KITCHENER, ON - The National Women's Team have come together in Kitchener, ON for the second annual Thanksgiving Festival. With the arrivals of Sweden and Russia, both of Team Canada's split squads (Team Red and Team White) had their first skate. It was a practice just to get a few of the summer kinks out, and start to get the "skating legs" back. "It feels great to be back on the ice," stated veteran national team player Jayna Hefford. "All the players here are very excited about the next year and a half, and we know the preparation for the World Championship and the Olympics start here."

Team Canada will practice twice tomorrow as they get ready for Wednesday's games. Canada's two teams are made up of a mixture of veteran players and up-and-comers. Although the mood was fairly light hearted today, the significance of this camp will start to raise the competitive nature of all the players. Team Canada Head Coach Melody Davidson sees this as the proving ground for the team’s upcoming events, "We have 45 players here that we need to narrow down before the 4 Nations Cup and the World Championship. This is the opportunity for the veteran players to prove they still belong, and for the younger players to break into the mix."