Western's Katelyn Gosling to attend Hockey Canada's National Women's Team's Fall Festival
CALGARY – Western defenceman Katelyn Gosling is one of 47 players who have been invited to attend Canada's National Women's Team Fall Festival taking place at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary from September 13-20. The annual event is the first step for players looking to earn a spot on Team Canada for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship.
CALGARY – Western defenceman Katelyn Gosling is one of 47 players who have been invited to attend Canada's National Women's Team Fall Festival taking place at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary from September 13-20. The annual event is the first step for players looking to earn a spot on Team Canada for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship.
"This opportunity means a lot to me, it has been a dream of mine for as long as I know," said Gosling. "I feel honoured to be recognized and am beyond excited for this chance. However this would not have been possible without my teammates and coaching staff, they have been overwhelmingly supportive and inspirational. I also owe a lot of thanks to Jeff Watson and Kelly Paton for helping me with my off ice strength training, especially Kelly for pushing me over the summer and focusing on strength, conditioning, and technique on and off the ice. Lastly, my parents make this possible with all of their love and support."
"Katelyn has worked extremely hard at her development over the past year," said Mustangs head coach David Barrett. "Her commitment to off-ice strength and conditioning, in concert with her on-ice skill development and enhanced ability to read the game has resulted in this opportunity. As a team, we are very proud of her and have no doubt that she will excel at camp in Calgary."
The London native was a key part of the Mustangs OUA and CIS title runs last season, compiling five assists through five OUA playoff games before helping Western turn in two shutouts during the CIS Championship in Calgary to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. She also earned OUA First Team All-Star and CIS Second Team All-Canadian honours after recording four goals and 11 assists in 20 regular season games played.
Players attending the camp will be split into Red and White teams for both intrasquad games and practices. Gosling is a member of team Red, and is the only player on her team listed on a current CIS roster. In total, Gosling is one of only three current CIS players to earn an invite to the event with the others being McGill's Mélodie Daoust and Montreal's Catherine Dubois who are both on the team White roster.
The Fall Festival will be the second Hockey Canada evaluation camp that Gosling has attended this year as she also took part in the National Women's Program Strength and Conditioning Camp in May.
Along with participating in the two camps with Hockey Canada, Gosling has already represented her country in 2015, helping Canada to silver at the 27th Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain, this past February.
"We're looking forward to having these 47 players come together in Calgary, said Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada's general manager of national women's team programs in a release. "The depth of this group is evident, and it was no easy decision selecting invites for camp. The seven days in Calgary are a great opportunity for players to show us how they can fit in now or in the future with Canada's National Women's Team."
Gosling's first game at the Fall Festival is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern time as she and the rest of team Red face off with the Calgary Midget AAA Flames. Friday sees the first of two Red vs. White showdowns, while Saturday will feature Gosling's team taking on the SEAC Midget AAA Tigers. The schedule wraps up on Sunday with a second Red vs. White intrasquad game at 11 a.m. Eastern.
Following the camp Gosling will return to Western where the Mustangs will begin pre-season play on September 17 before kicking off the regular season on October 3 at Guelph. The home opener for the defending OUA and CIS Champions is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, at Thompson Arena against the Waterloo Warriors. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
Source: Western Mustangs
