2008 – 2009 News Archives
April 9, 2009
Eight MN Whitecaps named to U. S. Women’s National Team
USA Hockey announced the 21-player roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team that will seek to defend its world title at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship April 4-12 in Hameenlinna, Finland. Team USA will open against Japan at 4:00 pm ET.
Name and Hometown
Goaltenders
Molly Schaus - Natick, Massachusetts
Megan Van Beusekom - Loretto, Minnesota
Jessie Vetter - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Defensemen
Kacey Bellamy - Westfield, Massachusetts
Caitlin Cahow - Branford, Connecticut
Lisa Chesson - Plainfield, Illinois
Molly Engstrom - Siren, Wisconsin
Helen Resor - Greenwich, Connecticut
Angela Ruggiero - Harper Woods, Michigan
Kerry Weiland - Palmer, Alaska
Forwards
Julie Chu - Fairfield, Connecticut
Natalie Darwitz - Eagan, Minnesota
Jenny Potter - Edina, Minnesota
Karen Thatcher - Blaine, Washington
Meghan Duggan - Danvers, Massachusetts
Hilary Knight - Hanover, New Hampshire
Jocelyne Lamoureux - Grand Forks, North Dakota
Monique Lamoureux - Grand Forks, North Dakota
Erika Lawler - Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Gigi Marvin - Warroad, Minnesota
Kelli Stack - Brooklyn Heights, Ohio
The US Women’s Team is vying to repeat as World Champions and Universal Sports will be broadcasting the 2009 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
LIVE COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will cover the entire women’s tournament, starting on April 4, with breaking news, results and photo galleries. The site will offer the following IIHF events live, and free-of-charge starting Thursday, April 9 at 12 p.m. ICE Hockey page can be found at the following (URL: http://www.universalsports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23000&KEY=&SPID=11661&SPSID=95605).
Date Events Time (all times ET)
April 9 Qualifying Round Game #15 – LIVE 12 – 2:30 p.m.
April 10 Qualifying Round Game #18 – LIVE 12 – 2:30 p.m.
April 12 Bronze Medal Game #19 – LIVE 8 – 10:30 a.m.
Gold Medal Game #20 – LIVE 12 – 3 p.m.
*Schedules subject to change, coverage available only in the U.S. and territories.
Follow the results of the prelims at www.IIHF.com.
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March 21, 2009
Minnesota Whitecaps Fall Short in Scotiabank Clarkson Cup Championship Game
The Montreal Stars took home the inaugural Clarkson Cup in this year’s historical Canadian Women’s Hockey Championship. The final game pitted the Montreal Stars, the top team from the East, against the Minnesota Whitecaps, the top team from the West.
Montreal hit the ground running with a shot on Minnesota goaltender Sanya Sandahl just 14 seconds into the first. The effort was quickly returned by Minnesota, with a shot on veteran Stars goalie Kim St. Pierre.
Throughout the scoreless first period, both teams laid the point shots on thick but the pucks were easily corralled by the goalies. It looked like a breathtaking breakaway pass from Minnesota’s Angela Ruggiero to Jenny Potter would put Minnesota on the scoreboard, but Potter’s shot fell wide of the net. Another two-on-one by the Whitecaps missed the net.
After a penalty was called on Montreal for high-sticking, the Stars gave everything they had on the Minnesota power play, blocking every shot and not allowing the Whitecaps to capitalize on the one-man advantage.
Early in the second, Shauna Denis and Sabrina Harbec’s outstanding efforts forced a two-on-one. Denis scored from Harbec’s pass, putting the short-benched Whitecaps back on their heels for much of the second. But Minnesota rallied and managed to earn some room in Montreal’s end when Jenny Potter found Angela Ruggiero, who roofed it past St. Pierre to even up the score at 1-1.
Less than two minutes later, Montreal proved that they preferred playing in the Minnesota zone. On a pass from Caroline Ouellette, a hard-working Harbec forced one past the Whitecaps’ netminder Sanya Sandahl, who was trying to find the puck on a rebound. The second period ended with a score of 2-1 in Montreal’s favour.
Less than two minutes into the third, another Montreal two-on-one resulted in a crisp pass from Marie-Philip Poulin to Ouellette, who found some room under Sandahl’s glove. With the score at 3-1, it gave Montreal a bit of room to breathe.
Another Minnesota power play had Montreal bodies flying everywhere, blocking Minnesota’s shots as they peppered the Stars with shots. But Minnesota was a long way from giving up, forcing Montreal’s St. Pierre to come up big, practically standing on her head as the Whitecaps crashed the net and gave it everything they had. Unfortunately for the Whitecaps, it wasn’t enough. The Stars held them off and hung on to their 3-1 lead for the win.
In a historical moment, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson presented Lisa-Marie Breton, captain of the Montreal Stars, with the first-ever Clarkson Cup.
The player of the game for the Minnesota Whitecaps was goalie Sanya Sandahl and the player of the game for the Montreal Stars was Caroline Ouellette.
Tournament Awards
Top role model: Julie Chu, Minnesota Whitecaps
Top goalie: Kim St. Pierre, Montreal Stars
Top defense: Caitlin Cahow, Minnesota Whitecaps
Top forward: Caroline Ouellette, Montreal Stars
MVP: Jenny Potter, Minnesota Whitecaps
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March 11, 2009
Minnesota Whitecaps 2008 – 2009 WWHL Champions
The Minnesota Whitecaps took it to the Calgary Oval X-Treme on March 8th in the WWHL Championship game, shutting out Calgary by a score of 2-0. The Minnesota Whitecaps also won the semi-final game on March 7th against the Edmonton Chimos by a score of 4-0.
The Whitecaps will be off to the North American championships in Kingston, Ontario, March 18-21, 2009, where they will take on the top two teams from the CWHL.
Photo credit www.daveholland.ca.
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January 16, 2009
Author: Steve Pesek
MN Whitecaps vs. USA National Team on MNSportsNetwork.com
When Fox Sports North introduced Hockey Day Minnesota on January 20th, 2007, the broadcast coverage of sport of hockey in Minnesota went from being a single day-to-day event, to a local holiday on the calendars of many hockey fans. This year, Hockey Day Minnesota will not only be celebrated on Fox Sports North with over 20 hours of coverage, but also on the Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network with 10-plus hours of coverage ourselves between four hockey games.
The four games on MSBN will be from the high school to professional/national team levels and bring listeners from the Twin Cities Metro area to the northwest quadrant of the state. And feature not only some of the top high school rink rats in the area, but also Olympic and collegiate champions as well. Here is a detailed list of the hockey games on MNSportsNetwork.com for January 17th, 2009:
3:00 pm – Women’s Hockey: USA Selects Team vs. Minnesota Whitecaps
The Top U.S. Women’s Hockey Team, the Minnesota Whitecaps, are taking a weekend off from their competition in the Western Women’s Hockey League to play an exhibition game versus the USA Selects Team as a part of their Girls Hockey Expo. Check out some of the biggest and best women in the sport like Jenny Potter, Natalie Darwitz, Julie Chu, Angela Ruggiero, and more! This game is scheduled for 3:00 pm and will be LIVE from Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, MN. Join Joe Moore, Sid Thompson, and Alex Calof as they bring you some of the best women’s hockey in the country.
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January 7, 2009
Author: Eric Kraushar, Hutchinson Leader
Van Beusekom: For the love of the game
Five former U.S. Olympians will be skating at Burich Ice Arena Friday when the Minnesota Whitecaps women’s hockey team faces off against the Strathmore Rockies — a team with top Division I college graduates and Canadian National Team players.
Julie Chu, Tricia Dunn-Luoma, Jenny Potter, Angela Ruggiero and Caitlin Cahow and their Whitecaps teammates will showcase their talent in the Western Women’s Hockey League showdown.
The league consists of teams from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Saskatchewan and Minnesota.
The Whitecaps’ mission is to provide a competitive atmosphere for female elite hockey players to continue improving their skill level, while allowing their love of the sport to flourish. To embrace the youth in our community as team members and reach out to youth and high school players as mentors and role-models.
Among other players on the team is goaltender Megan Van Beusekom, a Loretto native that currently serves as goaltending coach for the University of Minnesota and lives in Cokato.
Van Beusekom played four years at Princeton University and has been a player in several U.S. National camps and festivals. She is one of two originals from the inaugural team.
“I grew up playing with the boys in Delano before I started with the Minnesota Thoroughbreds (traveling high school girls’ team). I played at Princeton for four years and afterward I found myself asking what’s next,” she said.
What was next was the Whitecaps, who formed in 2004 – the first year after Van Beusekom graduated from Princeton where she was named first-team All-Ivy distinction as a senior. She is currently in her fifth year with the Whitecaps.
“It’s the best hockey outside of college and sometimes it’s better. If you get two of the better teams in the league like Calgary, us and even Strathmore, it gets pretty intense,” she said.
The Whitecaps have featured some of the top Division I players from the area in recent years including former Eagan and Gophers star Natalie Darwitz. The team has five former Olympians this year.
“There are a lot of players that competed on national teams, so it’s very good hockey. It’s women like me that want to keep playing. It’s for the love of the game,” Van Beusekom said.
Tickets go on sale at the arena one hour prior to game time. The puck drops at 8:30 p.m Friday.
Other games in the Strathmore series take place at 5:45 p.m. Saturday at Mound’s Thaler Ice Arena and at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Maple Grove West Arena.
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January 6, 2009
Author: Colleen Gardner, Spice On Ice
Minnesota Whitecaps & Team USA Thank You
The Prior Lake/Savage Hockey Association and Spice On Ice wants to thank all the players and coaches who came out to Prior Lake on Dec 20th to play in the scheduled game. The weather was HORRIBLE, but you braved the storm and came to play for us. We tallied up apx 275-300 people that attended the game and emails from several groups of 30-50 kids that had planned to come but didn’t because of the weather.
Those that did make it are still talking about how great it was and what an awesome experience it was for their kids to be a part of the clinic and watch hockey at such an elite level right here in their own rink.
I see the many of the kids at the rink proudly wearing the t-shirts and jerseys they got signed that night. I can’t thank both the teams enough for making this event so special!
(Thank you also for helping my family surprise me with a signed jersey I open up Christmas morning- it was one of my favorite gifts I received this year!)
We wish both teams the best of luck this season we will be cheering you on! We look forward to hosting the Whitecaps again on Jan 31st.
Thank you again so much from PLSHA and Spice on Ice, Hockey for Girls. I have attached a collage of photos from the evening.
Sincerely,
Colleen Gardner
Spice On Ice
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September 15, 2008
2008 – 2009 Exhibition Game Schedule
Saturday, September 20th, 9:00 am vs. Shattuck St. Mary’s @ Shattuck in Faribault, MN
Tuesday, September 23rd, 8:00 pm vs. Shattuck St. Mary’s @ Shattuck in Faribault, MN
Friday, September 26th, TBD vs. Mankato University @ All Seasons Arena, Mankato, MN
Saturday, October 11th, 2:00 pm vs. USA Selects Team @ Inver Grove Heights Arena, MN
Sunday, October 12th, 10:30 am vs. USA Selects Team @ Chisago Lakes Arena, MN
Friday, December 19th, 7:00 pm vs. USA Selects Team @ Blaine Super Rink, MN
Saturday, December 20th, 8:05 pm vs. USA Selects Team @ Prior Lake Arena, MN
Saturday, January 17th, 3:00 pm vs. USA Selects Team @ Hill Murray Arena, MN
Sunday, January 18th, 1:30 pm vs. USA Selects Team @ Forest Lake Arena, MN
Tuesday, February 24th, 8:00 pm vs. Shattuck St. Mary’s @ Shattuck Faribault, MN
