U.S. Savannah Harmon (15) chases Canada's Ella Shelton (17) during the second period of a women's Rivalry Series hockey game at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)
Hockey Canada has named its 25-player roster for Rivalry Series games against the United States in Edmonton, where the archrivals will clash for the last time before the Olympic Games.
Canada’s three goalies, eight defenders and 14 forwards take on reigning world champion U.S. on Dec. 10 and Dec. 13 at Rogers Place.
The Americans beat Canada 6-1 on Nov. 8 in Buffalo, N.Y., and 4-1 on Nov. 6 in Cleveland in the first two games of the series, and also 4-3 in overtime in the final of April’s world championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.
Canada’s roster for Edmonton returns 20 players from the U.S. leg of the series, plus veteran goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, defenders Jocelyne Larocque and Nicole Gosling, and forwards Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark back in the lineup.
They draw in for goaltender Eve Gascon, defenders Micah Zandee-Hart and Kati Tabin, and forwards Hannah Miller and Sarah Nurse, who played in the first two games.
Goaltenders Emerance Maschmeyer and Kayle Osborne join Desbiens in Edmonton. Sophie Jaques, Chloe Primerano, Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambrose and Claire Thompson round out the defence.
Daryl Watts, Jennifer Gardiner, Danielle Serdachny, Julia Gosling, Kristin O’Neill, Blayre Turnbull, Marie-Philip Poulin, Emma Maltais, Natalie Spooner, Caitlin Kraemer, Sarah Fillier and Laura Stacey complete the forwards.
Edmonton last hosted a women’s hockey game between Canada and the United States on Dec. 17, 2017, when Jennifer Wakefield scored the OT winner for Canada.
Hockey Canada, which is expected to name its 23-player Olympic roster in early January, invited 30 players to an Olympic orientation camp in August in Calgary, with subsequent camps held in Toronto and Montreal.
“These last two games are crucial in our preparations with the Milan Cortina Games less than 70 days away. We are confident we have built a group that will give us a chance to be successful as we finish off the series in front of our fans and a hometown crowd.”
Canada edged the U.S. 3-2 for Olympic gold in 2022, four years after losing to the Americans in a shootout in the 2018 final.
Canada opens defence of its gold medal Feb. 5 against Finland in Milan, Italy.
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