CALGARY, ALBERTA – Peter Smith, Head Coach of McGill University’s women’s hockey team (CIS) has been named the Head Coach of Canada’s National Under-22 Team which will compete in a three game series versus the USA, August 25-28. The announcement was made by Hockey Canada on Monday.

Smith, 51, an NCCP Advanced level 1 certified coach, has been the Head Coach of McGill University’s women’s hockey program since 1999. The Lachine, QC native has led the Martlets to the CIS National Championships in four of the past five years (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004). He was the co-recipient of the CIS Coach of the Year in 2002-03, and won the gold medal at the 2002 Esso Women’s Nationals as Head Coach of Team Quebec. Peter was also the assistant coach for Canada’s 2003-04 National Under-22 team that won the 2003-04 European Air Canada Cup held in Bad Tolz, Germany in February of 2004.

Smith will be joined behind the bench by Lisa MacDonald (Head Coach, Saint Mary’s - CIS) and Barry Medori (Head Coach, Edmonton Chimos - NWHL).

MacDonald, 31, has been the Head Coach of the Saint Mary’s University women’s hockey team for the past seven seasons. A native of Westville, NS, she is an Advanced level I certified coach. She is a co-recipient of the CIS Coach of the Year in 2002-03, and as a player, represented Nova Scotia at the 1996 Esso Women’s Nationals and the 1991 Canada Winter Games.

Medori, spent last season as the Head Coach of the Edmonton Chimos, and led the team to a bronze medal at the 2004 Esso Women’s Championship in Sherwood Park, AB. He won the gold medal as the assistant coach of Team Alberta (male) at the Canada Winter Games in 2003 held in Bathurst, NB. Barry was also the Head Coach of the silver medalist, Team Pacific (male) at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Stonewall, MB. Additional Program of Excellence experience includes being the Head Coach of the female Under-18 team in 2004.

The coaching staff’s first responsibility will be to run the National Under-22 Selection Camp held in Waterloo, Ontario from August 15-21. Twenty-two selected players will then train in Waterloo, ON for two days after the camp before traveling to Lake Placid, NY and Burlington, VT to compete against the USA in a three game series on August 25, 26, and 28.

The National Under-22 Women's Team is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for young women. The first year for the Under-22 Women's program was 1998, with the team participating in the Christmas Cup in Unna, Germany. The National Under-22 Team is a developmental program aimed at players aged 17-21 allowing them to experience international competition and identifying and evaluating players that potentially will move on to the National Women’s Team.