Team Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) and forward Rebecca Johnston (6) celebrate with their gold medals after defeating the United States in women's hockey gold medal game action at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. Johnston returns to the Canadian women's hockey team for the final two games of a Rivalry Series against the United States. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

CALGARY - Veteran forward Rebecca Johnston returns to the Canadian women's hockey team for the final two games of a Rivalry Series against the United States.

The four-time Olympian was among 24 players Hockey Canada announced Thursday to finish out the seven-game series, with the U.S. currently leading 3-2.

Johnston, who has won three Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014, 2022) with Canada, took a break from hockey last fall to rest a back injury.

The 33-year-old forward from Sudbury, Ont., was hired by the NHL's Calgary Flames in a player development and community relations role.

The last two games of the series are Feb. 20 in Trois-Rivières, Que., which Hockey Canada has declared a sellout, and Feb. 22 in Laval, Que.

The roster includes 18 players who participated in the first five games of the series, including captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark and goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens.

Johnston, Nurse and Clark will join U.S. forwards Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight in the NHL all-star skills competition Friday in Sunrise, Fla.

Canada's last Rivalry Series lineup was chosen by head coach Troy Ryan, director of hockey operations Gina Kingsbury and player development manager Cherie Piper.

The U.S. won three straight games in November to open the series before Canada countered with a pair of December victories.

After the Rivalry Series wraps up, the host country will attempt to win a third straight gold medal in the women's world championship April 5-16 in Brampton, Ont.

“As we look ahead to the 2023 IIHF women’s world championship on home ice, these final two games against the U.S. will be crucial in our evaluation and preparations for April,” Kingsbury said Thursday in a statement.

“Throughout the series we have been able to look at the depth of our program with different players and line combinations, and we are excited for two more competitive games against the Americans and showcasing ourselves to our incredible fans.”

Hockey Canada recently announced a revenue sharing component in its athlete agreement with the women that allows the players to make money off the Rivalry Series.

Laura Stacey, Jessie Eldridge, Jill Saulnier, Elizabeth Giguere, Blayre Turnbull, Kristin O'Neill, Sarah Potomak, Jamie Lee Rattray and Victoria Bach round out the forwards chosen to play in Quebec.

The defenders selected were Jocelyne Larocque, Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambroise, Jamie Bourbonnais, Micah-Zandee Hart and Claire Thompson.

Emerance Maschmeyer and Kristen Campbell join Desbiens in the goaltending trio.

The games will be televised by TSN and RDS.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2023.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2023