Team USA Wins Both Collegiate and Under-18 Select Series

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Both the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team and U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team closed out its respective series against Canada today at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, with the Under-18 Select Team racking a 3-1 victory and the Collegiate Select Team falling 7-6 in a shootout.

With the victory, the U.S. wins the Under-18 Select Series with a 2-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, winning the series for the first time since 2017.

Despite today’s loss, the U.S. also won the Collegiate Select Series with a 1-1-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, its sixth-straight series win. 

For the first time since the start of both series, the U.S. has won the Collegiate Select and Under-18 Select Series in the same year. 

Just 47 seconds into the game, Maggie Scannell (Wynantskill, N.Y.) gave the U.S. and early 1-0 lead, but Canada answered with two straight goals by Madeline Palumbo and Emmalee Pais to take a 2-1 lead into the second frame. 

Canada added two goals in the second to open a 4-1 lead on the afternoon. Eloise Caron slipped the third goal of the game in, before Claire Murdoch took advantage of a misplayed puck by the U.S. goaltender for Canada’s fourth of the contest. 

Cassie Hall (South Lyon, Mich.) pulled Team USA back within one, going bar down from the right faceoff dot on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity with 4:38 left in the second. 

Eight minutes into the third, Laney Potter (Cranberry Township, Pa.) scored the U.S.’ third of the game, cutting the lead to 4-3. Team USA then went on the power play with just under 10 on the clock, where Kelly Gorbatenko (Barrington, Ill.) tied the game just 16 seconds into the extra skater opportunity. 

MaryKate O'Brien (Wilbraham, Mass.) gave Team USA a 5-4 lead with 8:37 left in the third frame, the team's fourth unanswered score, sliding a shot five hole. With time ticking down, Canada's Jocelyn Amos recorded a power play goal to knot the game at 5-5.

With 3:25 left in the third, Jamie Nelson (Andover, Minn.) tallied the U.S.’ sixth of the game, but Canada answered with 1:41 left on the clock. After a scoreless overtime frame, Canada won the shootout, 3-2, in six rounds to give them the victory.

NOTES: The U.S outshot Canada, 32-31 … the U.S. was 2-8 on power plays, while Canada was 4-6. 

Canada opened the game’s scoring with a goal almost four minutes into the contest. Rosalie Tremblay caught a pass behind the defense at the blue line before a backhander in close found its way over the glove of Bianca Birrittieri (Flower Mound, Texas). 

Team USA responded just a few minutes later when Talla Hansen (Wayzata, Minn.) capitalized on a 2-on-1 feed from Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Ct.) to knot the game at 1-1. 

Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead with 10:17 remaining in the second after corralling her own rebound off a point-blank shot from the low slot, before rifling one past Canada’s Rowan Houweling from the exact same spot. 

Alaina Gnetz (Woodbury, Minn.) opened a 3-1 lead for Team USA midway through the third, slipping a shot past the goalie’s side right off the left post. The U.S.’ defense locked down for the remainder of the game, taking the game, along with the series win. 

Birrittieri made 21 saves in the winning effort in net. 

NOTES: Canada outshot the U.S., 22-20 … The U.S. was 0-3 on the power play, while Canada was 0-2.