April in Burlington, please follow Team Canada at www.Twitter.com/HC_TeamCanada, become a fan of Hockey Canada at www.Facebook.com/HockeyCanada and visit www.HockeyCanada.ca/NWT.