News

Three McGillians to play for Canada at IIHF world championship

Published: 6 April 2011

(LEFT TO RIGHT: Charline Labonté, Kim St-Pierre, Catherine Ward)

MONTREAL - Charline Labonté of the McGill University women's hockey team and two other graduates from the Martlets program are among 21 players named to represent Canada at the 2011 IIHF world hockey championship tournament, scheduled for April 16-25 in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland. The team was picked following a four-day selection camp at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto which concluded on Tuesday.

Labonté, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Boisbriand, Que., will join fellow goaltender and McGill alum Kim St-Pierre of Châteauguay, Que., as well as former Martlets rearguard Catherine Ward, from Town of Mt. Royal, Que.

In all, six players and two coaches with a CIS affiliation will represent Canada at the IIHF tourney. Canada has appeared in every final since the inaugural championship was held in Ottawa in 1990 racking up nine gold medals and three silvers.

Last month, Labonté guided the Martlets to their third CIS title in four seasons, was named an all-Canadian for the fourth time in as many campaigns with McGill and set a CIS record with 37 shutouts in 67 career conference games.

St-Pierre was a four-time all-Canadian with McGill and was named CIS player of the year in 2002-03, when she also received the BLG Award as CIS female athlete of the year. She also played two games with McGill's men's team in 2003-04.

Ward, an all-Canadian in each of her three seasons with the Martlets from 2006 to 2009, was named MVP of the 2009 CIS championship after she helped McGill capture its second national title. After graduating in only three years with a B.Com, she transferred to Boston University, where she is in post-graduate studies and earned second-team all-American status earlier this month.

Other Swiss-bound players with CIS experience include forwards Caroline Ouellette of Montreal, Jayna Hefford of Kingston, Ont., and Hayley Wickenheiser of Shaunavon, Sask., who was named CIS player of the year in 2010-11 following her first season with the University of Calgary.

St-Pierre, Ward, Ouellette and Hefford have all claimed Olympic gold with Team Canada.

Ouellette played seven games for the Concordia Stingers in 2000-01, while Hefford spent one season in the OWIAA (now OUA) with the Toronto Varsity Blues in 1996-97, one year before women's hockey was classified as a CIS program.

Rounding out the CIS representation at the IIHF championship are assistant coaches Dan Church and Lisa Jordan. Church has been the head coach at York University for seven years, while Jordan was recently appointed head coach at Ryerson after 14 campaigns at the helm at Saint Mary's.

Canada's roster includes three goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards. The lineup features 16 returnees from the squad that won the gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C.

Canada opens the world championship on April 16 against Switzerland and will also face Kazakhstan and Finland in preliminary round play. The tournament includes two groups of four teams, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the medal round, which starts on April 23.

Hockey Canada website: www.hockeycanada.ca

IIHF championship website: http://www.iihf.com/en/channels1011/ww/schedule.html

TEAM CANADA ROSTER:

Pos. Name Hometown Team/Organization

G Shannon Szabados Edmonton, Alta. Grant MacEwan College (ACAC)

G Charline Labonté Boisbriand, Que. McGill University (CIS)

G Kim St-Pierre Châteauguay, Que. Montreal (CWHL)

D Jocelyne Larocque Ste. Anne, Man. University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

D Meaghan Mikkelson St. Albert, Alta. Edmonton (WWHL)

D Bobbi Jo Slusar Swift Current, Sask. Strathmore (WWHL)

D Tara Watchorn Newcastle, Ont. Boston University (HE)

D Catherine Ward Montreal, Que. Boston University (HE)