May 24, 2021 / 235 Comments / Sports

The Calgary Flames may be done for the season, but meaningful hockey is still taking place in the Calgary area over the next week as the PWHPA’s Dream Gap Tour arrives in town with its Canadian Showcase event.

Here’s what you need to know about the event!

So, what’s going on?

This week is the fourth showcase event this season for the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, or PWHPA, as part of their Dream Gap Tour. (Previous events were held in New York, Chicago and St. Louis.)

This week’s event in Calgary is primarily a showcase for the PWHPA’s Canadian contingent, and features several players who were going to be playing at the World Championship in Halifax before they were moved to August – the rumour is the tournament will be in Calgary, but nothing’s official yet.

The event also features many players who will be competing for Olympic roster spots and vying for gold in Beijing next February. In a year (and Olympic cycle) with disruptions and few chances to get meaningful games in, this week’s event will be invaluable for those hoping to play for Team Canada.

The teams

(Players marked with OLY are on Hockey Canada’s centralization roster for the 2022 Olympics. Players are listed with previous Olympic medals, if applicable.)

Team Bauer (Montreal)

Goalies Ann-Renee Desbiens [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada], Genevieve Lacasse [2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada] & Emerance Maschmeyer [OLY]
Defenders Erin Ambrose [OLY], Jaime Bourbonnais [OLY], Catherine Daoust & Lauriane Rougeau [2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada]
Forwards Ann-Sophie Bettez, Emily Clark [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada], Catherine Dubois, Jessie Eldridge, Karell Emard, Samantha Isbell, Alexandra Labelle, Sarah Lefort, Rebecca Leslie, Kristin O’Neill [OLY], Marie-Philip Poulin [OLY; 2010 gold, 2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada], Jill Saulnier [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada] & Laura Stacey [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada]

Team Scotiabank (Calgary)

Goalies Marlene Boissonnault, Kristen Campbell [OLY] & Kassidy Sauve
Defenders Katelyn Gosling, Megan Grenon, Bridgette Lacquette [2018 silver, Canada], Meaghan Mikkelson [OLY; 2010 gold, 2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada] & Alexis Woloschuk
Forward Hanna Bunton, Samantha Cogan, Laura Dostaler, MacKenzie Ebel, Iya Gavrilova, Rebecca Johnston [OLY; 2010 gold, 2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada], Erica Kromm, Rhianna Kurio, Sarah Potomok, Alexandra Poznikoff, Blayre Turnbull [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada] & Kaitlin Willoughby

Team Sonnet (Toronto)

Goalies Amanda Makela & Shea Tiley
Defenders Renata Fast [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada], Laura Fortino [2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada], Jocelyne Larocque [OLY; 2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada], Ella Matteucci, Ella Shelton [OLY] & Claire Thompson [OLY]
Forwards Victoria Bach [OLY], Madison Field, Loren Gabel, Brittany Howard, Brianne Jenner [OLY; 2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada], Nicole Kosta, Sarah Nurse [OLY; 2018 silver, Canada], Jamie Lee Rattray [OLY], Kristen Richards, Natalie Spooner [OLY; 2014 gold & 2018 silver, Canada], Shannon Stewart & Kayla Vespa

If you’re trying to judge the relative strength of the three teams, the Olympic hopefuls break down thusly: nine for Bauer, four for Scotiabank and nine for Sonnet. In terms of past Olympic medals, it’s 11 for Bauer, eight for Scotiabank and 10 for Sonnet.

The schedule

May 24: Team Sonnet (Toronto) vs. Team Bauer (Montreal), 3 p.m. MT (SN Now)
May 25: Team Bauer (Montreal) vs. Team Scotiabank (Calgary), 3 p.m. MT (SN Now)
May 26: Team Scotiabank (Calgary) vs. Team Sonnet (Toronto), 3 p.m. MT (SN Now)
May 27: Team Bauer (Montreal) vs. Team Sonnet (Toronto), 3 p.m. MT (SN Now)
May 28: Team Scotiabank (Calgary) vs. Team Bauer (Montreal), 1:30 p.m. MT (SN national)
May 29: Team Sonnet (Toronto) vs. Team Scotiabank (Calgary), 11 a.m. MT (SN national)
May 30: Championship Game, 2:30 p.m. MT (SN national)

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