Tara Watchorn of Canada, right, and Jenni Asserholt of Sweden in action during Ladies Ice-Hockey Four Nations tournament in Vantaa, Finland on Friday Nov 9 2012. Canada's Olympic women's hockey team started to take shape Thursday as Hockey Canada announced the 27 players that will be centralized in Calgary for the 2013-14 season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mikko Stig, Lehtikuva FINLAND OUT
April 25, 2013 - 10:28 AM
CALGARY - Canada's Olympic women's hockey team started to take shape Thursday as Hockey Canada announced the 27 players that will be centralized in Calgary for the 2013-14 season.
The centralization roster includes three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards who will prepare for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. All but five players were on the team that won silver at the women's world championship earlier this month.
The newcomers include defencemen Brigette Lacquette of Waterhen, Man., and Tara Watchorn of Newcastle, Ont., along with forwards Vicki Bendus of Wasaga Beach, Ont., Melodie Daoust of Valleyfield, Que., and Winnipeg's Jenelle Kohanchuk.
One player from the world championship team, forward Sarah Vaillancourt of Sherbrooke, Que., announced her retirement last week.
The centralization roster features 13 gold medallists from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The 2014 Games begin Feb. 7.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013