Game Notes: CANADA BLANKS SWEDEN TO WIN NATIONS CUP GOLD
JASON LA ROSE
FÜSSEN, Germany – Victoria Bach (Milton, Ont./Boston University, HE) and Louise Warren (Pembroke, Ont./Calgary, CWHL) had a goal and an assist each, helping Canada’s National Women’s Development Team shut out Sweden 4-0 on Tuesday and win the gold medal at the 2015 Nations Cup.
It is the 10th time in 13 years Canada has won gold at the tournament (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015), which was previously known as the Air Canada Cup, MLP Cup and Meco Cup.
Rebecca Kohler (St. Thomas, Ont./University of North Dakota, WCHA) and Kristyn Capizzano (Oakville, Ont./Boston College, HE) had the other Canadian goals.
Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que./University of Wisconsin, WCHA) earned the 10-save shutout.
Just as they did in their two preliminary round wins, the Canadians struck within the first 10 minutes; off a scrambled face-off, Kohler swooped in and rifled a wrist shot over the glove of goaltender Sara Grahn.
Canada controlled the play in the opening 20 minutes, outshooting Sweden 13-1.
Warren doubled the lead early in the second period, taking a feed in the slot from Bach and snapping a shot past Grahn, and Bach buried the rebound of a Meghan Dufault (Winnipeg, Man./University of North Dakota, WCHA) shot just over five minutes later for a 3-0 advantage.
After mustering just three shots in the first two periods the Swedish offence finally awoke in their third, testing Desbiens for the first time with seven shots in the final frame.
But Desbiens could not be beat, and Capizzano tipped in a shot from Shannon Doyle (Baldwin, Ont./Boston University, HE) with eight minutes to go to round out the scoring.
Bach scored in all three games and finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with six points (five goals, one assist), while Desbiens allowed just one goal in her two starts and posted a .966 save percentage.
