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CANADA OPENS WITH TIGHTER-THAN-EXPECTED WIN OVER RUSSIA
CHICAGO, Ill. – It wasn’t the score that many expected, but Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team has
its first win at the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.
Brigette Lacquette (Waterhen, Man./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA) scored once and added two assists
and six different players notched goals as Canada earned a 6-3 victory over Russia in the tournament opener
for both on Saturday afternoon at Seven Bridges Ice Arena.
The three goals given up by the Canadians are the most they have ever given up to a team other than the
United States at the world championship, and came on just seven Russian shots at Canadian netminder Erica
Howe (Orleans, Ont./Ottawa, PWHL).
At the other end, Canada peppered Russian goaltender Anna Prugova with 60 shots, but could only manage six
goals on the Vancouver Olympian, who kept her team in the game with big save after big save.
Russia surprised the Canadians, scoring the game’s first goal when captain Olga Sosina – another Russian
Olympian – found Howe’s five-hole just shy of the six-minute mark of the opening frame. But not only would
that be the only goal the Russians would manage in the first period, it would be their only shot.
Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L./Warner Academy, JWHL) pulled Canada even at 13:14, taking advantage of a
fortuitous bounce and poking the puck into an empty Russian net, and Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield,
Que./Edouard Montpetit, Collégial AA) and Jenna McParland (Schreiber, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) scored goals 13
seconds apart just minutes later to send Canada to the dressing room up 3-1.
Sosina and Jillian Saulnier (Halifax, N.S./Toronto, PWHL) traded goals in the second period as the
Canadians continued to carry the play – outshooting Russia 17-5 in the middle frame – but had trouble beating
Prugova.
Lacquette finished off a back door pass from Saulnier to make it 5-2 early in the third period, and after
Lyudmila Belyakova got one back for Russia – who again scored on their lone shot of the period – Kelly Terry
(Whitby, Ont./Whitby, PWHL) roofed one over the shoulder of Prugova to round out the scoring in the final
minute.
In addition to Lacquette’s three points, Daoust, Davis and Saulnier all added a goal and a helper in the
win, which was Canada’s seventh in a row in preliminary round play at the world championship.
Canada looks to go 2-0 in Group B action on Sunday afternoon when it takes on Germany, a game that can be
seen live via webcast for just $6.99 at www.fasthockey.com, beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
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