Canada and USA will play another round of the 2023-2024 Rivalry Series this week, with several players to watch on both sides.
Canada and USA will play another round of the 2023-2024 Rivalry Series this week, with several players to watch on both sides.
Canada and USA are set to drop the puck on the third and fourth stops of the Rivalry Series this week in Sarnia and Kitchener, Ontario. Team USA beat Canada 3-1 and 5-2 in the opening games to take a series lead.
The annual Series now plays an important role in selecting the final rosters for Canada and USA's national team rosters leading up to the World Championships, which this year will take place in Utica, New York.
As the puck drops on the next installations of the Rivalry Series, here's a look at players to watch for both nations.
Canada Geese? Nope, Canada Goslings
What do you call a young Canadian goose? A Gosling of course. Canada's Rivalry Series this time around has two young Goslings in cousins Julia and Nicole Gosling. Julia Gosling was one of Canada's standouts from the initial Rivalry Series stops playing a power forward role including taking power play time in a net front presence. Gosling effectively used her 5-foot-10 frame to punish the opposition in the corners and along the boards. Another strong performance from her could begin cementing a future on the national team. Her cousin Nicole joins this time around on Canada's blueline, which without Claire Thompson and Erin Ambrose needs an infusion of new talent. Nicole Gosling is off to a spectacular start with Clarkson in her senior season on pace to crush her career highs. She's the youngest blueliner on Canada's roster and will be a player fans and coaches will be interest in seeing.
The Kid Is Alright
The youngest player on the ice from either team will be 2004 born Kirsten Simms. The Wisconsin star has a skill set that is unique to either team. Her puck skills, vision, and ability to both out-skate or out-wait opponents are elite. She leads the NCAA in scoring, and could be a surprise to not only audition for a roster spot with USA, but to usurp older players on her way to earning a spot. She's averaging two points per game in the NCAA this season scoring 34 points through 17 games. Speaking of USA's younger players, second in NCAA scoring is Minnesota's Abbey Murphy, a veteran of Team USA, whose game has taken another step forward this season. She's fast, physical, can agitate, and is also an electric scorer. There are times in the NCAA that Murphy needs to rein in that physicality, but few play the game on the edge, with the speed and skill she does. If the Patty Kazmaier was voted on today, she'd be in the top three, if not the leading contender.
Time For A Bounce Back
Canada's brass will be watching Sophie Jaques closely. She had a rough go in her first national team experience, and it's one she needs to put behind her. Few players garnered as much interest as Jaques heading in as the reigning Patty Kazmaier and an offesive dynamo over the past four seasons with Ohio State. Jaques oozes potential, but at the national team and PWHL level, she can't get away with some of the things that worked in the NCAA. It's a learning curve, but one that will be worth the work for Canadian brass if she can learn better D-zone positioning and make safer decisions with the puck on her own side of the redline. The PWHL Boston defender will undoubtely enter with something to prove, which could equate to an impact performance.
Will Levy Draw In?
It's hard to question the play of Aerin Frankel. She's been more than solid, she's been a difference maker in the crease for USA. Abbey Levy however, looks like a goaltender who can step in and stifle opponents in a different, but equally effective way. She's big and calm in her crease, taking away space from shooters and rarely giving up a bad rebound. At the last Rivalry Series stops, only Levy and her PWHL New York teammate Corinne Schroeder didn't draw in, but at some point, USA will want to see what she can do against Canada. She was steller in her lone PWHL preseason start, earning a shutout.
A Trio Of New Threats For Canada
Canada scored only three goals in two games in November, and they'll be looking at new combinations and giving new chances to new players this time around. Last year's NCAA leading scorer Danielle Serdachny, who played limited minutes for Canada at the 2023 World Championships is back, and should be given a chance to play in the top six at times this month. Loren Gabel, the PHF's leading scorer and MVP who ended her PWHL preseason with a two goal and three point performance with Boston is also back. While she doesn't offer the two-way game some do, there's no player on Canada's roster that shoots the puck like she does. Even in an offensive zone start, power play scenario, Gabel could break games open for Canada. The final newcomer is Anne Cherkowski, who plays the prototypical Canadian national team two-way game. All three could make an impact. Watching how much quicker USA's NCAA players were last time around, adding NCAA players to Canada's lineup seems wise, but also Canada's PWHL players will be closer to midseason form now that they've played meaningful games this month.