GRANADA, Spain (CIS) – Russia defeated Canada 3-0 in the
women’s hockey final of the 27th Winter Universiade on
Thursday night, ending the Canadians’ consecutive FISU
championship streak in the sport at three. Despite the
heartbreaking loss, the Maple Leaf delegation claimed its first
medal of the biennial games.
Anna Shokhina, who played on Russia’s 2014 Olympic team,
scored a pair of goals, her tournament leading sixth and seventh
tallies, to lead her country to the historic win. Netminder Yulia
Leskina, another 2014 Olympic veteran, stopped all 40 shots she
faced to end the competition with only two goals allowed on 85
shots, a save percentage of .977 and a goals against average of
0.63.
It was also Russia’s second consecutive win against Canada in
Granada as they previously beat the team of CIS all-stars 3-1 in
preliminary play, handing Canada’s its first-ever Universiade
loss in women’s hockey in the process.
With the win, Russia becomes the first team other than Canada to
capture the FISU gold medal, after Canadian teams triumphed in the
three previous tournaments since the sport made its debut in 2009.
The Russians also exacted a measure of revenge after losing to the
Canucks 5-0 in the gold medal final in Trentino, Italy, in
2013.
Canada also defeated China 3-1 (2009) and Finland 4-1 (2011) in
previous gold medal finals.
On Thursday night in the Granada Sport Palace, however, Canada
struggled against a powerhouse Russian team that featured eight
Olympians. Although the Red and White outshot its competition
40-34, and earned nine power-play opportunities, they could not
solve Leksina.
“Special teams were the difference - they were much more
organized than we were, and we knew that coming here,” noted
Team Canada and University of Manitoba head coach Jon Rempel.
“When you play a team with that many quality and veteran
players like they have you pretty much have to play a perfect
game.”
“I thought we generated a lot of stuff today,” Rempel
added, “but we didn't get a lot of second chance
opportunities. Of the 40 shots we had there were some quality ones,
but just not enough to get through.”
After a tense opening period, Russia scored the only goal it needed
at 2:16 of the second when Shokhina skated hard to the corner of
the Canadian net, freezing University of Montreal goalie
Élodie Rousseau-Sirois (Pohénégamook, Que.) on
the post, and then going around the net for the wrap-around
goal.
The Olympian doubled the lead 3:49 into the third stanza when she
buried a power-play tally from the slot.
Forward Valeriia Pavlova scored her first of the tournament with
eight minutes remaining to make it a 3-0 game.
Canada’s best chances came as the game was winding down. Team
captain and 2013 Universiade gold medalist Laura Brooker (Fergus,
Ont.) of the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks raced in on a
shorthanded breakaway late in the final frame, but was hauled down
just as her shot was saved. With Rousseau-Sirois on the bench, the
Canucks skated 6-on-4 against Russia, but despite increased
pressure, they could not solve Leskina.
“The bounces were going over our sticks - it happens, every
league we play in it happens, but this time it got the better of
us,” said Brooker. “I'm proud of the team and proud of
what we did in the last two weeks.”
“The girls worked hard - there's no issue with the effort,
they worked hard the whole tournament, and I’m proud of
them,” echoed Rempel. “We had a lot of challenges here,
we faced them as they came our way, and we faced them as we could.
It's not the colour we came here to get, but you still want to show
well. It's important for the girls to go home with something and
show something for their hard work, and this group came together
quickly and I give them full marks for not quitting.”
Earlier on Thursday, Japan beat China 31 to claim the bronze
medal.
NOTES: Canada is now 23-2 overall since women’s hockey made
its Universiade debut in 2009, with both losses coming this year
against Russia... Four members of the 2015 team were returning from
the 2013 championship squad, including goaltender Élodie
Rousseau-Sirois from the University of Montreal, defenceman
Brittney Fouracres from McGill, as well as forwards Laura Brooker
from Wilfrid Laurier and Alex Normore from StFX.
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2015/index
Granada 2015 website: http://www.granada2015.org/en/
TEAM CANADA
SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times local / 6 hours ahead of
EST)
Tuesday, Feb. 4 (20:30): Canada 7 Kazakhstan 1
Sunday, Feb. 8 (20:30): Russia 3, Canada 1
Wednesday, Feb. 11 (13:30): Canada 5, Japan 2 (semi-final)
Thursday, Feb. 12 (20:30): Russia 3, Canada 0 (final)
SCORING
SUMMARY
Official boxscore
Russia 3, Canada 0
FIRST PERIOD
SCORING:
(no scoring)
PENALTIES:
Mariia Batalova (RUS) slashing, 8:06;
Breanna Lanceleve (CAN) illegal hit, 10:05;
Jessica Kampjes (CAN) interference, 12:44.
SECOND PERIOD
SCORING:
1. RUS Anna Shokhina (6) (Elena Dergacheva, Mariia Batalova),
2:16
PENALTIES:
Angelina Goncharenko (RUS) slashing, 0:22;
Morgan McHaffie (CAN) high sticking, 1:12;
Angelina Goncharenko (RUS) illegal hit, 2:37;
Mariia Batalova (RUS) holding, 3:57;
Bree Polci (CAN) hooking, 9:35;
Iya Gavrilova (RUS) illegal hit, 9:35;
Katelyn Gosling (CAN) roughing, 11:38;
Ann Schukina (RUS) roughing, 13:57.
THIRD PERIOD
SCORING:
2. RUS Anna Shokhina (7) (Olga Sosina, Mariia Batalova), 3:49
PP
3. RUS Valeriia Pavlova (1) (Alexandra Vafina), 12:06
PENALTIES:
Maggie Medd-Litchfield (CAN) interference, 3:05;
Iya Gavrilova (RUS) slashing, 4:11;
Olga Sosnia (RUS) slashing, 4:50;
Daley Oddy (CAN) slashing, 6:07;
Ekaterina Lebedeva (RUS) cross-checking, 6:07;
Mariia Batalova (RUS) cross-checking, 8:55;
Ariane Barker (CAN) slashing, 15:17;
Jenny MacKnight (CAN) holding, 17:02:
Diana Bulatova (RUS) tripping, 18:50.
GOALS (by period)
CAN: 0-0-0: 0
RUS: 0-1-2: 3
SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)
CAN: 12-13-15: 40
RUS: 13-11-10: 34
POWER PLAY:
CAN: 0-9
RUS: 1-7
GOALTENDERS
CAN – Élodie Rousseau-Sirois (L, 0-2, 34 shots, 31
saves, 3 GA, 58:50)
CAN – Empty net (1:10)
RUS – Yulia Leskina (W, 4-0, 40 shots, 40 saves, 0 GA,
60:00)
REFEREE: Kaisa Ketonen (FIN)
LINESMEN: Bettina Angerer (AUT), Natasa Pagon (SLO)
ATTENDANCE: 2,153
START: 20:30
END: 22:38
LENGTH: 2:08
FINAL POOL
STANDINGS
Pool A
GP
W OTW
OTL
L
GF
GA PTS
1.
JPN
3
3
0
0
0
16
1 9
2.
CHN
3
2
0
0
1
14
2 6
3.
USA
3
1
0
0
2
11
7 3
4.
ESP
3
0
0
0
3
1
32 0
Pool B
1.
RUS
2
2
0
0
0
15
2 6
2.
CAN
2
1
0
0
1
8
4 3
3.
KAZ 2
0
2
0
0
2
19 0
Scoring system:
3 points for a win in regulation
2 points for a win in overtime or shootout
1 point for a loss in overtime or shootout
Legend: W (win), OTW (OT win), OTL (OT loss), L (loss)
About the Winter Universiade
The Winter Universiade is a biennial international multi-sport
event open to competitors who are at least 17 and less than 28
years of age as of January 1 in the year of the Games. Participants
must be full-time students at a post-secondary institution
(university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a
post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.
The Granada Universiade will feature nine compulsory sports and one
optional sport. Compulsory sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, ice
hockey, curling, Nordic skiing, short track speed skating, figure
skating, synchronized skating, snowboarding. Optional sport:
freestyle skiing.
NOTE: Biathlon and nordic skiing will take place in Strbske Pleso
and Osrblie, Slovakia from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1, prior to the start of
the Games in Granada.
Official website: www.granada2015.org
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of
university sport in Canada. Every year, over 11,500
student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities and four
regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12
different sports. CIS also provides high performance international
opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer
Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships.
For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
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