Women’s team named for Gryphon Hockey World League 2 in West Vancouver
PHOTO: Canada’s women celebrate a goal against Uruguay on July 20, 2015 at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario (By Yan Huckendubler)
Field Hockey Canada Women’s National Program has named its 18-athlete Women’s National Team which will represent Canada at the 2017 Gryphon Hockey World League Round 2 at West Vancouver’s Rutledge Field from April 1-9, 2017.
Canada will take on six other nations for the right to play for 2018 Women’s World Cup qualification at the World League Semi-Final (Round 3) later this year. The top two finishers in West Vancouver will move to the next stage in Brussels, Belgium this June or Johannesburg, South Africa this July.
Team Canada consists of 12 players that played at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario and won a bronze medal, including team captain Kate Wright (Gillis), who currently sits in third in all-time games played for Canada’s Women’s National Team with 159 international caps to her name.
Wright is joined on the team by a host of veterans who have played more than 100 international matches for Canada including Danielle Hennig (Kelowna, BC; 123 caps), Hannah Haughn (North Vancouver, BC; 118 caps), Sara McManus (Tsawwassen, BC; 111 caps), and Brienne Stairs (Kitchener, ON; 104 caps).
Making their Senior International debuts on the World League 2 roster are Alison Lee (Mississauga, ON), a 22 year-old defender who has represented Canada at the Indoor Hockey World Cup, and 17 year-old forward Jordyn Faiczak (Waterloo, ON) who continues her quick ascent within the Women’ National Program.
The team also features a group of athletes from the North Shore – where the competition will be played – including Alex Thicke, Haughn, Karli Johansen, Rachel Donohoe, and Stephanie Norlander.
Canada’s women open the 2017 Gryphon Hockey World League Round 2 competition on April 1st against Mexico at 4:30pm at Rutledge Field in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
Gryphon Hockey World League Round 2 in West Vancouver has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Additionally, we would like to thank the Province of British Columbia and viaSport for their generous support of this project.
The West Vancouver Field Hockey Club is also proud partner of this event.
Team Canada
| Name | Position | Hometown | Current/Last Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Thicke | Forward | North Vancouver, BC | West Vancouver FHC | 27 |
| Alison Lee | Defender | Mississauga, ON | University of Toronto | |
| Amanda Woodcroft | Midfielder | Waterloo, ON | University of Toronto | 54 |
| Brienne Stairs | Midfielder | Kitchener, ON | Vancouver Hawks | 104 |
| Danielle Hennig* | Defender | Kelowna, BC | Vancouver Meralomas | 123 |
| Hannah Haughn | Midfielder | North Vancouver, BC | University of British Columbia | 118 |
| Jordyn Faiczak | Forward | Waterloo, ON | Guelph Cobras | |
| Kaitlyn Williams | Goalkeeper | White Rock, BC | Vancouver Meralomas | 85 |
| Karli Johansen | Defender | North Vancouver, BC | India Club | 72 |
| Kate Wright (Gillis)* | Forward | Kingston, ON | West Vancouver FHC | 159 |
| Maddie Secco | Midfielder | Victoria, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 79 |
| Nikki Woodcroft | Forward | Waterloo, ON | University of Toronto | 8 |
| Rachel Donohoe | Forward | North Vancouver, BC | West Vancouver FHC | 21 |
| Rowan Harris | Goalkeeper | Ottawa, ON | Outaouais FHC | 12 |
| Sara McManus | Defender | Tsawwassen, BC | Vancouver Meralomas | 111 |
| Shanlee Johnston | Defender | Vancouver, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 51 |
| Shannon Pereira | Defender | Toronto, ON | Toronto Titans | 7 |
| Stephanie Norlander | Forward | North Vancouver, BC | University of British Columbia | 52 |
| *Team Captain |
Team Canada Staff
Head Coach – Ian Rutledge
Assistant Coach – Steph Andrews
Team Manager – Carrie Trumpy
Physiotherapist – Elliot Usher
Team Doctor – Dr. Kristen Taunton
Video Analyst – Stef Sloboda
