2018-19 National Women's Team

DAOUST SCORES TWICE, CANADA BEATS SWEDES IN 4 NATIONS OPENER

ALI WILSON

SASKATOON, Sask. – Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que./Montreal, CWHL) had two goals and an assist, Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Calgary, CWHL) chipped in with four helpers and Canada’s National Women’s Team downed Sweden 6-1 to kick off the 2018 4 Nations Cup on Tuesday night.

Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./Montreal, CWHL) added a goal and two assists for the Canadians, who improved to 19-1 all-time against the Swedes at the annual tournament.

Laura Stacey (Kleinburg, Ont./Markham, CWHL) started off the scoring with a shorthanded goal nine minutes in off a set-up from Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./Toronto, CWHL).

Daoust scored her first at 14:23 of the opening period before Canadian rookie Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) hammered home her first goal with the senior team with a minute left in the first.

The lone goal of the second period came off the stick of Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Markham, CWHL), who scored from Fast and Johnston on a Canadian power play.

The line of Poulin, Daoust and Johnston struck twice more before the third period was seven minutes old; the captain pushed the advantage to 5-0 at 3:48 before Daoust tucked in her second of the game three minutes after that.

Sweden finally found the back of the net on a power-play goal by Emma Nordin with 3:09 to go, ending the shutout bid of Canadian goaltender Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, Alta./Buffalo, NWHL), who finished with 17 saves.

Canada will next get set for a showdown with the United States on Wednesday night (7 p.m. CT) – the first meeting between the rivals since the Olympic gold medal game in February – while Sweden takes on Finland in an all-Nordic match-up (3 p.m. CT).