HEFFERNAN SCORES LATE, WHITE EARNS WIN IN ALL-CANADIAN U18 GAME

CALGARY, Alta. – Karly Heffernan (St. Albert, Alta./Edge School, JWHL) scored the game-winner with just 3:01 remaining, breaking a 1-1 tie and helping White to a 3-1 victory over Red on Tuesday night in the first of two all-Canadian match-ups at Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp.

Both teams came into the game off of camp-opening victories over European competition on Monday – White knocked off Kazakhstan 3-1, while Red scored a 7-1 win over Norway.

Heffernan’s winner capped off a defensive battle that saw the teams combine for just 35 shots on goal – White held a 19-16 advantage. After outshooting White 10-6 in the first period, Red directed just six pucks at White netminder Kassidy Sauvé (Whitby, Ont./Whitby, OMHA) over the final 40 minutes.

Breanna Lanceleve (Sackville, N.S./Metro, NSMFHL) and Hanna Bunton (Belleville, Ont./Whitby, PWHL) also scored for White; Lanceleve tied the game just past the 14-minute mark of the first period, and Bunton gave White some breathing room with her empty-net goal with 90 seconds remaining.

Bunton finished with a goal and an assist, giving her a team-leading three points in two games; she had the game-winning goal in Monday’s win over Kazakhstan.

Geneviève Bannon (Candiac, Que./Ontario Hockey Academy, Midget AA) scored the lone goal for Red, opening the scoring at the 6:34 mark of the first period.

Sauvé finished with 15 saves to record the victory for White, while Robyn Chemago (Slave Lake, Alta./Slave Lake, NAMHL) went the distance between the pipes for Red, taking the loss after a 16-save performance.

After games on back-to-back days, both teams will be off until Friday, when Red takes on Kazakhstan (4:45 p.m. MT) at the WinSport Canada Athletic & Ice Complex, followed by White vs. Norway (8:30 p.m. MT).