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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, August 27, 2015 | 38 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Five Oakville players help Canadian U18 women to exhibition series win over U.S. by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor It was just an exhibition series, but Julia Edgar knew the stakes were still high. The 17-year-old Appleby College student was one of five Oakville players who helped the Canadian under-18 women's hockey team defeat the United States 2-1 in a threegame series last week in Lake Placid, N.Y. "Even though it wasn't necessarily for anything, everyone thought `We have to win,'" Edgar said of the series, which Hockey Canada used to evaluate potential members of its entry for the IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships that will be held Jan. 3-10 in St. Catharines. "It was a lot of pressure, but as my coaches told me during (tryout camps), pressure is a privilege. It was a good feeling just being able to be on the team. I was just soaking up everything and learning as much as I could." Helping the defenceman feel more comfortable in her first experience representing Canada was the bevy of local talent around her. Oakville resident Lindsay Agnew captained the squad, with Oakville's Kristin O'Neill and Appleby student Jaime Bourbonnais serving as alternates. Emma Maltais, a teammate of Edgar and Bourbonnais on the Oakville Hornets intermediate AA club, scored two goals in the three games -- including the winner with 3:08 to go in regulation time in Thursday's opener. Canada claimed that contest 3-2, but the U.S. evened the series with a 2-0 win Friday. Canada then rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit to earn a 5-2 triumph in Sunday's deciding game, with O'Neill providing the go-ahead goal for Canada in the second period, assisted by Edgar. Maltais salted the victory away with an insurance marker late in the third. The 23-player Canadian squad was formed after several Oakville's Jaime Bourbonnais (left, in white) and Julia Edgar (20, white) clear the front of the Canadian net during last week's under-18 women's hockey exhibition series against the U.S. | Photo courtesy of Nancie Battaglia -- USA Hockey summer camps, including a Hockey Canada showcase earlier this month in Calgary. Hornets goaltender Nikki Cece attended the showcase as well, and Oakville's Amy Curlew was considered for the team before she tore her ACL playing soccer in May. Intermediate AA Hornets coach Bradi Cochrane helped oversee one of the tryout camps. Hockey Canada officials will continue to monitor members of the team that competed in last week's series -- as well as players who attended tryouts -- when their club teams begin play next month. The national women's U18 championships Nov. 4-8 in Huntsville will also play a role in the evaluation process to determine the 23-player team for next year's worlds. "I'm sure you're on the outside looking in if you didn't make the (exhibition series) team, but they've told us that nothing's for sure," Edgar said. "All 40 players at the Au- gust training camp have potential to be on the team, so everyone needs to keep working." National development team drops series to Americans Three Halton players were on the Canadian women's development team that also competed in a three-game series against the U.S. last week in Lake Placid. The U.S. won the series 2-1, sandwiching a 4-1 win Wednesday and a 2-1 victory Saturday around Canada's 2-1 triumph Friday. Oakville's Mellissa Channell, former Hornets player and King's Christian Collegiate grad Victoria Bach and Burlington resident Renata Fast played for Canada in the series. Fast scored Canada's first goal Friday, and Bach provided the lone Canadian tally Saturday. -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports THE GYM Convenient, clean, and friendly. NAUTILUS We're Oakville's best kept secret! Est. 1982 High quality weight training and Nautilus cardio equipment. Experienced and mature personal trainers. Carpeted, air conditioned with ample natural light from large windows. Free indoor parking. Trial Offer: 3 FREE workouts with a trainer! 11 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, ON www.thegymnautilus.com 905-844-1610