CHICAGO, Ill. – Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team arrived Thursday in Chicago, where it will take part in the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship, which runs from March 27 to April 3. Canada has won silver at the first two world championships, including a 3-2 overtime loss to the United States in last year’s gold medal game in Füssen, Germany.
Canada opens the tournament on Saturday against Russia, and will also face Germany and Sweden in Group B preliminary round action. The Czech Republic, Finland, Japan and the United States comprise Group A. The semifinals are set for Friday, April 2, with the bronze medal and gold medal games scheduled for Saturday, April 3.
National Women’s Under-18 Team head coach Dan Church has announced that forward Jessica Campbell (Melville, Sask./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA) will be Canada’s captain at the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship. Campbell was one of the players who wore the ‘C’ during Canada’s three-game series against the United States in Calgary, Alta. in August.
In addition, forwards Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que./Edouard Montpetit, Collégial AA), Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont./Ottawa, PWHL) and Jillian Saulnier (Halifax, N.S./Toronto, PWHL) will serve as alternate captains. All three, as well as Campbell, won silver medals with Canada at last year’s IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.
“All four of the players we have selected to wear letters in Chicago showed tremendous leadership during the August series against the U.S., as well as during the pre-competition camp in Toronto, and all are leaders with their respective club teams” Church said. “As a coaching staff, we have no doubt these athletes will be successful leaders at the world championship.”
Before departing for Chicago the team took part in a pre-competition camp in Toronto, which included a pair of exhibition games against the Ontario University Athletics all-stars and Ontario Women’s Hockey Association all-stars.
Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team includes two goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards. Fifteen of the 20 players were members of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for the three-game series against the United States in August in Calgary, and 19 of the 20 participated in the 2009 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Surrey, B.C.
There is no television or radio coverage of the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship, but
hockeycanada.ca will have live stats and full coverage of all Team Canada games.
The National Women’s Under-18 Team is a key component of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, which, along
with the under-22 program, helps identify, evaluate and develop female hockey players for Canada’s National
Women’s Team.
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