Alex Normore and Jenna Pitts to skate with national squad
ANTIGONISH, NS ¬ A pair of veteran fourth year X-Women hockey players have been selected to represent Canada at the upcoming 26th Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy. Forward Alex Normore and defense Jenna Pitts, both natives of Nova Scotia, will be playing for Canada when they hit the ice at the international event December 11th to 21st.
"We are thrilled to have Jenna and Alex represent their country and our university at the upcoming FISU games, this is an incredible opportunity for them," comments X-Women head coach David Synishin.
"To be chosen as two of the best players in the country is a testament to their hard work and dedication to the game."
Normore and Pitts will be part of a Canadian contingent of CIS all-stars selected from each of the four conferences across the country. They are the only athletes selected from the AUS conference.
The Winter Universiade is an 11-day multi-sport event hosted by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) that takes place every two years in various cities over the world. Participation is open to any competitor between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games, who is a full-time post-secondary student or has graduated from a post-secondary institution within the previous year of the event.
The 26th version of the Games in December will mark the third time that women's ice hockey has been on the schedule. The Canadians are the two-time defending gold medalists, having won in 2011 in Erzurum, Turkey and in 2009 in Harbin, China. Coaching the Canadian squad will be Howie Draper from the University of Alberta, along with assistant coach: Rachel Flanagan (Guelph) and Isabelle Leclaire (Montreal).
Upon being informed of her selection to the team, Normore commented, "I couldn't be more excited to have been chosen for this opportunity. I think both Jenna and myself have worked extremely hard the past few years in hopes of this opportunity arising. It is something very special to experience with my best friend since I was ten years old."
The Bedford, N.S. native continued, "To wear the maple leaf is something extremely special and something that I think most female hockey players have dreamed about their whole lives. To me, this opportunity means representing ourselves, our families, StFX University, the AUS, and of course our nation. The thought of stepping onto the ice with the maple leaf on your jersey is a feeling that can't be beat."
Pitts echoed her teammate's thoughts, saying, "I am extremely honored to be selected to represent Canada at the FISU games in Italy this coming December. I am proud to represent our country, but also to represent StFX while wearing the maple leaf on the international stage."
"I would like to send a big thank you to my StFX community, my family, my teammates, and my coaches, who have all made this dream a reality," continued the home grown native of Antigonish, N.S. "It will be a privilege to share this experience alongside my best friend, Alex Normore, who I have played with for many years. We hope to make Antigonish and the StFX community proud."
Co-MVP's for the X-Women last season, both Normore and Pitts have experienced a great deal of on-ice success at the AUS and CIS level over their three years of play with the blue and white. They have been key members of a team that won AUS championships in 2013 and 2011, along with a pair of CIS medals in each of those seasons – bronze in 2013 and silver in 2011. Pitts was the most valuable player at the 2013 AUS championship and both athletes were AUS all-stars last year.
Pitts was also an AUS all-star in 2012, and Normore has earned the designation in each of her three seasons, as well as being recognized as a CIS All-Canadian the past two years. The two-time reigning conference MVP led the league in scoring last season with 29 points. Her 13 goals and 16 assists were tops in the AUS, as was her +22 plus/minus rating. Pitts was third in league scoring amongst defenseman with nine points.
The two athletes made an impact in their first season of play as Normore was honored as the 2011 CIS rookie of the year - the first and only X-Woman to receive the national award - and Pitts accompanied her as a member of the CIS all-rookie team.
The two will head to Italy in mid-December along with their teammates from CIS schools across the country.
The official CIS press release and listing of the entire Canadian team follows below.
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2013 Winter Universiade
CIS announces Canadian women's hockey roster
OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Thursday the Canadian women's hockey roster and coaching staff for the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy.
The 26th biennial Games will run from December 10 to 21, with the women's hockey final set for Dec. 20.
Canada heads into the tournament as defending two-time champion thanks to a 3-1 gold-medal win over host China in 2009 - when the sport made its Universiade debut - and a 4-1 victory against Finland in the 2011 championship final in Erzurum, Turkey.
Howie Draper, head coach of the University of Alberta Pandas since their inaugural CIS season in 1997-98, will be at the helm of the red and white squad in Trentino. He will be assisted behind the bench by Isabelle Leclaire from reigning CIS champion Montreal and Rachel Flanagan from Guelph.
Rounding out the team personnel are general manager Mike Kraichy from Hockey Alberta, athletic therapist Crissy McPhee from uOttawa and equipment manager Scott Cyr from Saskatchewan.
The roster heading to Italy is comprised of 20 standouts from all four CIS conferences, including seven from the RSEQ, six from OUA, five from Canada West and two from AUS. Not surprisingly, Montreal and perennial powerhouse McGill lead the way with four and three selections, respectively.
"We chose a team that we feel will provide a high degree of speed and offensive power," said Draper, who has led Alberta to a record seven national titles since women's hockey was added to the CIS program 16 years ago. "We also wanted to ensure that the players coming would play the game with intelligence and skill at both ends of the ice. The group represents these qualities extremely well."
The only returning player from the 2011 gold-medal winning team is forward Kim Deschênes, who was named championship MVP last winter after she captained the Montreal Carabins to their first-ever CIS banner. At the Erzurum Games, the native of St. Quentin, N.B., scored in each of Canada's last five contests and finished the competition with eight points (5-3-8) in seven outings, including two game-winning goals.
In addition to Deschênes, Montreal teammate Josianne Legault, McGill stars Gabrielle Davidson and Katia Clément-Haydra, Guelph teammates Amanda Parkins and Jessica Pinkerton, as well as Laura Brooker of Laurier, Morgan McHaffie of Queen's, Alex Normore of St. Francis Xavier, Tatiana Rafter of UBC, Jenna Smith of Calgary and Cara Wooster of Saskatchewan are the forwards who hope to fill the net in Italy.
The defensive unit is comprised of Montreal's Sophie Brault, UBC's Christi Capozzi, McGill's Brittney Fouracres, Western's Katelyn Gosling, Manitoba's Caitlin MacDonald and StFX's Jenna Pitts.
Goaltenders Kelly Campbell of Western and Élodie Rousseau-Sirois of Montreal will defend the Canadian cage.
The Trentino tournament will once again be a six-team competition with Great Britain, the United States, Japan, Russia and Spain rounding out the draw.
Canada and Great Britain are the only countries to take part in the tourney for the third time. Japan participated in 2009 and the Americans in 2011.
The Canadians went a perfect 14-0 overall in their first two Universiade appearances, outscoring their opponents by a 97-10 margin in the process, including 51-3 two years ago.
The Canucks open this year's preliminary round on Dec. 10 against Spain and will then face Russia (Dec. 12), Great Britain (Dec. 13), the USA (Dec. 15) and Japan (Dec. 16). The semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 18, with the bronze and gold-medal games following on Dec. 20.
"We have high expectations for this group that culminate with capturing a gold medal obviously," Draper said. "It will be a priority for us to strive for growth in team efficiency with each game that we play. Along the way, we want to represent our country and CIS in a positive light while displaying the competitive drive and determination that has come to be synonymous with Canadian hockey players."
NOTE: Caitlin MacDonald was originally named to the Canadian roster for the 2011 Universiade but was unable to participate due to an injury.
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2013/index
Trentino 2013 website: http://www.universiadetrentino.org/
TEAM CANADA ROSTER
Name University Elig. Hometown Academic Program
Goaltenders
Kelly Campbell Western 3 London, Ont. BMOS (management)
Élodie Rousseau-Sirois Montreal 3 Pohenegamook, Que. Architecture
Defence
Sophie Brault Montreal 4 St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. Administration
Christi Capozzi UBC 5 Kelowna, B.C. Kinesiology
Brittney Fouracres McGill 3 Calgary, Alta. Engineering
Katelyn Gosling Western 3 London, Ont. Social Sciences
Caitlin MacDonald Manitoba 5 Winnipeg, Man. Business
Jenna Pitts StFX 4 Antigonish, N.S. Science
Forwards
Laura Brooker Laurier 4 Fergus, Ont. English
Gabrielle Davidson McGill 2 Pointe-Claire, Que. Management
Kim Deschênes Montreal 5 St. Quentin, N.B. Arts & Science
Katia Clément-Heydra McGill 4 St. Bruno, Que. Industrial Relations
Josianne Legault Montreal 4 Granby, Que. Science
Morgan McHaffie Queen's 5 Guelph, Ont. Physical & Health Education
Alex Normore StFX 4 Bedford, N.S. Science
Amanda Parkins Guelph 2 Kitchener, Ont. Sociology
Jessica Pinkerton Guelph 3 Oshawa, Ont. Sociology
Tatiana Rafter UBC 4 Winnipeg, Man. Arts
Jenna Smith Calgary 4 Swift Current, Sask. Arts
Cara Wooster Saskatchewan - Luseland, Sask. Arts & Science
NOTE: The year of CIS eligibility listed is for the 2013-14 season. Cara Wooster of Saskatchewan used her fifth and final year of CIS eligibility in 2012-13.
Staff
General Manager: Mike Kraichy Hockey Alberta
Head Coach: Howie Draper University of Alberta
Assistant Coach: Rachel Flanagan University of Guelph
Assistant Coach: Isabelle Leclaire University of Montreal
Athletic Therapist: Crissy McPhee University of Ottawa
Equipment Manager: Scott Cyr University of Saskatchewan
TEAM CANADA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (all times local)
Dec. 10 (20:00): Canada vs. Spain
Dec. 12 (16:00): Canada vs. Russia
Dec. 13 (16:00): Canada vs. Great Britain
Dec. 15 (20:00): Canada vs. USA
Dec. 16 (16:00): Canada vs. Japan
Dec. 18 (16:00): Semifinal #1 (3 vs. 2)
Dec. 18 (20:00): Semifinal #2 (4 vs. 1)
Dec. 19 (16:00): 5th place
Dec. 20 (16:00): Bronze
Dec. 20 (20:00): Final
CANADA'S ALL-TIME RESULTS IN WOMEN'S HOCKEY AT UNIVERSIADE
2011 (Erzurum, Turkey)
2-1 vs. Finland (SO)
3-0 vs. Slovakia
14-0 vs. Great Britain
9-0 vs. USA
11-0 vs. Turkey
8-1 vs. USA (semifinal)
4-1 vs. Finland (final)
2009 (Harbin, China)
11-0 vs. Great Britain
5-0 vs. Finland
6-3 vs. Slovakia
7-1 vs. China
4-1 vs. Japan
10-1 vs. Slovakia (semifinal)
3-1 vs. China (final)