2017-18 National Women's Development Team

CANADA FALLS TO RUSSIA IN SPECIAL-TEAMS BATTLE

JASON LA ROSE

FÜSSEN, Germany - Rebecca Leslie (Ottawa, Ont./Boston University, HE) scored on a last-minute power play, but Canada's National Women's Development Team dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to Russia to close out its preliminary-round schedule Thursday at the 2018 Nations Cup.

The loss means Canada will play in the fifth-place game Saturday against the third-place team from Group A, which will be decided at the end of prelim play Friday.

Goaltending and special teams dominated the game; the teams combined for 15 power plays, but netminders Tricia Deguire (Sherbrooke, Que./McGill University, RSEQ) and Nadezhda Morozova kept the game scoreless for more than 58 minutes.

The penalty killers were put to the test in the second period; Canada had six power plays in the middle frame - including a trio of five-on-three chances - while the Russians had a pair of opportunities of their own.

Russia finally broke through with 1:35 to go when Valeriya Pavlova netted a shorthanded goal.

Deguire went to the bench shortly after for a six-on-four advantage, but Anna Shokhina found the empty net with 57 seconds left for another shorthanded marker.

That goal ended up as the game-winner after Amy Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C.) and Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont,/Boston University, HE) set up Leslie for a power-play goal at 19:26 of the third period.