The roster will also feature 22 members of Team Canada’s gold medal-winning team from the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Team Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin, centre, celebrates defeating the United States to win gold at the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Calgary, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Starring on offense will be Poulin, who has proven herself to be a big game performer in addition to being one of the best hockey players in the world.
During her Olympic debut in Vancouver, Poulin was the lone goal scorer in the gold medal game as Team Canada shut out Team USA 2-0. At her next Olympics, she captured the hearts of Canadians forever when she came up clutch yet again in the final against the United States. With just 55 seconds to go in the third, Poulin scored to send the game to overtime and then added the winner to secure Canada’s fourth consecutive Olympic women’s hockey gold. At PyeongChang 2018, she was amongst the team’s top scorers with six points.
Canada forward Marie-Philip Poulin (29) skates during the Ice Hockey Women Play-offs Finals between Canada and USA at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on February 22, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo by Vincent Ethier/COC)
This past summer, Poulin worked her magic again at the world championship, notching another gold medal winner to secure Canada’s first world title in nearly a decade.
She’ll be joined on the ice by long-time teammate Johnston, who ranks among the top-10 all-time in scoring for Canada’s National Women’s Team and has made 10 world championship appearances. She came back from a ruptured Achilles tendon to help Canada win the 2021 world title.
Canada forward Rebecca Johnston (6) skates with the puck during the Ice Hockey Women Play-offs Semifinals between Canada and Russia at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on February 19, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo by Vincent Ethier/COC)
The MVP of the 2021 World Championships, Mélodie Daoust, is headed to her third Olympic Games. She led all players in scoring with six goals and six assists as Canada won the gold medal in August. Brianne Jenner, who was second in scoring at the worlds with 11 points, and Natalie Spooner, who was named an all-star forward alongside Daoust, will also be making their third consecutive Olympic appearances.
Canada forward Natalie Spooner (24) stands in front of the net during the Ice Hockey Women Play-offs Semifinals between Canada and Russia at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on February 19, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo by Vincent Ethier/COC)
Sarah Nurse will be heading to Beijing for her second Olympics after competing in PyeongChang. Despite joining the national team just six years ago, Nurse has become a household name. She made her IIHF World Championship debut a year after her Olympic debut and was part of the gold medal win in 2021.
Others making their second Olympic appearances on offence include Emily Clark, Jillian Saulnier, Laura Stacey and Blayre Turnbull. Also among the forwards are Olympic rookies Sarah Fillier, Emma Maltais, and Jamie Lee Rattray.
Two-time Olympian Jocelyne Larocque will anchor the blueline, a position she’s assumed for over a decade. Over the course of her career with Team Canada, she’s won eight world championship medals, including gold in 2012 and 2021.
Canada defenseman Jocelyne Larocque (3) skates with the puck during the Ice Hockey Women Play-offs Semifinals between Canada and Russia at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on February 19, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo by Vincent Ethier/COC)
Also returning on D is Renata Fast, who made her Olympic debut in 2018. One of the touted newcomers is Erin Ambrose, who was centralized with the national team ahead of PyeongChang 2018 but was ultimately cut from the Olympic roster. She’s since represented Canada at the 2019 World Championship where she scored two goals and five assists. At the 2021 Worlds, she was named to the all-star team after putting up an impressive +10 rating along with her two goals and three assists.
Ashton Bell, Ella Shelton, Claire Thompson and Micah Zandee-Hart will also be defending on Olympic ice for the first time.
Canada will have three goaltenders in Beijing – 2018 Olympian Ann-Renée Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer, and Kristen Campbell — all of whom were part of the gold medal-winning squad at the 2021 Worlds.
Canada’s goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens, left, blocks a shot from Kendall Coyne Schofield, of the United States, during third period gold medal final IIHF Women’s World Championship hockey action in Calgary, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
After leaving PyeongChang heartbroken, the women of Team Canada have their sights set on restoring their former Olympic glory.
“It’s a new journey. It’s centralization. We’re focusing on the Olympic Games and we’re going to go one day at a time,” Poulin told Olympic.ca in early December. “For us, it’s that gold medal we want to achieve.”
Larocque says there’s been a new level of confidence that has been the difference maker this year – something she hopes can carry Canada to the top of the podium.
“So much of a successful part of our journey this year is that true belief, regardless of the score… it’s that genuine belief that we can win or just play really good hockey. We’ve really focused on the process and the things we need to do in order to be successful.”
Larocque added: “This is the best team that I’ve ever been a part of.”
Canada’s Natalie Spooner, centre, celebrates a goal with teammates as Switzerland’s goalie Andrea Braendli, right, looks on during third period semi-final IIHF Women’s World Championship hockey action in Calgary, Alta., Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Women’s hockey will take place at the National Indoor Stadium and Wukesong Sports Centre. Canada will open against Switzerland on February 3 and then face Finland two days later. After playing Team ROC on February 7, the most anticipated match of the round robin will come against Team USA on February 8. The women’s quarterfinals will be played February 11 and 12, with the semifinals on February 14. The bronze medal game will be on February 16 with the gold medal game on February 17.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
