2015-16 National Women's Team

CANADA BLANKS FINNS TO OPEN 4 NATIONS CUP

DAVID BRIEN

SUNDSVALL, Sweden – Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.) and Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) scored the goals to lead Canada’s National Women’s Team past Finland 2-0 on Wednesday in the opening game of the 2015 4 Nations Cup.

Emerance Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, Alta./Harvard University, ECAC) earned the shutout, making 17 saves.

The Canadians controlled the puck for much of the first period, but couldn’t find a way past Finnish netminder Noora Räty, who stopped all seven shots she faced in the opening 20 minutes.

But all Canada needed was a four-minute window in the second period to do damage offensively.

With the Finns on the power play, Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./Montreal, CWHL) stripped the puck from a Finnish forward and fired a pin-point pass to Agosta, who beat Räty just inside the post for the game’s first goal.

Spooner doubled the red-and-white lead just over four minutes later, batting in the rebound of a Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C./University of Minnesota, WCHA) shot; the assist was the first national team point for the Team Canada rookie.

Canada continued to press in the third period, firing 12 shots at Räty, but couldn’t add to its lead.

Maschmeyer was busiest in the final frame, making eight of her 17 stops.

Neither team could convert on limited power play chances; the Canadians and Finns both went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.

Canada travels to Kovland, 15 kilometres north-west of Sundsvall, to take on the United States in the marquee preliminary round game on Thursday (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT).