01-08-2008, 11:10 PM
Quote:
CALGARY - Canadian players may have been suffering from some nerves on the opening day of the inaugural world women's under-18 hockey championship, but it didn't show up on the scoreboard.
"I was a little bit nervous the first shift, but we did well I think," said forward Marie-Phillip Poulin after Canada cruised to an 11-2 win over the Czech Republic on Monday.
"They (the Czechs) were really good, they've got some really strong skaters and they play well together."
Poulin, a native of Beauceville, Que., had a hat trick and added two assists. Natalie Spooner of Toronto also recorded a hat trick to go with one assist.
"It's our first game of the tournament so there's always going to be nerves," said Spooner. "You just try to go out and there and have fun and make everyone feel comfortable. We just try to get pucks to the net and put pucks in the net. That's our job."
Carolyn Prevost scored twice and set up another, Camille Dumais had a goal and three assists, Jessica Jones had a goal and an assist, while Catherine White scored once.
"The scoring was pretty well balanced and that's what you want," said Canadian head coach Melody Davidson. "When the game's get tight, you never know where the goals are going to come. If you're scoring all the way along and everybody's contributing, then you know you've got a chance."
Nikola Tomigova and Lucie Povova scored for the Czechs, while netminder Katerina Becevova stopped 38 of 49 shots fired her way by Canada's potent offence.
"I was really very, very tired (and) my legs were hurting from going back and forth all the time," Becevova said through an interpreter. "And those were hard shots for sure."
Becevova kept a stuffed lion on the back of her net for much of the game as a good luck charm. Lions are featured prominently on the coat of arms of the Czech Republic.
In other action, Madison Packer had three goals and an assist as the United States blanked Russia 11-0, Sweden beat Switzerland 4-1 and Germany doubled Finland 4-2.
Delayne Brian picked up the win for Canada by stopping 10 shots.
After Poulin and Prevost counted goals two minutes apart in the opening period, Spooner scored a pair of power-play goals to give Canada a 4-0 lead.
Prevost then put the Canadians up by five early in the second before Tomigova swatted a loose puck past Brian to get the Czechs on the board.
After Jones scored, Spooner roofed a shot over Becevova's blocker to complete her hat trick.
The Czechs then had a few good opportunities to narrow the gap, but Tomigova failed to get a shot on net as she broke in alone on Brian before Canada killed off a five-on-three advantage. Brian then made her best save of the game when she stopped a breakaway attempt by Barbora Pekarkova with her blocker.
"They played their systems well, they were very disciplined, they kept us to the outside and they got some good goaltending," Davidson said. "It's nice to see, it really is because they don't have a senior team and it's good to see that type of talent and how hard they played us."
Poulin scored a late second-period goal on the power play and then completed her hat trick in the third after Dumais counted her first of the tournament.
Following Povova's goal at 17:52 of the final frame, Jenner rounded out the scoring for Canada 26 seconds later.
Canada will face off against Germany tomorrow night at Father David Bauer Arena before rounding out the preliminary round with a game against Finland on Wednesday night.
"I was a little bit nervous the first shift, but we did well I think," said forward Marie-Phillip Poulin after Canada cruised to an 11-2 win over the Czech Republic on Monday.
"They (the Czechs) were really good, they've got some really strong skaters and they play well together."
Poulin, a native of Beauceville, Que., had a hat trick and added two assists. Natalie Spooner of Toronto also recorded a hat trick to go with one assist.
"It's our first game of the tournament so there's always going to be nerves," said Spooner. "You just try to go out and there and have fun and make everyone feel comfortable. We just try to get pucks to the net and put pucks in the net. That's our job."
Carolyn Prevost scored twice and set up another, Camille Dumais had a goal and three assists, Jessica Jones had a goal and an assist, while Catherine White scored once.
"The scoring was pretty well balanced and that's what you want," said Canadian head coach Melody Davidson. "When the game's get tight, you never know where the goals are going to come. If you're scoring all the way along and everybody's contributing, then you know you've got a chance."
Nikola Tomigova and Lucie Povova scored for the Czechs, while netminder Katerina Becevova stopped 38 of 49 shots fired her way by Canada's potent offence.
"I was really very, very tired (and) my legs were hurting from going back and forth all the time," Becevova said through an interpreter. "And those were hard shots for sure."
Becevova kept a stuffed lion on the back of her net for much of the game as a good luck charm. Lions are featured prominently on the coat of arms of the Czech Republic.
In other action, Madison Packer had three goals and an assist as the United States blanked Russia 11-0, Sweden beat Switzerland 4-1 and Germany doubled Finland 4-2.
Delayne Brian picked up the win for Canada by stopping 10 shots.
After Poulin and Prevost counted goals two minutes apart in the opening period, Spooner scored a pair of power-play goals to give Canada a 4-0 lead.
Prevost then put the Canadians up by five early in the second before Tomigova swatted a loose puck past Brian to get the Czechs on the board.
After Jones scored, Spooner roofed a shot over Becevova's blocker to complete her hat trick.
The Czechs then had a few good opportunities to narrow the gap, but Tomigova failed to get a shot on net as she broke in alone on Brian before Canada killed off a five-on-three advantage. Brian then made her best save of the game when she stopped a breakaway attempt by Barbora Pekarkova with her blocker.
"They played their systems well, they were very disciplined, they kept us to the outside and they got some good goaltending," Davidson said. "It's nice to see, it really is because they don't have a senior team and it's good to see that type of talent and how hard they played us."
Poulin scored a late second-period goal on the power play and then completed her hat trick in the third after Dumais counted her first of the tournament.
Following Povova's goal at 17:52 of the final frame, Jenner rounded out the scoring for Canada 26 seconds later.
Canada will face off against Germany tomorrow night at Father David Bauer Arena before rounding out the preliminary round with a game against Finland on Wednesday night.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=349...rvice=page