2016-17 National Women's Under-18 Team

CANADA SPREADS AROUND OFFENCE IN WORLDS-OPENING WIN

JASON LA ROSE

ZLIN, Czech Republic – Olivia Knowles (Campbell River, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, CSSHL) led the way with a goal and an assist, and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team got its 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship started with a 5-1 win over Sweden on Saturday.

The Canadians got goals from five different players; Ashton Bell (Deloraine, Man./Westman, MFMHL), Brette Pettet (Kentville, N.S./Shattuck-St. Mary’s, USHS), Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./Oakville, PWHL) and Daryl Watts (Toronto, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) also earned a spot on the scoresheet.

Emma Buckles (Toronto, Ont./Toronto, PWHL) joined Knowles as multi-point scorers, picking up a pair of assists.

Both teams struggled to find their offensive footing in the first period, managing only five shots apiece, but Hanna Olsson put the Swedes ahead 1-0 with a goal just 3:18 after the puck dropped.

That would be the lone shot to beat Canadian goaltender Danika Ranger (Uxbridge, Ont./Durham West, PWHL) in her international debut, and her team ratcheted up the offence in the second period.

Bell pulled Canada even just past the five-minute mark of the second period; the captain took a long stretch pass from Shelby Wood (Cambridge, Ont./Cambridge, PWHL) and went backhand to forehand before tucking the 1-1 goal around Swedish netminder Anna Amholt.

Pettet gave the Canadians their first lead midway through the middle frame, roofing a one-timer over Amholt, and Fillier converted just nine seconds into a power play to send Canada to the intermission up 3-1.

Canada held a one-sided 17-6 advantage in shots on goal in the second period, and 33-17 overall.

Knowles needed just 17 seconds of the third to make it 4-1, getting a point shot past Amholt, and Watts took a pass from Emma Maltais (Burlington, Ont./Oakville, PWHL) and wired in a wrist shot from the face-off dot to finish the scoring with 8:18 to go.

Canada improved to 6-0 all-time against the Swedes at the U18 world championship, outscoring the Scandinavians 40-5 over that span.

Preliminary-round play continues Sunday in Zlin when the Canadians face off against Russia (9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT).