Sophie Shirley and Daryl Watts finished with a goal and an assist each, but Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team came up one goal short in a 5-4 loss to the United States on Sunday.
After winning the opener of the three-game series Thursday, the Canadians dropped the final two contests in a tournament that included Campbell River’s Olivia Knowles playing on defence.
Amy Potomak added two assists for Canada, which fell behind 3-0 less than 10 minutes into the first period before pulling even early in the second.
“I thought once we got back into it we kind of let them dictate the pace and control the play for a little bit,” Canadian head coach Troy Ryan said. “I think we just have to fine tune our habits; some of the details of our game just weren’t there, and they have to be at an event like this.”
The Americans carried the momentum from their win Friday into the early stages of Sunday; Delaney Drake got the scoring started for the U.S. with a power-play goal just 7:35 in, Emily Oden took advantage of a turnover 43 seconds after that, and Grace Zunwinkle beat Canadian goaltender Edith D’Astous-Moreau with a quick shot from the slot at 9:29 for a three-goal American advantage.
Emma Maltais finished off a pretty passing play on the power play to get the Canadian comeback started late in the opening frame, hammering a one-timer up and over U.S. netminder Lindsay Reed.
Shirley made it a one-goal game five minutes into the second after a long stretch of sustained pressure from herself, Potomak and Watts, and Canadian captain Ashton Bell jumped on a neutral-zone turnover to score an unassisted marker to tie the game at 7:24.
“We played together a little bit last year and it’s something that’s kind of grown in the last year,” Shirley said of playing with Potomak and Watts. “We really enjoy being beside each other and we’ve really grown as friends as well, so it’s really nice.”
But it would be a short-lived tie; Natalie Buchbinder found a loose puck in the crease and knocked it past D’Astous-Moreau to restore the American lead just 1:24 after the Bell goal.
Maureen Murphy added the eventual game-winner before the end of the second period, sending the U.S. to the second intermission with a 5-3 lead. The Canadians made it interesting in the first minute of the third period when Watts poked a rebound past Alex Gulstene – who replaced Reed midway through the second – but that would as close as they would get.
The U.S. dominated on the shot clock, doubling up Canada 42-21.
Campbell River’s Knowles played a prominent role in Canada’s opening game winner. Daryl Watts tipped in a Knowles point shot with three minutes to go, giving Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team a 3-2 win over the United States in the opener of a three-game series Thursday night.
n Players will come together next in late December in preparation for the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, which begins Jan. 7 in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic.
TEAM CANADA: Oliva Knowles – defence
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 154 lbs
Birthdate: Jan. 24, 1999
Birthplace : Campbell River, B.C
Hometown: Campbell River, B.C
Club Team: Okanagan Hockey Academy (JWHL)
MHA: Campbell River MHA
HOCKEY CANADA BACKGROUND:
Attended Canada’s National Women’s Program strength and conditioning camp in Hamilton, Ont., in May 2016 ...Won a silver medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in St. Catharines, Ont. ... Was a member of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for a three-game series against the United Statesin Lake Placid, N.Y., in August 2015...Attended Canada’s National Women’s Program strength and conditioning camp in Hamilton, Ont., in May 2015
PERSONAL:
Lists tennis star Eugenie Bouchard as her favourite female athlete ... Favourite NHL team: Chicago Blackhawks ... Committed to the University of Minnesota.