On Friday, October 7, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) announced the 22 CIS student-athletes and full coaching staff that will represent Canada in women's hockey team at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan from January 29-February 8, 2017. Bison women's hockey players Erica Rieder and Alanna Sharman were selected to the Team Canada squad.
This is the first time both players have been selected to a Universiade roster.
Rieder, 19, is an alternate captain for the second time with the Bisons heading into her third year in 2016-17. The 5'9" defenceman had a strong sophomore season with 11 points (5g, 6a), good for sixth in conference defenceman scoring while playing in all 28 conference regular season games in 2015-16. The Regina native was named on the 2014-15 Canada West All-Rookie Team after being eighth in conference rookie scoring with 11 points (4g, 7a). In two seasons at Manitoba, Rieder has notched 22 points (9g, 13a) in 55 conference regular season games.
Sharman, 20, is a first time captain, as a rotating alternate captain, in her third year at Manitoba in the 2016-17 season. The 5'8" forward finished seventh in Canada West scoring with 22 points (10g, 12a) while playing in all 28 conference regular season games in 2015-16. The Winnipeg native was 2014-15 CIS and Canada West Women's Hockey Rookie of the Year. She averaged over a point a game in her two year CIS career with 59 points (27g, 35a) in 56 conference regular season games.
Canada will be looking to reclaim the gold medal, after falling to Russia 3-0 in the 2015 championship game in Granada, Spain. The loss marked the first time the Canadians hadn't won the event since women's hockey's debut at the FISU Games in Harbin, China in 2009.
The Bisons are one of only two CIS teams (St. Francis Xavier University) that have had at least one or more players in all Winter Universiade teams since 2009. Bison alum that have played for Canada are: goaltender Stacey Corfield (2009: gold in Harbin, China), forward Addie Miles (2011: gold in Erzurum, Turkey), defenceman Caitlin MacDonald (2013: gold in Trentino, Italy), forward Maggie Litchfield-Medd (2015: silver in Granada, Spain) plus Bison women's hockey head coach Jon Rempel was Team Canada Universiade women's hockey head coach in 2015.
The 22 player roster features 20 members who skated for Team CIS at Hockey Canada's Women's Development Camp in August. Eight players come from the Canada West conference, along with seven from OUA, five from the RSEQ and two from AUS. The defending national champion Montreal Carabins lead the way with four selections.
Canada will compete in Group A alongside China, Great Britain and host Kazakhstan. Group B consists of the defending champion Russia, Japan and the United States.
Team Canada website: http://en.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2017/index
Almaty 2017 website: http://almaty2017.com/
