Canada’s national women’s hockey team snapped a Rivalry Series losing streak with a thrilling shootout win in front of a packed crowd at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Saturday night — and it wasn’t just the players who came out victorious, said Mark Perrin.
“Thousands of smiles from the girls, their parents, and all hockey fans,” said the director of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton. “This event was a success in all ways possible, and for Team Canada to come back and win the game, could not have been a better script written.
“Bringing this event to Sarnia will inspire our youth and is sure to grow our women’s hockey footprint for years to come,” he added.
Sarnia was one of just two Ontario stops in the popular seven-game Rivalry Series featuring the Canadian and USA national women’s teams.
Perrin and his team worked closely with local girls’ hockey organizations and the Sarnia Sting to stage the marquee event — which included an Esso Fun Day on Friday, a free event where Hockey Canada provided on-ice lessons, dryland training and mental preparation skills for more than 150 local hockey players. Local girls’ teams also faced-off at the Progressive Auto Sales arena leading up to the main event at 5 p.m.
“The collaboration we had between the Sarnia Jr. Lady Sting, Mooretown Lady Flags, and Lambton Attack, was special, and played a huge part in the overall success of the event,” said Perrin, also a proud girl-hockey-dad. “Having a Women’s Hockey Day in Lambton County, and showcasing local teams prior to the best female hockey players in North America competing in the Rivalry Series, created memories that will last forever from both players and their parents.”
The game’s opening ceremonies also included players representing the three girls’ hockey associations before puck-drop.
The teams went scoreless through the first period before Megan Keller put the U.S. up 1-0 with a short-handed goal, eight minutes into in the second. A goal from Alex Carpenter early in the third period lifted Team USA to a 2-0 lead.
Canada cut the lead to 2-1 in the third frame with a goal from Edmonton, Alberta’s Danielle Serdachny — her second in as many games. Minutes later, Ingersoll’s Ella Shelton tied things up, in her 50th game with the National Women’s Team.
The game would head to overtime, and eventually, a shootout, where captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored the lone goal in the five-round shootout for Canada.
Canada outshot the U.S. 26-24 as goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens made 22 saves and turned aside all five shootout attempts.
“This team has a lot of character and we showed that today,” Desbiens said on getting the win in Sarnia. “It would have been easy to give up when we were down by two and down 3-0 in the series, but it was important for us to get a win in front of Canadian fans. We did everything we could and kept fighting to create chances late in the game. We were able to get two big goals in the third period, and then [Poulin] gets another important game-winner in a big moment for us.”
The series resumes Feb. 7 in Saskatoon.
“Events like this are so special for families, and bring the whole community together,” Perrin said, adding that the collaboration between Tourism Sarnia-Lambton and Hockey Canada will be a model for future events across Canada. “It’s been incredibly special, and I am sure every girl will be scoring the winning goal in her driveway for years to come.”
Photos by Suzanna Kennedy Photography