League Well-Represented on Canada's Four Nations Roster
CALGARY, Alta. – Two current and five former League standouts are among a group of 24 players selected for Canada’s National Women’s Team for the 2010 4 Nations Cup in St. John’s and Clarenville, N.L. from November 9-13, it was announced Wednesday by Hockey Canada.
The Cornell duo of Rebecca Johnston and Brianne Jenner highlight the League representatives. Joining the Big Red tandem are former Harvard standouts Christina Kessler and Sarah Vaillancourt; former Dartmouth standouts Gillian Apps and Cherie Piper; and former St. Lawrence standout Annie Guay.
The 2010 4 Nations Cup roster includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 14 forwards, selected from a list of 66 players who attended the National Women’s Team evaluation camp in Calgary, Alta. from September 22-26.
The 2010 4 Nations Cup will bring together the top four women’s hockey nations in the world – Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States – for the first time since the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. The four countries competing at the 2010 4 Nations Cup finished as the top four in Vancouver, led by the gold medal-winning Canadian team.
Canada’s 4 Nations Cup roster includes 14 members of Canada’s gold medal-winning team from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (Agosta, Apps, Bonhomme, Hefford, Irwin, Johnston, Mikkelson, Ouellette, Piper, Poulin, St-Pierre, Szabados, Vaillancourt, Wickenheiser) and eight members of Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team that swept the United States in a three-game series in August in Toronto (Bendus, Birchard, Jenner, Johnston, Poulin, Spooner, Wakefield, Watchorn).
Kessler (Mississauga, Ont./Burlington, CWHL), defenceman Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, Ont./Boston University, Hockey East) and forward Vicki Bendus (Wasaga Beach, Ont./Mercyhurst College, CHA) will make their debuts with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2010 4 Nations Cup.
“The National Women’s Team roster for this year’s 4 Nations Cup provides a nice balance of experienced veterans and up-and-coming players,” said Ryan Walter, head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team for the 2010 4 Nations Cup. “It will be exciting to watch them come together on the ice in Newfoundland and Labrador, where they’ll face the best women’s hockey teams in the world.
