University of Minnesota Athletics
Four Nations Cup Begins Tuesday
11/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| 2014 Four Nations Cup | |
| Schedule | Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Saturday, Nov. 8 |
| Location | Interior Savings Centre | Kamloops, British Columbia |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets Now | Full-tournament ticket package Â- $99 (plus fees) |
| Official Sites | USA Hockey | Hockey Canada | Finland | Sweden |
| Social Media | @4NationsCup | @USAHockey | @HC_Women | #4NationsCup |
MINNEAPOLIS - Six current and former Golden Gopher women's hockey players are set to compete in the 2014 Four Nations Cup this week. Minnesota has representatives on three of the four teams participating in the tournament Tuesday through Saturday.
About the 2014 Four Nations Cup
The annual Four Nations Cup is scheduled for this Tuesday through Saturday at Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops, British Columbia. The tournament has been held in varying forms since 1996 (previously the Three Nations Cup) and features Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.
The Four Nations Cup marks the first major international women's hockey event following the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Finland and the United States will play the tournament's first game Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT, followed by Canada and Sweden at 9 p.m. CT. Preliminary games run through Friday, followed by the gold and bronze medal games on Saturday.
U.S. Women's National Team
Current Gophers Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi and Lee Stecklein and alum Megan Bozek are set to compete for the U.S. Women's National Team at the Four Nations Cup. The 23-player U.S. roster features 11 members of the silver medal-winning 2014 U.S. Women's Olympic Ice Hockey Team, including Bozek and Stecklein. The duo also skated for the U.S. at the 2013 Four Nations Cup. Bozek played in the 2012 tournament as well. Brandt and Cameranesi are set to make their Four Nations Cup debuts.
Fellow Gopher alum Gigi Marvin was initially named to the 2014 U.S. roster but will not compete this year; she played in six Four Nations Cups from 2006 to 2013.
The U.S. has captured the title five times (1997, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012), finished second 11 times and took third in the tournament in 2013. The Americans hold an overall record of 38-5-4-22-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) in 70 Three/Four Nations Cup games.
Canada National Women's Team
Gopher alumna Kelly Terry is one of 10 players who will make their debut with Canada's National Women's Team at the 2014 Four Nations Cup. The Whitby, Ontario, native wrapped up her career for the Maroon and Gold last season, ending her career with 155 points on 57 goals and 98 assists.
Since the debut of the Four Nations Cup in 1996, Canada's National Women's Team has won the gold medal a total of 13 times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013), and earned silver on five occasions (1997, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012).
Finland Women's National Team
Gophers alumna Mira Jalosuo is part of Finland's Women's National Team for the tournament. Last winter, Jalosuo made her Olympic debut with Finland, representing her home country at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. As a Gopher, Jalosuo played in 152 games from 2009-10 to 2012-13. A dominant presence at the Minnesota blue line, Jalosuo recorded 57 career points on 19 goals and 38 assists.
2013 Four Nations Cup Rewind
Canada took home gold with a 6-3 win over Finland in the gold medal game at the 2013 Four Nations Cup held in Lake Placid, N.Y. Meanwhile, the U.S. secured the bronze medal with an 8-1 win over Sweden.
Seven Gophers represented their home countries in last year's tournament as Megan Bozek, Amanda Kessel, Gigi Marvin, Anne Schleper and Lee Stecklein skated for the U.S., and Mira Jalosuo and Noora Raty were members of Finland's team.
Bozek (1g-5a) was the second-leading scorer in the tournament, while Marvin (2g-2a) and Schleper (1g-1a) each appeared in all four games as well. Raty played in three games and posted a .937 save percentage for the tournament; she also recorded an assist. Jalosuo was in Finland's line up for two games, and Stecklein appeared in one game. Kessel did not play.
2014 Four Nations Cup Schedule
The Four Nations Cup runs Tuesday through Saturday with three days of preliminary games to determine the gold and bronze medal game matchups on Saturday.
Tuesday, Nov. 4:
Preliminary: Finland vs. United States, 3 p.m. CT
Preliminary: Canada vs. Sweden, 9 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Nov. 5:
Preliminary: Sweden vs. Finland, 4 p.m. CT
Preliminary: United States vs. Canada, 9 p.m. CT
Friday, Nov. 7:
Preliminary: United States vs. Sweden, 3 p.m. CT
Preliminary: Canada vs. Finland, 9 p.m. CT
Saturday, Nov. 8:
Bronze: 4th place vs. 3rd place, 4 p.m. CT
Gold: 2nd place vs. 1st place, 9 p.m. CT
Up Next: Gophers Travel to Ohio State, Nov. 14-15
The rest of the Maroon & Gold is off from competition this weekend but returns to action next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for a series at Ohio State on Nov. 14-15. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. CT Friday and 1 p.m. CT Saturday.
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