Exactly one week after losing the NCAA final, Harvard forwards Julie Chu and Sarah Vaillancourt led their respective national teams in scoring on their first day of competition at the World Women’s Championships in Sweden. Chu had a goal and two assists in the United States’ 8-2 win over China, and Vaillancourt had two goals and four assists in Canada’s 13-0 win over Kazakhstan.
4/3: U.S. 8, China 2
Goals by former Harvard teammates Chu and Angela Ruggiero put the U.S. up 2-0 in the first five minutes. China scored at 11:21 of the first period to cut the deficit in half, but the U.S. went up 4-1 by the end of the first period and 6-1 at the end of the second and never looked back.
Dartmouth recruit Sarah Parsons scored two goals and an assist in her senior international debut. Aside from Chu and Parsons, multi-point games were earned by Ruggiero and Wendell, the previous two Patty Kazmaier winners who each had a goal and an assist. Wendell was named the Player of the Game for the U.S.
Chanda Gunn (Northeastern ’04) stopped five of six shots in the game’s first half, and Megan Van Beusekom (Princeton ’04) stopped seven of eight shots in the game’s second half. The U.S. outshot China 79-14.
4/3: Canada 13, Kazakhstan 0
Canada went up 4-0 after a period and 10-0 after two periods in the rout, in which the Canadians held a 55-2 shot advantage. Vaillancourt assisted on two of the first three Canadian goals en route to her six-point night on the top Canadian line with veterans Hayley Wickenheiser and Danielle Goyette. Vaillancourt was named the Player of the Game for Canada.
Dartmouth junior Cherie Piper, with two goals and an assist, was one of four Canadians with a three-point night. UMD senior Caroline Ouellette and Brown alum Becky Kellar each had a two-point night.
4/3: Finland 5, Germany 1
Finland was up 3-0 after the first period and 5-0 after two periods, so the outcome was never much in doubt. UMD senior Nora Tallus assisted on the fourth Finland goal and sophomore Anna Kaisa-Piiroinen stopped 20 of 21 shots. Finland had 48 shots in the victory.
4/2: Sweden 3, Russia 1
Russia put a bit of a scare into the hosts by taking a 1-0 lead right past the halfway points, but Sweden tied it just 14 seconds later and went ahead at the 12:52 mark of the second period. At 8:42 of the third period, Maria Rooth (UMD ’03) added an insurance goal assisted by Erika Holst (UMD ’03). The Swedes outshot the Russians 28-14.
