Goaltender Katherine Purchase and forward Claudia Dubois top the list of eight members of the Concordia Stingers family who will be involved in Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team Fall Festival in Dawson Creek, B.C., Sept. 8-16.
Purchase and Dubois are among 59 athletes invited to attend the fall festival, an annual training camp designed to help develop and evaluate the nation’s top female hockey players.
“I think Katherine and Claudia earning the right to represent themselves and Concordia at the senior national camp is a testament to their consistent effort and dedication to being their best,” said Concordia head coach Julie Chu. “They have been difference-makers on our team on and off the ice, and we are really proud of them.”
Purchase, a fifth-year Accounting student from Halifax, is a U SPORTS academic all-Canadian and Stinger captain. Last season she played 15 games (870 minutes) posting a 2.14 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
Dubois, a fourth-year Leisure Sciences student from Saguenay, Que., was named to the RSEQ conference’s second all-star team for the second time last February. She finished third in league scoring with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 20 games.
Team Canada will face off against Finland, Sweden and the United States Nov. 6-10 when Saskatoon hosts the 4 Nations Cup, and then look to compete in the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship, April 4-14, in Espoo, Finland. Rosters will be announced in the lead-up to those respective events.
The Stingers boast three coaches who will be in Team Canada’s camp as well. Lauriane Rougeau, Erin Ambrose, Emerance Maschmeyer will also compete for roster spots.
Andrew Davis, the Stingers’ equipment manager, will take on the same role with Team Canada at the fall festival.
Delaney Collins, a former Stinger star and member of Concordia’s 1998 national championship team, will be a camp coach.
Finally, Sommer Christie, a three-time all-Canadian with the Stingers women’s rugby program, will be at the festival working as a mental performance consultant.
