July 13, 1998
NR.048

CHA ANNOUNCES NATIONAL WOMEN'S UNDER-22 TEAM ROSTER

CALGARY, AB -- Olympic silver medalists Jennifer Botterill and Hayley Wickenheiser are among the 22- player National Under-22 Women's Team roster announced Monday by head coach Melody Davidson.

The team - two goaltenders, eight defenders and 12 forwards - includes players from eight provinces, reflecting the growing depth in the female game across the country. Five of the players come from Saskatchewan, four from Ontario and three apiece from Quebec and Manitoba. Alberta, New Brunswick and British Columbia each are sending two players to the Under-22 team, while one player comes from Nova Scotia.

Apart from Botterill and Wickenheiser, three players -- Dana Antal, Carol Scheibel and Tammy Lee Shewchuk -- all were among the 28 players invited to try out for Canada's 1998 Women's Olympic team in September 1997.

"This is an excellent opportunity for these players to lift the level of their game and take a step towards playing for the National Women's team down the road," said Davidson. "It's also an outstanding opportunity for the Canadian Hockey Association to evaluate the young female talent in our country."

The Under-22 team will hold a NIKE elite training camp in Calgary from Aug. 3-9. The plan is for the team to participate in some form of international competition, but that has yet to be determined.

Davidson, 34, the head coach of the women's team at Connecticut College and a former National Women's Team assistant coach, will work with assistants Wally Kozak of Calgary and Julie Healy, assistant coach with the Concordia University varsity women's team. Kozak is head coach of the Calgary X-treme, who won the 1998 Esso Women's National championship.

"We expect the National Women's Under-22 Team to become a key component in our female high performance programs," said Tom Renney, the CHA's vice-president, hockey. "The Under-22 program should become an important developmental stage for our players, as well as the coaches, who will gain valuable international experience.

"With the Women's World Championship becoming an annual event, starting in 1999 in Espoo, Finland, this program will help us prepare and deepen the talent pool of high performance players in our country."