OTTAWA, Ont. – Hockey Canada announced Monday Canada’s National Women’s Team roster for the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, taking place April 2-9 in Ottawa.

The 23-player roster includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards, including 22 returnees from the Canadian contingent that won the gold medal at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Burlington, Vt., last April.

Prior to the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, Canada’s National Women’s Team will participate in a pre-competition camp March 26-30 in Petawawa, Ont., during which time Team Canada will play two exhibition games. On March 28, Canada will play against the Gatineau Mustangs of the Eastern Ontario Junior B League, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET at Silver Dart Arena in Petawawa, and on March 30, Canada will face Sweden starting at 7 p.m. ET at the Pembroke Memorial Centre in Pembroke, Ont. Tickets to the pre-competition game against Sweden are available for $20 and can be purchased by clicking HERE.

Canada’s National Women’s Team for the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship was selected by head coach Dan Church (Toronto, Ont./York University, CIS), assistant coaches Danielle Goyette (St-Nazaire, Que./University of Calgary, CIS) and Lisa Haley (Westville, N.S./Ryerson University, CIS), along with Hockey Canada scouts, led by head scout of women’s national team programs Melody Davidson (Oyen, Alta.).

“It has been a long road to get to this point, but we’re excited about the 23 players we have named today,” Church said. “As a staff we’re looking forward to getting to Petawawa to begin the pre-competition camp and we can’t wait to get on the ice in front of Canadian fans in Ottawa starting April 2.”

“Given the depth of women's hockey in Canada, it is always a challenge to select the world championship roster, and getting to our final 23 was a difficult process,” Davidson said. “We are excited about the talent level on this team and look forward to watching them play in Ottawa as they strive to bring home an 11th gold medal.”

The puck drops on Canada’s opening game at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship on April 2, with Canada taking on the United States at 7:30 p.m. ET at SBP Arena. Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters, TSN and RDS, will air all of Canada’s games, also including preliminary games against Switzerland at 7:30 p.m. ET on April 3 and Finland at 7:30 p.m. ET on April 5. The semifinals are scheduled for April 8 and medal games take place the following day. Check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.

Single-day ticket packages are now on sale, starting at just $49 (plus applicable fees) for the April 2 doubleheader featuring Canada-United States and Switzerland-Finland. In addition, a number of ticket packages are available that offer significant savings over single-game and single-day tickets. For more information on tickets, including how to purchase, visit www.hockeycanada.ca/2013ottawa or call 613-599-FANS (3267).

The 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship is the 15th since the tournament’s 1990 inception. Canada’s National Women’s Team has appeared in every world championship gold medal game, winning 10 gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2012) and four silver (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011).

NOTE TO MEDIA: Francis Dupont, Hockey Canada’s manager of media relations, will be on site with Canada’s National Women’s Team during the pre-competition camp and world championship. Please contact him for interview requests at [email protected] or 587-999-5681.

For more information on Canada’s National Women’s Team and Hockey Canada, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/nwt, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_women.