🇨🇦 Canada 2-1 United States 🇺🇸
Exhibition Game
Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul 🇺🇸
Wednesday, 30 December 2009

The intense rivalry between Canada’s National Women’s Team and its American counterparts became abundantly clear Wednesday night on the ice at the Xcel Energy Center, but 40 saves by Charline Labonté and two points from defenceman Colleen Sostorics helped Canada earn a 2-1 win over the United States.

The win is Canada’s fourth straight against their southern rivals and gives the National Women’s Team a 6-3 record against the U.S. in 2009-10, with just one more game before the 2010 Winter Olympic Games begins 12 February in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Haley Irwin helped Canada kick off Wednesday’s game on a high note, tipping a Sostorics point shot past American netminder Molly Schaus just over two minutes after the opening face-off. The assist for Sostorics gave her 50 international points, while Sarah Vaillancourt also picked up a helper.

But the Americans weren’t about to let their Canadian competitors run up the score after a 6-2 loss in Calgary and a 4-2 defeat in Denver earlier this month. Karen Thatcher answered back by picking up a rebound and putting it past Labonté’s midway through the second, with Jocelyne Lamoureux and Erika Lawler helping out.

It would be Sostorics who came through for Canada later in the period, sending a rocket past Schaus. Gillian Apps and Hayley Wickenheiser had assists on the game-winning goal.

Although Sostorics walked away with Player of the Game honours, Labonté was shining just as bright between the posts Wednesday. She stopped 19 shots in the third alone, including a two-on-one midway through the period that had her sprawling in all directions to cover the puck.

With just 45 days until the Olympics kick off in Vancouver, the teams match up one final time, on Friday in Ottawa, where organizers will look to set an all-time Canadian record for attendance at a women’s hockey game.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
02:09 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Irwin (Sostorics, Vaillancourt)
08:27 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Hefford, roughing
15:42 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Apps, tripping

2nd Period
20:17 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Ruggiero, body checking
26:14 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Ruggiero, holding
31:10 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Thatcher (J. Lamoureux, Lawler)
32:50 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Bonhomme, slashing
34:02 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Ruggiero, body checking
34:19 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Sostorics (Apps, Wickenheiser)

3rd Period
42:55 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Johnston, tripping
58:45 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Sostorics, interference

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Labonté (40-41)
L: 🇺🇸 Schaus (25-27)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 14+6+7 = 27
🇺🇸 9+13+19 = 41

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Charline Labonté, Kim St-Pierre, Shannon Szabados. Defence: Tessa Bonhomme, Becky Kellar, Carla MacLeod, Meaghan Mikkelson, Colleen Sostorics, Catherine Ward. Forwards: Meghan Agosta, Gillian Apps, Jennifer Botterill, Jayna Hefford (A), Haley Irwin, Rebecca Johnston, Gina Kingsbury, Caroline Ouellette (A), Cherie Piper, Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Vaillancourt, Hayley Wickenheiser (C).
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Brianne McLaughlin, Molly Schaus, Jessie Vetter. Defence: Kacey Bellamy, Caitlin Cahow, Lisa Chesson, Molly Engstrom, Angela Ruggiero, Kerry Weiland. Forwards: Julie Chu (A), Natalie Darwitz (C), Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight, Jocelyne Lamoureux, Monique Lamoureux, Erika Lawler, Gigi Marvin, Jenny Schmidgall (A), Kelli Stack, Karen Thatcher, Jinelle Zaugg.

Article Credit: Hockey Canada