Canada and USA's next generation of national team players were on the ice for the first time facing off at the Summer Series in Lake Placid, New York. USA's Collegiate Select team beat Canada's National Development team 4-1 in their first game, while Canada beat USA in an identical 4-1 score in the U-18 opener.
USA Downs Canada In Closely Contested Game
Unlike last year when USA brought a group headlined by much of their national team, this year's select series featured a more evenly contested game with USA beating Canada 4-1 despite Canada narrowly outshooting USA 22-21.
University of Minnesota forward Ava Lindsay cleaned up a rebound off a Rose Dwyer point shot to open the scoring 6:21 into the first period. Wisconsin's Maggie Scannell took the puck from low to high in the offensive zone before dropping it off to Dwyer who put the puck toward the net where Lindsay was waiting, beating her Minnesota teammate Hannah Clark in Canada's net.
In the second period, Emma Venusio fired a puck over the glass in her own zone earning a delay of game penalty. With the player advantage, Bella Fanale cleanly won a face-off against Jocelyn Amos pulling the puck back to Minnesota defender Sydney Morrow. Morrow walked to the middle of the ice before putting a fluttering puck toward the net that somehow found its way over Clark for USA's second of the night.
Keeping their momentum going, Colgate's Elyssa Biederman grabbed a turnover below the goal line before centering the puck where Wisconsin's Laney Potter wired a shot home beating Clark to give USA a 3-0 lead.
In the dying minutes of the second, Claire Murdoch found a bouncing puck in a goalmouth scramble jamming home Canada's first of the game to pull Canada within two heading to the third.
Both teams however, shut the door in the third and it wasn't until Cassie Hall stripped Sarah Paul of the puck in her own zone and wristed the puck from the neutral zone into the empty cage that USA finally put the game away 4-1.
“It was the first time we have played at that pace since March—you can tell we are still getting our feet underneath us," said Canada's head coach Alison Domenico following the loss. "It is going to be a quick turnaround tomorrow, so it is important to dive into our offensive zone play, try to generate some more scoring chances and be a bit cleaner with our execution. We were pretty geared up and ready to go out and play, so hopefully we can rebound and give it to the United States tomorrow."
Canada's U-18 Team Continues To Dominate
It's been a few seasons since USA's U-18 roster found itself on par with Canada. While the teams put up similar shot totals, it was Canada's game as they earned a 4-1 win to open the three-game series.
Adrianna Milani, who played for USA last summer at this series, opened the scoring showing why she's considered one of the most electric young prospects in the game. Milani stole a puck in the neutral zone before using her separation speed in the neutral zone breaking down the left wing and taking the puck to the net front where a quick release beat USA's Morgan Stickney to make it 1-0.
Only 32 seconds into the second period, USA capitalized off a Canadian miscue as Emily Pohl beat a defender before finding a streaking Lindsay Stepnowski who froze Léa-Rose Charrois to score USA's only goal of the game.
In the third period, back-to-back goals by Rachel Piggot and Aubrey Morrison gave Canada a cushion before Megan Mossey scored on a power play to cap off the scoring.
Both teams are back in action August 14 before closing out their series August 16.