The annual Canada-U.S. women’s hockey Rivalry Series will conclude with two games in Edmonton this season, Hockey Canada announced on Wednesday.
The games, set for Dec. 10 and 13, will be the final tune-up ahead of the Olympics in Italy in February, when the Canadians will look to defend the Olympic gold medal won in Beijing in 2022.
“These two games are a special moment for everyone involved and our players cannot wait to be in front of our home crowd, offering fans — particularly the younger generation — a chance to cheer their hockey heroes in person,” Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury said in a statement.
In the past, Canadian Olympic hopefuls spent months “centralized” in one location, living together and competing against one another for a spot on the team.
That’s changed this season, as players will also be balancing a full season in the PWHL, which will open training camps in November.
This time around, the Canadian team will only be able to get together at the four Rivalry Series games and during three national-team training blocks. The first block took place in August and September in Calgary, and the second block is set to begin in Toronto next week.
The final training block, which begins in Montreal at the end of October, culminates with the first leg of the Rivalry Series. The United States will host those two games in Cleveland on Nov. 6 and Buffalo on Nov. 8.
Canada won last season’s five-game Rivalry Series in the fifth and deciding game, but lost to the United States in overtime in the final at April’s world championship.
The PWHL has become the most important evaluation tool for Hockey Canada as it builds the Olympic team, and has forced major change in the way the team trains and prepares for the Games.
“Even though they’re not playing together at the national team level, they’re still getting the volume, the practice, the reps that they’re requiring [in the PWHL],” Kingsbury told CBC Sports this past summer.
“So we do feel there’s a greater need for us to just connect and practice together, and build our specialty teams and build our concepts and build how we’re going to play together.”
The team will certainly be led again by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who will be looking for her fourth Olympic gold medal in five tournaments. That would tie her with Hockey Hall of Famers Jayna Hefford, Hayley Wickenheiser and Caroline Ouellette, who all own four Olympic gold medals.
On the other end of the spectrum, 18-year-old Chloe Primerano is among the young players looking to secure a trip to the Olympics for the first time. Primerano would be the youngest player since Poulin to make the team.
The biggest battle looks to be on defence. In addition to Primerano, PWHL Vancouver’s Sophie Jaques and Montreal Victoire rookie Nicole Gosling will be fighting for a spot, alongside veterans like Micah Zandee-Hart (New York Sirens) and Jocelyne Larocque (Ottawa Charge).
At the Rivalry Series, the Canadians will be facing an American team stacked with young talent, including several players who are likely to be top PWHL draft picks in the coming seasons, such as Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms and Abbey Murphy.
The Canadian leg of the Rivalry Series will take place inside Edmonton’s Rogers Place, home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. The last time the Canadian and American teams played in Edmonton was in December 2017, in a 2-1 Canadian victory ahead of the 2018 Olympics.
It was also the site of a sold-out PWHL Takeover Tour game this past season, and could someday be home to a PWHL team.
The Canadian team’s time in Edmonton will also include “grassroots initiatives” organized by Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta, “ensuring the next generation engage[s] with Canada’s National Women’s Team.”
“We are thrilled to welcome both teams and eagerly anticipate two high-level, competitive games,” Dean McIntosh, the senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact with Hockey Canada, said in a statement.
“We are excited to celebrate the sport and inspire the next generation of fans as we also look to leave a lasting legacy in the community.”
