CALGARY – Hockey Canada announced on Tuesday that Dan Church (Toronto, ON/ York University, CIS) has been named the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team for 2007-08, including a three-game exhibition series against the USA in Lake Placid, NY in August and the Air Canada Cup in Germany in January 2008.

It was also announced that Sarah Howald (Regina, SK/ University of Regina, CIS) and Stephanie White (Toronto, ON/ Mississauga Aeros, NWHL) will join the coaching staff as assistant coaches.

Dan Church, the head coach of the women’s hockey team at York University for the past three seasons, was an assistant coach of the National Women’s Under-22 Team in 2006-07 under head coach Peter Smith for a three-game exhibition series against the USA in Ottawa, ON in August 2006, and under head coach Nancy Wilson at the 2007 Air Canada Cup, where Canada won gold. As an assistant coach under former National Women’s Team head coach Karen Hughes, Church won a CIAU (now CIS) national championship with the University of Toronto women’s hockey team in 2001

Sarah Howald, who just finished her ninth season as head coach of the women’s hockey team at the University of Regina, was a video coach with last year’s National Women’s Under-22 Team. Howald led the University of Regina to a Canada West championship and a silver medal at the 2001 CIAU championship, and was the head coach for Team Saskatchewan at the November 2005 National Women’s Under-18 Championship.

Stephanie White, an assistant coach with the Mississauga Aeros for the past two seasons, won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2007 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Winnipeg, MB in April. Her coaching résumé also includes a gold medal with Team Ontario Red at the January 2005 National Women’s Under-18 Championship and a gold medal with Team Ontario at the 2003 Ontario Winter Games.

“These three coaches bring a wealth of coaching experience and have shown a strong commitment in past years to the National Women’s Program,” says Melody Davidson, general manager of national women’s teams with Hockey Canada. “With Dan, Sarah and Stephanie behind the bench, we are confident the development of our Under-22 players as people and hockey players will continue.”

The roster for the National Women’s Under-22 Team selection camp will be released in late July. The camp will be held at York University in Toronto, ON from August 10-19, with the exhibition series vs. the USA set for August 23-26 in Lake Placid, NY.

» 2007-08 National Women's Under-22 Team
» Series vs. USA Schedule