U18 National Women’s Hockey Championship starts Nov 4

Forty of Ontario’s best female hockey players have been selected to play for Team Ontario at Hockey Canada’s prestigious Women’s Under 18 National Championship taking place from November 4 to 8 in Huntsville.

The Championship is an eight-team competition featuring many of Canada’s prominent young players. Team Ontario Red will compete in Pool A with Team Manitoba, Team Quebec and Team Saskatchewan. Team Ontario Blue will compete in Pool B with Team Alberta, Team Atlantic and Team British Columbia. The schedule and information on the championship are available at www.hockeycanada.ca.

“We are expecting to have a ton of scouts in the stands,” said Wendy McConnell, chair of the Host Organizing Committee for the tournament. These scouts come from colleges and universities across Canada and the US, and could offer scholarships to the top players.

In addition to playing the games themselves, the girls will also be making a number of community visits such as stopping by local schools to talk to the kids about the female hockey program.

“We are also hoping to get some of the girls into local seniors homes to provide a little fun and let some of the seniors know whats going on,” said McConnell. “That always turns out to be a unique endeavour. It’s amazing how the older people really relate to these kids.”

The Ontario Women’s Hockey Association teams each consist of twenty players plus team staff. Eighty participants were selected to attend the July High Performance Selection camp. These players were selected through an extensive scouting/evaluation performed by the OWHA Head Scout and his team of evaluators within OWHA/Hockey Canada sanctioned events. There are several thousand players in the eligible age group who participate on competitive teams within the OWHA. In addition to showcasing exceptional players, the event will also feature high performance female game officials from across the country.

It’s a real coup for us to get a Hockey Canada event in the building, they are just blown away by the facility we have.Wendy McConnell, chair of the U18 National Championship Host Organizing Committee

“We have been bidding for the past three years to try and get the tournament in Huntsville,” said McConnell. “It’s a real coup for us to get a Hockey Canada event in the building, they are just blown away by the facility we have. They have been for a couple site visits and cannot believe what a great venue it is, the size of the dressing rooms, the layout of the arena, fitness facilities. I really believe if Huntsville wanted to bid on other Hockey Canada events in the future they would be successful given how impressed they are with everything.”

Team Ontario Red enters this year’s National Women’s Under 18 Championship as top seed having won the 2013 Under 18 National Championship in Calgary, Alberta with Team Ontario Blue capturing the silver medal.

Many players who have competed on the OWHA’s U-18 teams have gone on to play for Team Canada at the U-18, U-22/Development and National Team levels. Players from all teams participating in the National U18 Championship in Huntsville are striving for a spot on Hockey Canada’s National U18 Team that will compete in the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship to be held in St. Catharines, Ontario this January.

TEAM OWHA ONTARIO RED 2015-2016

Goal
Serena D’Angelo, Stoney Creek
Stephanie Neatby, Toronto

Defence
Jaime Bourbonnais, Mississauga
Julia Edgar, Oakville
Victoria Howran, Bancroft
Ella Shelton, Ingersoll
Claire Thompson, Toronto
Saroya Tinker, Oshawa

Forwards
Lindsay Agnew, Oakville
Annie Berg, Beamsville
Samantha Bouley, Stittsville
Briana Colangelo, Whitby
Maria Dominico, North Bay
Anonda Hoppner, Ottawa
Emma Maltais, Burlington
Kristin O’Neill, Oakville
Sabrina Repaci, Toronto
Natasza Tarnowski, Embrun
Sarah Verbeek, Timmins
Daryl Watts, Toronto

Head Coach: Jess Turi, Mississauga
Asst. Coach: Keven Schram, Whitby
Asst. Coach: Donna-Lynn Rosa, Brampton
Video Coach: Jamie-Lee Rattray, Kanata
Goalie Coach: Perry Wilson, Windsor
Equipment Manager: Brian Stittle, Brampton

TEAM OWHA ONTARIO BLUE 2015 -2016

Goal
Nicole Cece, Oakville
Carmen Lasis, Toronto

Defence
Emma Buckles, Toronto
Devon Facchinato, Windsor
Meaghan Hector, Georgetown
Avery Mitchell, Pickering
Emily Reid, Whitby
Shelby Wood, Cambridge

Forwards
Cynthia Cavanagh, Scarborough
Rose Falzone, Nobleton
Celine Frappier, Tecumseh
Brianna Gaffney, Tamworth
Brooke Jovanovich, Oakville
Victoria Klimek, Orangeville
Maggie Knott, Smith Falls
Coralie Larose, Embrun
Courtney Maud, Georgetown
Charlea Pedersen, Tyrone
Kristy Pidgeon, Ingleside
Alexa Vasko, St. Catharines

Head Coach: Geoff Haddaway, Cambridge
Asst. Coach: Heather Strano, Ilderton
Asst. Coach: Teresa Hutchinson, Peterborough
Video Coach: Diana Cicchillo, Vaughan
Goalie Coach: Perry Wilson, Windsor
Equipment Manager: Cathy Kennedy, Kingston

Tickets are available at the door. Preliminary games are $10 per person, Saturday games are $15 per person, and the Sunday final games are $20 per person.