By Bane Rossi

Thursday, August 17, 2023

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team defeated Canada, 4-3, in game two of the Collegiate Select Series at the Lake Placid Olympic Center on Thursday. With the victory, the U.S. takes a commanding 2-0-0-0 lead in the three-game series.

The U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team dropped game two of the Under-18 Select Series, 6-1.

The final game of both series will take place on Saturday (Aug. 19) at the Lake Placid Olympic Center. The Under-18 Series game will start at 3 p.m. ET and the Collegiate Series game will start at 6 p.m. ET. Both games can be streamed live on USAHockeyTV.com. Tickets for both games can be purchased HERE.

U.S. WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE SELECT TEAM 4, CANADA 3 

Behind a late third-period goal, the U.S. Women’s Collegiate Select team topped Canada, 4-3, taking a commanding 2-0-0-0 lead in the Collegiate Select Series.

“I’m so proud of how this team fought today. Canada came out strong and played really tough, but we were able to continue to adjust,” said Chelsea Walkland (Rochester, N.Y.), head coach of the U.S. Women’s Collegiate Select Team said. “Our special teams was really firing on all cylinders today as well. All the credit to the players and our assistant coaches, Holley Tyng and Lindsey Berman for their work.”

Casey O’Brien (Aquinnah, Mass.) opened the game’s scoring with 13:11 remaining in the first. With Team USA on the power play, O’Brien corralled a cross-ice shot in the left slot from Kirsten Simms (Plymouth, Mich.) and ripped one past Canada’s netminder to go up, 1-0.

Canada knotted the game at 1-1 when Maya Labad tapped a backdoor shot into the back of the net. The U.S. then regained the lead with less than a minute remaining off a Simms shot that trickled past Canada’s Hannah Murphy.

Canada jumped ahead, 3-2, with two goals in the middle frame from Sarah Wozniewicz and Abby Newhook, but with 3:10 remaining in the period Simms recorded her second of the game. The power-play goal tied the game at 3-3.

Grace Dwyer (Wynnewood, Pa.) recorded the go-ahead goal with just over nine minutes remaining in the third. With the U.S. on the power play, Dwyer collected a back pass at the blue line, before walking herself to the middle of the ice and unleashing a shot that found its way through traffic.

NOTES: The U.S. outshot Canada, 32-26.

U.S. UNDER-18 WOMEN’S SELECT TEAM 1, CANADA 6 

Canada opened the scoring midway through the first when Emma Venusio’s shot found its way to the back of the net. After a back-and-forth end to the first period, Team USA tied the game at 1-1 when Mary Derrenbacher (Raleigh, N.C.) put away a pass from Quinn Taylor (Centerville, Mass.) on a breakaway opportunity.

Canada regained the lead on a power-play goal eight minutes into the middle frame off a score from Sienna Dalessandro. Venusio added her second of the game early in the third, extending Canada’s lead to 3-1.

Two Canadian goals within a minute of each other in the third extended the visitor lead to 5-1 and another in the third made it 6-1.

NOTES: Canada outshot the U.S., 39-12.

COURTESY USA HOCKEY COMMUNICATIONS