CANADA RACKS UP 56 SHOTS, BLANKS CARLETON UNIVERSITY IN PRE-WORLDS ACTION

MORGAN BELL

LONDON, Ont. – An early goal from Sarah Quaranta (Niagara Falls, Ont./Stoney Creek, PWHL) stood up as the game-winner as Canada National Women’s Under-18 Team overpowered the Carleton University Ravens on Thursday night, topping the Canadian Interuniversity Sport team 4-0 in the first of two pre-world championship games.

Christian Higham (Winnipeg, Man./St. Mary’s Academy, CAHS), Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout (Rouyn-Noranda, Que./Limoilou, CEGEP) and Jaycee Gebhard (Plenty, Sask./Notre Dame, JWHL) had the other goals for the Canadians.

Carly Jackson (Amherst, N.S./Cumberland County, NSJHL) and Kristen Campbell (Brandon, Man./Shaftesbury Academy, CAHS) shared the goaltending duties for Canada, combining for the 10-save shutout.

Canada finished with a 56-10 advantage in shots on goal.

Quaranta got the scoring started just 3:33 after the puck dropped, and Higham snapped a wrist shot past Carleton netminder Katelyn Steele off a feed from Lindsay Agnew (Oakville, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) midway through the opening period.

The Canadians were dominant in the first 20 minutes, outshooting their CIS opponents by a one-sided 23-3 margin.

Coutu-Godbout added the third Canadian goal early in the second period, lifting a backhand over Steele’s shoulder, sending Canada to the second intermission with a 3-0 lead, although Steele was the story with 39 saves through two.

Gebhard capped the scoring with less than two minutes to go in the third period.

Gebhard led the way with a goal and an assist, while Agnew and Kaitlyn Tse (Toronto, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) added a pair of helpers apiece in the win.

Canada will face the Ravens again on Friday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT) in London before heading south to Buffalo, N.Y., for the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship, which begins Jan. 5.

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