Martlets duo named to Canadian team roster for Four Nations Cup
CALGARY, Alta. -- Charline Labonté and Mélodie Daoust, both members of the McGill University Martlets are among 23 players announced by Hockey Canada for the national women's team at the Four Nations Cup, in Nyköping, Sweden, Nov. 9-14.
The roster includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards, who were selected following a September camp Fall Festival, which took place Sept. 17-25 in Calgary, Alta.
The upcoming event will feature the top four women's hockey countries in the world -- Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States for the 16th annual international tournament. Canada has won the gold medal at the Three Nations Cup and/or Four Nations Cup a total of 12 times, including last November at the tourney held in St. John's and Clarenville, N.L. Canada has also claimed silver three times.
The roster includes 11 players who represented Canada at the 2011 IIHF 12 Nations Invitational Tournament in Vierumäki, Finland, eight players who attended Canada's national under-22 development team training camp in Rockland, Ont. (including Daoust), four players who attended the 2011 IIHF high-performance camp in Bratislava, Slovakia, 16 members of the national team that won gold at the 2010 Four Nations Cup in Clarenville and St. John's, N.L., nine members of Canada's gold medal-winning team from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. (including Labonté).
Five newcomers will make their debut with the national squad at the upcoming Four Nations Cup, including defencemen Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Cornell University), Stefanie McKeough (Carlsbad Springs, Ont./University of Wisconsin), Cassandra Poudrier (Lachenaie, Que./Dawson College) and Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, Que./Cornell University), along with forward Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que./McGill University).
"We're very excited about the roster we've assembled for this year's 4 Nations Cup," said Dan Church, head coach of Canada's National Women's Team. "Our team has a great combination of fresh faces and seasoned veterans, which will be pivotal in developing our player pool, and we can't wait for them to take to the ice in Sweden to defend Canada's gold medal."
Church will be joined behind the bench at the 2011 4 Nations Cup by assistant coaches Doug Derraugh (Arnprior, Ont./Cornell University, ECAC) and Danielle Goyette (St-Nazaire, Que./University of Calgary, CWUAA), who also served as assistants with him at the 2011 IIHF 12 Nations Invitational Tournament and 2011 National Women's Team September Camp/Fall Festival.
"Our goal is to be at the top of our game at the 2011 4 Nations Cup, and then carry that momentum not just into the rest of the 2011-12 season, but into our continued preparation for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games," said Kalli Quinn, director of female national teams for Hockey Canada. "This event is an important step on our road to both Burlington, Vermont and Sochi, Russia."
The Four Nations Cup will serve as an evaluation opportunity for Canada's coaching and scouting staff, led by head scout Melody Davidson.
Following the tournament, all players that attended the September camp Fall Festival will continue to be monitored with their club teams throughout the 2011-12 season, in order to select those that will represent Canada at the 2012 MLP Cup in Germany in January and the 2012 IIHF world championship in Burlington, Vt., in April.