Chef de Mission - Closing Remarks

Peter Baxter, chef de mission for Team Canada at the 24th Winter Universiade, looked back on the events of the past 12 days and offered these closing remarks.

"I was thoroughly impressed by our student-athletes and the standards they set for themselves, not only in the field of competition but also in their commitment to these games from a cultural standpoint. Not only did our athletes carry themselves with class during their events, but they also showed a willingness to understand the culture of their hosts.

Canada has always taken great pride in its international reputation as a country filled with great ambassadors, and our whole team in Harbin carried themselves with tremendous grace. Our athletes warmed to the sincere, heartfelt courtesies extended to us by the Chinese, and made themselves available to their hosts at every request.

While we should be proud of what Team Canada accomplished in the sporting venues of the 24th Winter Universiade, we should also recognize our team for their efforts away from competition. It was a privilege to lead these young citizens and we should congratulate them for being true amabassadors of sport, and wonderful representatives of our country"

Peter Baxter - Chef de Mission, Team Canada

Canada at a Glance - Day 11

What Canada Did on Saturday, February 28 at the 24th Winter Universiade

BIATHLON
Canada’s biathletes wrapped up their competition with the mixed relay event. Canada finished the race in 8th place.

MENS HOCKEY
Canada won a silver medal, losing to Russia 4-2 in the gold medal game.


Canada’s combined medal count stands at six – one gold, four silver and a bronze.

Canadian Men settle for Silver

Canada-Russia for Gold.

You really don't even need to explain it any further.

Anytime the two countries meet in a championship final, the matchup brings out the claws in both sides and the final of the 24th Winter Universiade proved to be no exception.

Russia scored two goals in the span of 46 seconds in the third period and held on to defeat Canada 4-2 to claim the gold, and bring to a close the games of the Harbin Winter Universiade.

It was, without question, the most hotly anticipated game of the tournament and - despite the eventual outcome on the Canadian side of the ice - it lived up to the hype and expectation.

Both teams staked their place in the final thanks to an undefeated run in the round robin portion of the tournament with neither team really breaking into a sweat. Canada thrashed their semifinal opponents from Slovakia to the tune of 8-1 while the Russians decimated Kazakhstan with an equally vengeful 7-1 score.

Both semifinal matchups served notice that neither team was to be taken lightly, and that only a victory in the final game would suffice. For the Russians, the victory was the crown jewel in their games leading total of 51 medals in Harbin. But for the Canadians, it was a bitter pill to swallow and proving themeselves to be the second best team in at the Harbin games offered little comfort.

"I thought the game was there for the taking," said Calgary Dino defender Travis Friedley. "I thought when we played the kind of game that we'd been successful playing, we really controlled the play. We started to drift from the plan in the third period, and they're just too good to try and do that against. We really didn't play all that poorly, but it seemed like every time we made a mistake they were able to turn it around and make something of it.

"I thought they outplayed us in the back half of the third period," noted head coach Milan Dragecivic. "We stopped chipping pucks deep and getting their guys turning around in their own end to go get them. We had a lapse of about three minutes in the later part of the period, and that ended up being the difference.

Russia opened the scoring in the first period when Marat Valiullin beat Alberta netminder Aaron Sorochan five-and-a-half minutes into the game. The score stayed that way until the late stages of the period when Sashkatchewan Huskie Steve DaSilva scored right off a faceoff in the Russian end to make it a 1-all game.

Russia - who never trailed at any point in the tournament - got the game's next goal on an odd sequence of events. Sorochan misplayed a seemingly harmless Russian shot and the puck popped out of his glove and back onto the ice. Russian forward Denis Fahrutdinov jammed home the freebie late in the period to give the Russians a 2-1 lead heading into the middle stanza.

"That was an unfortunate one because Zorro (Sorochan) doesn't misplay a shot like that very often," said Canadian captain Ben Kilgour. "But that's what it was like for us tonight. Anytime a break could go for us or against us, it always bounced in their favour. Not to take anything away from the fact they're a very skilled team, but it just seemed like we couldn't catch a break when we needed one."

The Canadians had plenty of opportunities to equalize in the second period as the Russians offered up five powerplay chances. Canada was unable to convert on any of the numerous man-advantage situations, and the team went into the third still trailing by a goal.

The Russians handed the Canadian side their best chance to get back to even in the early part of the final period when forward Vadim Berdnikov took a major and a game misconduct for roughing. Saskatchewan Huskie forward Steve Gillen scored on the ensuing five-minute powerplay, but that was all the offense the Canadians could muster.

"We just couldn't get pucks to the net on the powerplay," said Gillen. "I don't know how many times we'd set it up, get a guy to the front to create a little space for himself and then not get the puck through."

In the end, Canada was only able to convert on one of their seven powerplay chances in the contest - a statline that many in the room say played a large factor in the final outcome.

"I thought we needed to be better when we were a man up," said Dragecivic. "I thought out inabilty to make our powerplay chances count, and our deviations from the gameplan in the third period really hurt us tonight."

The Russians shook off the Gillen marker, retaking the lead with little more than three minutes remaining in the game. A goalmouth scramble in front of Sorochan left Petr Kuokhriakov alone and he tucked it behind the Canadian keeper to make it 3-2. Any last remainging hopes of a Team Canada comeback died less then a minute later when Konstantin Kulikov converted a cross ice feed from linemate Radik Zakiev to make it a 4-2 lead, killing the hopes of repeat gold for Canada in mens' hockey in the process.

"That was an example of the kind of skill we were taking about, and the margin for error on our part being so slight" said Ben Kilgour. "We had to press a little bit because we were running out of time. But we get a guy who tries to walk through the zone trap by himself, gets caught and it turns into a numbers rush the other way. The Russian drove wide, threw it back across to the guy who was driving to the middle. A textbook two-on-one rush and they scored on it."

Canadian netminder Aaron Sorochan stopped 23 of 27 Russian shots in the contest while Russian keeper Emil Galikov faced two fewer shots, but also made 23 saves.

The loss marked the end of the competition at the 24th Winter Universiade in Harbin. Canada's medal total was six as they claimed one gold, four silvers and one bronze over the eleven days of competition.

Closing Ceremonies Flagbearer

Team Canada chef de mission Peter Baxter is pleased to announce Wilfrid Laurier curler Hollie Nicol as the flagbearer for the closing ceremonies of the 24th Winter Universiade.

"What Hollie and the girls did this week is nothing short of remarkable," said Baxter. "Coming into the games with modest expectation of success, they showed they can compete at the highest level. Unfortunately, it didn't have the storybook ending they were hoping for, but that doesn't diminish what they achieved here this week."

Nicol and her team of Danielle Inglis, Laura Hickey, Hillary McDermott and Erica Butler swept the competition during the round robin portion of the event, finished the week with a 10-1 record and leave Harbin with a silver medal for their efforts.

"It's been a great week, and I'm honoured to have the responsibility of carrying the flag for Canada at the games," said Nicol. "I'm very happy to be given the opportunity to lead the athletes into the closing ceremonies."

The closing ceremonies are slated to begin at 8:00pm, right after the Winter Universiade men's hockey gold medal final between Canada and Russia. The men's hockey final is the last event of the 24th Winter Universiade, and Nicol and the rest of Team Canada's athletes will be at the game, supporting the Canadian men in their gold medal hunt.

"What a great way to end the games," said Nicol. "Watch the men follow the path of our women's hockey team and win gold - then lead the athletes into the closing gala."

Canada at a Glance - Day 10

What Canada Did on Friday, February 27 at the 24th Winter Universiade


BIATHLON
Canada’s biathletes wrapped up their competition with the mixed relay event. Canada finished the race in 8th place.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
Canada's cross-country skiers wrapped up their competition with the Women's 15 km and Men’s 30km events.

Anna Crawford was the fastest skier for Canada, posting a 31st place finishing time of 53:59.6,

Alexia Pichard-Jolicoeur skied the course in a time of 55:17.5 - good for 37th spot, with Alana Thomas arriving at the finish line in 42nd place clocking in at 56:32.0.

In the men's 30km event, Ed McCarthy placed 35th, in a time of 1:35:20 with Gavin Hamilton finishing with a 42nd place time of 1:38:39.5 - one spot better than Carl Steudler's time of 1:38:43.5

MENS CURLING
Skipped by Laurier’s Mike Anderson, Canada’s Men’s curling team finished the round-robin in sixth place at 4-5 – they did not advance to the medal round

WOMENS CURLING
Skipped by Laurier’s Hollie Nicol, Canada won a silver medal, losing to China's Bingyu Wang 6-5 in the gold medal final.

MENS HOCKEY
Canada defeated Slovakia 8-1 in one of two Friday semifinals. Canada will meet Russia for gold in the final competition event of the Universiade games.

WOMENS HOCKEY
Canada’s Women’s Hockey won gold, defeating China 3-1 in the final.

LONG TRACK SPEED SKATING
The Canadian athletes have finished their Universiade competition

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING
Canada's short track speed skaters have completed their Universiade competition.

Canada’s combined medal count stands at five – one gold, three silver and a bronze.

GOLD!

York forward Courtney Unruh scored for the third time in her last four starts, as Canada’s women’s hockey team capped off a perfect week on the ice with a 3-1 win over the host Chinese in the gold medal final at the 24th Winter Universiade in Harbin, China.

Unruh’s second period tally stood up as the game winner as the Canadian side made history as the first winners of the women’s hockey event at the FISU Winter Games.

“It’s actually funny to score them in bunches like that, because this year, I’ve actually had trouble finding the net. “said Unruh. “It’s been a little frustrating back home because the puck just hasn’t been going in for me, but here this week it seems everything I do leads to a goal.”

Team Canada also got goals from Alberta’s Rayanne Reeve and captain Cathy Chartrand of McGill who – despite having significant international experience for Canada prior to the trip - found herself somewhat awestruck at game’s end.

“It’s better than anything I ever imagined it would feel like. To win gold as a member of Team Canada is a dream come true,” said Chartrand. “It was nice to be involved in a tight game in the final. Some of the games in the round robin were a little lopsided, but the final was a excellent game.”

Canada was undoubtedly the class of the fielding the inaugural edition of the women’s hockey portfolio at the games - posting an unblemished 7-0 record and outscoring their opponents by a combined total of 46-7 at the event - but despite the cumulative statistics, the outcome of the final was anything but a foregone conclusion.

Chartrand opened the scoring with her second goal and seventh point of the tournament in the late stages for the first period to give the Canadians the 1-0 lead after one.

To the delight of the raucously supportive crowd at the Harbin Ice Hockey Gym, the Chinese evened the score at 1-1 when Jin Fengling beat Manitoba Bisons’ netminder Stacey Corfield at 2:35 of the middle stanza. However, the joy in the stands was short-lived as Unruh regained the lead for Canada with the eventual game-winner moments later, giving the Canadians the one-goal lead heading into the final period.

Rayanne Reeve, a native of Stony Plain, Alta., who skates for the Alberta Pandas, added an insurance marker at 4:32 of the final period. The Chinese mounted a furious charge in the final few minutes, but Corfield kept the Canadian lead safe, and Canada achieved their golden goal.

“It’s so cliché, but words simply don’t describe the feeling right now,” said Corfield. ”To come together from all over the country and compete as a team – playing the Chinese in front of the biggest crowd any of us have ever played in front of – it’s been such a fun experience – the culture, the hockey, everything. I couidn’t have asked for a better time.’

Corfield picked up her tournament leading fifth win of the competition and was credited with 13 saves as Canada outshot China 39-14.

The women will now see if their golden touch can be transferred over to the men, as Canada’s guys face Russia in the final of the men’s hockey event Saturday afternoon.

Team Canada website:
www.cisport.ca/harbin

2009 Winter Universiade hockey results website:
http://app.harbin2009.org/wu24info/singleTable_Hockey.shtml?request_locale=en_US


SCORING SUMMARY

Canada 3, China 1
GOLD MEDAL GAME
(FISU GAMES @ Harbin Ice Hockey Gym)

FIRST PERIOD
1. Canada: Cathy Chartrand (A. Del Guidice, K.Webster), 17:17

Penalties:
China: R. Sun (crosscheck), 0:29
Canada: V. Davidson (interference), 3:46
Canada: K. Webster (hold), 10:33
Canada: C. Unruh (hook), 17:41


SECOND PERIOD
2. China: Jin Fengling (N.Jiang, R. Sun), 2:35 (PP)
3. Canada: Courtney Unruh (M. Provost, A. Bevan), 7:09

Penalties:
Canada: A. Ironside (rough), 2:23
Canada: M. Provost (hook), 4:48
China: H. Cui (hold), 11:33
Canada: A. Ironside (hold), 12:45
Canada: A. Boras (hold), 13:00

THIRD PERIOD
4. Canada: Rayanne Reeve (M. Provost, A. Bevan), 4:32 (PP)

Penalties:
China: A. Tan (rough), 4:23
Canada: K. Webster (cross), 10:14
Canada: S. Ramsay (trip), 19:52

SHOTS BY PERIOD:
China 8 - 3 - 3 -- 14.
Canada 17 - 11 - 11 -- 39.

GOALS BY PERIOD:
China 0 - 1 - 0 -- 1
Canada 1 - 1 - 1 -- 3

POWER PLAY CONVERSIONS:
China 1 / 9;
Canada 1 / 3.

PENALTIES (No/Mins):
China 3/6;
Canada 9/18.


GOALTENDERS:
China,
Shi Yao [L, 39 shots-36 saves, 60:00];

Canada,
Stacey Corfield [W, 14 shots-13 saves, 60:00).

Start: 7:31 pm
End: 9:34 pm

Attendance: (unavailable)

Referee: Tara Leighton (USA).

From the Games - Dan Church

China has been an amazing experience. It seems like just yesterday that we were
unpacking our suitcase for what would be a long two weeks away from home.
During my time in China we practiced eight times and played seven games, culminating in
a gold medal win on Friday night.

The hockey was excellent. We had very good competition and I was pleasantly
surprised by some of the teams we played like China and Slovakia. The two
games we played against China were awesome. The stands were full and every
time the Chinese touched the puck, the crowd roared with enthusiasm.

However, the hockey was only a part of the experience. China was a great
cultural experience. First, the volunteers and attachés were extremely
hospitable. Everywhere we went there were smiling faces greeting us. The
Chinese sports fans also held a sense of wonder for our athletes and coaches.
We were asked many times to take photos with the volunteers and minor
officials. Apparently, in China, whenever you take a photo with someone it is
customary to give the peace sign. It became a habit that even our girls got
into.

Traffic was very different then in Canada. Lanes are more of a suggestion than
a rule of the road. It isn’t uncommon to see a car or bus veer across several
lanes of traffic to make a turn. Vehicles communicate with a cacophony of
honks and high-beam flashes. Honks in Canada usually elicit a look of contempt
or an angry fist shake or some other impolite gesture, but in China the honks
and light flashes are an accepted form of communication. “HONK, honk, honk,
flash” means, “ I’m coming up on the right hand side, watch out for me” and
“Honk, HONK, flash, honk” means, “look out pedestrian, I’m coming through!”

Should you ever travel to Harbin and plan to drive you should become familiar
with the right of way here. In Canada, pedestrians always have the right of
way but in Harbin it is completely the opposite. Buses have the right of way
over cars, cars over motorcycles, motorcycles over bicycles, and bicycles over
pedestrians. Therefore, if you’re crossing a street even if you have a green
light you need to watch out for cars and buses. Every day on our way to the
rink we would turn right onto a busy street and not once did he stop to see if
was clear. He just turned and everyone else gave way because they all
understand the rules of the road. It’s quite amazing actually.

It's also amazing to watch street cleaning after a snowfall. They don't have a
huge army of snowplows like we do in Canada. Instead, large groups of workers
work together to sweep the snow off the roads with traditional Chinese brooms.
They chip away any ice with scrapers and they clear away the snow and ice with
small wagons. When they're done, the streets are complete bare and dry. It is
definitely different from Canada.

Probably my favourite memory of the city of Harbin was the Ice and Snow
Festival. The average temperature in Harbin at this time of year is between
-15 and -25 degrees Celsius. The people embrace the winter here. On the
outskirts of town they have this huge park where they build massive ice and
snow sculptures. These structures are 20-25 meters tall and you can actually
walk inside some of them. This year the theme was buildings. They have
replicas of Notre Dame and the English Parliament.

At night they are lit up with neon bulbs of every colour. It’s quite
breathtaking.

Harbin has been one of the greatest experiences of my sporting life. If the
opportunity to coach another Winter Universiade comes along again I would do it
in a second.

Dan Church - Team Canada Women's Hockey