1999-2000 NWHL News Items

Teams from the NWHL will soon be holding tryouts for the 2000-01 season. Please visit the NWHL Tryouts page for further information.

The five teams from the Western Division of the National Women's Hockey League measured up against five of the National Teams that participated in the Women's World Hockey Championship. The NWHL teams participatd in a series of exhibition games against China, Germany, Finland, Japan, and Russia, to help these teams prepare for the championship in Mississauga, ON, which took place from April 3rd to April 9th. The NWHL teams posted a record of 3 wins, 3 ties, and 3 losses.

                                       Time  Location
Monday, March 20, 2000
    China   4 Brampton Thunder      6  19:30 Beatrice Ice Gardens, North York

Wednesday, March 29, 2000
    Japan   4 Clearnet Lightning    4  19:00 Pickering Complex (Delaney Pad)
    China   5 Brampton Thunder      2  19:30 BSC, Brampton

Thursday, March 30, 2000
    Japan   6 Scarborough Sting     1  19:30 Stouffville
    China   1 Mississauga Chiefs    1  19:30 Clarkson, Mississauga
    Russia  5 Brampton Thunder      5  19:30 BSC, Brampton

Friday, March 31, 2000
    Finland 2  Beatrice Aeros       8  19:00 Beatrice Ice Gardens, North York

Saturday, April 1, 2000
    Russia  4 Clearnet Lightning    1  19:00 Teen Ranch, Caledon
    Germany 2 Mississauga Chiefs   10  19:00 KW Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener

Eighteen players from the National Women's Hockey League will participate in the Women's World Hockey Championship, including thirteen from Team Canada, three from Team USA, and two from Team Japan. In addition, Rob Insley, of the Beatrice Aeros, will be equipment manager for Team Canada. Best of luck to all of you at the upcoming World Championship!

Goalie

• Sami Jo Small, Brampton Thunder (Canada)

  Defense

• Chris Bailey, Ottawa Raiders (USA)
• Therese Brisson, Montréal Wingstar (Canada)
• Geraldine Heaney, Beatrice Aeros (Canada)
• Becky Kellar, Beatrice Aeros (Canada)
• Sue Merz, Brampton Thunder (USA)
• Cheryl Pounder, Beatrice Aeros (Canada)
• Nathalie Rivard, Mississauga Chiefs (Canada)
• Rie Sato, Laval Le Mistral (Japan)

  Forward

• Amanda Benoit, Beatrice Aeros (Canada)
• Cassie Campbell, Beatrice Aeros (Canada)
• Nancy Drolet, Saint-Julie Panthères (Canada)
• Lori Dupuis, Brampton Thunder (Canada)
• Brandy Fisher, Ottawa Raiders (USA)
• Jayna Hefford, Brampton Thunder (Canada)
• Caroline Ouellette, Montréal Wingstar (Canada)
• Masako Sato, Laval Le Mistral (Japan)
• Vicky Sunohara, Brampton Thunder (Canada)

On Sunday night, the Beatrice Aeros shutout the Sainte-Julie Panthères 1-0 to capture the first WTN NWHL Championship Finals. The two teams had battled to a 2-2 tie on Saturday night, in the first of a 2 game, total point series. The Finals, which were televised live nationally on the Women's Television Network(WTN), opposed the NWHL's Eastern Division Champions, the Sainte-Julie Panthères, and the Western Division Champions, the Beatrice Aeros.

Cherie Piper scored the winning goal with 9:06 left to play in the first period, and Lauren Goldstein earned the shutout for the Aeros. Goaltender Marie-Claude Roy of the Sainte-Julie Panthères was selected MVP for the Finals. She stopped 80 of 83 shots in the two game series.

Finals Summary
    Sat., Mar. 18 @ 5pm : Sainte-Julie Panthères 2 Beatrice Aeros 2
    Sun., Mar. 19 @ 7pm : Beatrice Aeros 1 Sainte-Julie Panthères 0

Beatrice Aeros win the NWHL Championship Finals 3 points to 1.

The National Women's Hockey League finals will be played on March 18th at 5pm and March 19th at 7pm, and will be televised live on the Women's Television Network(WTN). Both games will take place at the Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainment, and the WTN-NWHL Championship 2000 will feature the Sainte-Julie Panthères, the Eastern Division champions. against the Beatrice Aeros, the Western Division champions. Additional festivities have been planned around the event, such as, the unveiling of the cup, player autograph sessions and a Sports Fair.

The Aeros are fresh off their gold medal at the Esso Women's National Hockey Championship, that were played from March 8th to March 12th in Sydney, Nova Scotia. This past Sunday, they defeated Équipe Québec by a score of 2-1 in overtime; the latter team also featured nine players from the National Women's Hockey League, including a pair of players who play for the Panthères: Mai-Lan Lê and Nancy Drolet, and who will play in the NWHL finals this coming weekend. Congratulations to the Aeros on their gold medal, and to Équipe Québec on their silver, and best of luck to all the players this weekend!

Tickets for both games are available from Ticketmaster's website, or by phone at (416)872-5000. Ticket prices (not including service, facility, or handling charges) are listed as 10$ for Saturday's game, 15$ for Sunday's game, or 20$ for a two day pass.

The National Women's Hockey League announces the First and Second All-Star Teams for the Eastern and Western Divisions. The players were chosen according to a survey of the coaches of the NWHL, where each coach was asked to select the most deserving players from the other teams in the league.

1999/2000 Eastern Division 1st All Star Team

    Forward  Caroline Ouellette       Montréal Wingstar
             Nancy Drolet             Sainte-Julie Panthères
             Annie Desrosiers         Laval Le Mistral

    Defence  Therese Brisson          Montréal Wingstar
             Isabelle Chartrand       Laval Le Mistral

    Goalie   Marie-France Morin       Ottawa Raiders

1999/2000 Eastern Division 2nd All Star Team

    Forward  Mai-Lan Lê               Sainte-Julie Panthères
             Isabelle Aubé            Ottawa Raiders
             Nadine Bourdeau          Ottawa Raiders

    Defence  Anik Bouchard            Laval Le Mistral
             Lyne Landry              Ottawa Raiders

    Goalie   Josée Cholette           Montréal Wingstar

1999/2000 Western Division 1st All Star Team

    Forward  Angela James             Beatrice Aeros
             Jayna Hefford            Brampton Thunder
             Amy Turek                Beatrice Aeros

    Defence  Geraldine Heaney         Beatrice Aeros
             Cheryl Pounder           Beatrice Aeros

    Goalie   Kendra Fisher            Beatrice Aeros

1999/2000 Western Division 2nd All Star Team

    Forward  Andria Hunter            Mississauga Chiefs
             Vicky Sunohara           Brampton Thunder
             Stephanie Kay            Beatrice Aeros

    Defence  Becky Kellar             Beatrice Aeros
             Nathalie Rivard          Mississauga Chiefs

    Goalie   Sami Jo Small            Brampton Thunder

The Beatrice Aeros defeated the Brampton Thunder 4-2 to capture the Western Division Final 2-0. The Aeros had taken a one game lead on Saturday, having defeated the Thunder 4-3 in Brampton. The Aeros will now face the Sainte-Julie Panthères in the NWHL Final. The Final will be a 2 game series, to be played March 18th and 19th at the Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainement, and will be televised nationally on the Women's Television Network (WTN). Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

On Sunday, in Sainte-Julie, the Panthères scored in the 8th minute of overtime to win the tiebreaker over the Montréal Wingstar and advance to the NWHL Finals. The Wingstar had forced the overtime by defeating the Panthères 2-1 earlier on Sunday, tying the series at one win apiece. On Sautrday, the Panthères had taken a 1-0 series lead by defeating the Wingstar 6-0 in Montréal. On Saturday in Brampton, the Thunder dropped a 4-3 decision to the Beatrice Aeros, and trail 0-1 in the Western Division final. The final and deciding game will take place tonight in North York as the Aeros host the Thunder.

The NWHL division finalists are now known; in the East, the Montréal Wingstar will face the Sainte-Julie Panthères while in the West, the Brampton Thunder will meet the Beatrice Aeros, both in 2 game series. The Aeros advanced by shutting out the Clearnet Lightning 7-0 on Monday night, and 5-0 on Tuesday night. The Sainte-Julie Panthères eliminated the Laval Le Mistral with a 1-0 win on Wednesday night, winning their two game series 2-0. Laval will now face the Ottawa Raiders in the Eastern Division Consolation Final.

Both finals get underway Saturday, with Montréal hosting Sainte-Julie at the Sylvio-Mantha Arena at 8pm, and Brampton hosting the Aeros at the Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainment (BCSE) at 7:30pm. The winners of each division will meet in the first NWHL East-West final, March 18th and 19th, to be played at the BCSE. Both games of the WTN NWHL Championship 2000 will be televised on WTN, and tickets for the event are being sold through Ticketmaster.

The Brampton Thunder and the Montréal Wingstar have advanced to Round 2 of the NWHL playoffs. In Brampton on Saturday, the Thunder needed over time to eliminate the Mississauga Chiefs. The Chiefs, who had previously registered a 4-1 win in Mississauga on Wednesday, lost 2-1 on Saturday, forcing an extra period of overtime to decide the winner of the 2 game series. Brampton scored in the first period of overtime to complete the comeback. The other 2 game series in the Western Division gets under way Monday as the Beatrice Aeros host the Clearnet Lightning.

In the Eastern Division, the Montréal Wingstar swept the Ottawa Raiders in their 2 game series, winning 4-1 in Ottawa on Saturday and 3-2 in Montréal on Sunday. In the other series, the Sainte-Julie Panthères defeated the host Laval Le Mistral on Saturday, to take a one game lead in their 2 game series. The final and deciding game will be played in Sainte-Julie on Wednesday.

Last night in Sainte-Julie, the Montréal Wingstar and the host Panthères played to a 0-0 tie. As a result, Sainte-Julie wins their first NWHL Eastern Division regular season title, and will play a home and home first round playoff series against fourth place Laval Le Mistral. Montréal will face third place Ottawa Raiders in the other series. Here is the complete first round schedule for the Eastern Division.

Round 1:

    Laval Le Mistral vs Sainte-Julie Panthères

        Sat, Feb 26 : Panthères @ Le Mistral     6pm Colisée de Laval
        Sun, Feb 27 : Le Mistral @ Panthères  (To be confirmed)

    Ottawa Raiders vs Montréal Wingstar

        Sat, Feb 26 : Wingstar @ Raiders         6pm Barbara Ann Scott Arena
        Sun, Feb 27 : Raiders @ Wingstar      3:30pm Goerges-Mantha

The NWHL's Western Division teams will have little time to recover from participating in the OWHA Senior AAA Provincials as round one of the playoffs gets underway Wednesday in Mississauga. The third place Chiefs will host the second place Thunder, in a two game series, with the second game taking place Saturday in Brampton. In the other series, the first place Beatrice Aeros host the fourth place Clearnet Lightning in a two game series which begins next Monday in North York, and concludes the following day in Durham. Here is the complete Western Division first round playoff schedule:

Round 1:

    Mississauga Chiefs vs Brampton Thunder

        Wed, Feb 23 : Thunder @ Chiefs  7:30pm Hershey Centre
        Sat, Feb 27 : Chiefs @ Thunder  2:15pm B.S.C.

    Clearnet Lightning vs Beatrice Aeros

        Mon, Feb 28 : Lightning @ Aeros  7:30pm Ice Gardens
        Tue, Feb 29 : Aeros @ Lightning  7:30pm Ajax Community Centre

The Beatrice Aeros defeated the Brampton Thunder by a score of 3-2 in triple overtime in the Gold Medal Game of the 2000 Ontario Women's Hockey Association's Senior AAA Provincial Championship, held in Kitchener from February 16-20, 2000. In the Bronze Medal Game, the Mississauga Chiefs edged out the Ottawa Raiders 2-1.

The Aeros will now represent Ontario at the 2000 Esso Canadian National Championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia from March 8-12, 2000. The Aeros have won the OWHA's Senior AAA Provincial Championship in eleven of the last twelve years. They have represented Ontario at the Canadian National Championship ten times in that span, and have gone on to win 2 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

Here are the unofficial results of all games played at the 2000 OWHA Provincial Championship. All teams competing in this championship also play in the National Women's Hockey League.

The six teams were divided into two pools. A round robin was played in each pool, with the winner of each pool advancing automatically to the semi-finals. Following the round robin, the 2nd and 3rd placed teams in each pool crossed over to play against the other pool, with the winners advancing to the semi-final.

Wednesday Feb 16:
       8pm : Scarborough Sting 1 vs Brampton Thunder 6
       9pm : Clearnet Lightning 1 vs Mississauga Chiefs 2

Thursday Feb 17:
       6pm : Mississauga Chiefs 0 vs Beatrice Aeros 6
       8pm : Ottawa Raiders 0 vs Brampton Thunder 5

Friday Feb 18:
       9am : Clearnet Lightning 1 vs Beatrice Aeros 8
      11am : Scarborough Sting 0 vs Ottawa Raiders 0

Saturday Feb 19:
      11am : (3rd Pool A) Scarborough 1 vs (2nd Pool B) Mississauga 5 (1EN)
       1pm : (3rd Pool B) Lighting 3 vs (2nd Pool A) Ottawa 4 (1OT)

 (Semi-finals)
       7pm : Mississauga 1 vs (1st Pool A) Brampton 4
       9pm : Ottawa 0 vs (1st Pool B) Aeros 5

Sunday Feb 20:
 (Bronze Medal Final)
      10:30am : Mississauga 2 vs Ottawa 1
 (Gold Medal Final)
          1pm : Brampton 2 vs North York 3 (3OT)

In the only game in Week 23, the Sainte-Julie Panthères defeated the visiting Laval Le Mistral by a score of 7-2 to move one point up on the Montréal Wingstar in the race for first place in the NWHL's Eastern Division. The two teams meet in Saint-Julie this Wednesday in the NWHL's last regular season game. This game will determine which team finishes first in the Eastern Division.

Week 22 of the NWHL featured a rare two game night on Tuesday, and six weekend games. On Tuesday in Durham, the visiting Beatrice Aeros defeated the Clearnet Lightning by a score of 6-0, while in Mississauga, the Chiefs squeaked by the Scarborough Sting 4-2. On the weekend, the Sting had a break even road trip, losing 4-0 to the Sainte-Julie Panthères and playing to a 4-4 tie with the Montréal Wingstar on Saturday, and defeating the Laval Le Mistral by a score of 5-1 on Sunday. In Ottawa, the Raiders clinched third place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 win over Le Mistral on Sunday, and a 0-0 tie versus the Panthères on Sunday. Finally in Brampton on Saturday, the Aeros defeated the host Thunder by a score of 4-2.

With only two games remaining in the regular season, the NWHL playoff schedule is almost set. In the Eastern Division, either Montréal or Sainte-Julie will finish first; the Panthères trail Wingstar by one point, but have one game in hand. Whoever finishes first will meet fourth place Laval, and whoever finishes second will meet third place Ottawa, both in best of 2 series. In the Western Division, the first place Aeros will play the fourth place Lightning, while the second place Thunder will play the third place Chiefs, also in best of 2 series.

The early part of Week 21 in the NWHL saw the Mississauga Chiefs win back to back games over divisional rivals. On Tuesday in Durham, the visiting Chiefs blanked the Clearnet Lightning by a score of 6-0, and the following night in Mississauga, the Chiefs scored a 3-2 decision over the Brampton Thunder. On Friday, the Thunder bounced back with a 7-0 win over the visiting Lightning. On the weekend, the Beatrice Aeros travelled to Québec, winning three close games over their Eastern Division rivals. On Saturday, the Aeros defeated the Saint-Julie Panthères by a score of 3-2 and the Montréal Wingstar by a score of 5-3. On Sunday, Laval Le Mistral dropped a 3-1 decision to the Aeros. Finally on Sunday in Scarborough, the Sting lost to the Thunder by a score of 8-1.

Eighteen players from the National Women's Hockey League have been invited to attend the National Women's Team Evaluation Camp which is currently being held at the Ice Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, from January 27th to February 4th. Six teams from the NWHL will send at least one player to the camp, including seven from the Beatrice Aeros, five from the Brampton Thunder, two each from the Mississauga Chiefs and the Montréal Wingstar, and one each from the Ottawa Raiders and the Sainte-Julie Panthères. A total of thirty-one players will be at the evaluation camp.

The following is a list of the NWHL players that are currently at the evaluation camp.

Goalie

• Marie-France Morin, Ottawa Raiders
• Sami Jo Small, Brampton Thunder

  Defense

• Therese Brisson, Montréal Wingstar
• Gillian Ferrari, Beatrice Aeros
• Geraldine Heaney, Beatrice Aeros
• Becky Kellar, Beatrice Aeros
• Cheryl Pounder, Beatrice Aeros
• Nathalie Rivard, Mississauga Chiefs

  Forward

• Amanda Benoit, Beatrice Aeros
• Cassie Campbell, Beatrice Aeros
• Nancy Drolet, Saint-Julie Panthères
• Lori Dupuis, Brampton Thunder
• Jayna Hefford, Brampton Thunder
• Kathy McCormack, Mississauga Chiefs
• Caroline Ouellette, Montréal Wingstar
• Laura Schuler, Brampton Thunder
• Vicky Sunohara, Brampton Thunder
• Amy Turek, Beatrice Aeros

On Monday, the visiting Clearnet Lightning were overpowered by the Beatrice Aeros by a score of 8-1. Thursday in Scarborough, the Mississauga Chiefs edged the Sting 6-4. On the weekend, the expansion Clearnet Lightning earned two points on their road swing through Québec. On Saturday, they lost to the Sainte-Julie Panthères by a score of 5-2, before rebounding to earn a 2-2 tie versus Eastern Division leader, the Montréal Wingstar. On Sunday, they completed their road trip with a 3-3 tie versus Laval Le Mistral. In other weekend action, the Ottawa Raiders dropped a pair of home games, losing 2-0 to Le Mistral on Saturday, and 6-3 to Wingstar on Sunday. Finally, the Scarborough Sting also dropped a pair of games, losing a close game in Brampton on Saturday by a score of 4-2, and losing 6-0 to the Aeros in Scarborough on Sunday.

On Monday, the Beatrice Aeros edged the visiting Mississauga Chiefs by a score of 2-1. On Tuesday, the Aeros overpowered the host Clearnet Lightning by a score of 11-0. Wednesday saw the home team win both games as the Chiefs downed the Lightning 6-2 and Brampton Thunder shut out the Scarborough Sting by a score of 11-0. On the weekend, the Laval Le Mistral used their three game road trip to make up ground on the Ottawa Raiders. On Saturday, Le Mistral defeated the Lightning by a score of 7-2, and on Sunday, they squeaked by the Sting 4-3 before losing to the Aeros by a score of 8-0. Finally in Montréal, the Wingstar blanked the visiting Ottawa Raiders by a score of 7-0.

Week 18 in the NWHL was the week of the home team, as they went undefeated in all seven games, earning 4 wins and 3 ties. On Monday, the host Beatrice Aeros played to a 1-1 draw against the Brampton Thunder. On Tuesday, the Thunder shut out the Clearnet Lightning by a score of 10-0. On the weekend, the Ottawa Raiders went on a three game road trip, playing the top 3 teams in the Western Division. On Saturday, the Raiders tied the Mississauga Chiefs 2-2, before falling to the Thunder by a score of 10-4. On Sunday, the Aeros deafeated the Raiders 9-0. Finally, on Saturday, the Montréal Wingstar tied the Panthères in Sainte-Julie by a score of 2-2, and on Sunday, defeated the visiting Laval Le Mistral by a score of 6-3.

The first week of the year 2000 was a busy one in the NWHL as ten games were played. Early in the week, a couple of trends were reversed. On Monday, the Beatrice Aeros earned their first win against the visiting Brampton Thunder, by a score of 4-1, while on Tuesday, the Scarborough Sting overpowered the host Clearnet Lightning by a score of 5-0, for their first win against their division rival. On Wednesday, in Mississauga, the Chiefs lost to the Aeros 4-0, while on Thursday in Scarborough, the Sting lost to the Thunder by a score of 4-1. On the weekend, the Montréal Wingstar earned one win and two losses on the road, beating the Lightning 9-0 in Durham on Saturday, before falling 4-2 to the Thunder and 4-0 to the Aeros on Sunday. The Sainte-Julie Panthères won both their weekend games, defeating the Ottawa Raiders 6-1 in Sainte-Julie on Saturday, and edging out Le Mistral in Laval by a score of 4-3 on Sunday. Finally in Scarborough on Sunday, the Lightning defeated the Sting 4-2.

Only three games were played this week, as the NWHL breaks for Christmas and the New Year. On Monday in North York, the Beatrice Aeros defeated the Scarborough Sting by a score of 3-0. On Tuesday in Durham, the Clearnet Lightning lost 6-0 to the Brampton Thunder. Finally on Wednesday in Mississauga, the Chiefs defeated the Lightning by the same score of 6-0. The NWHL resumes on January 3rd when the Beatrice Aeros host the Brampton Thunder.

In the three weekday games of Week 15, three trends continued. The Mississauga Chiefs remained perfect against the Clearnet Lightning, winning 6-3 in Durham on Tuesday, and perfect against the Scarborough Sting, winning 3-0 in Mississauga on Wednesday. The Brampton Thunder remained undefeated against the Beatrice Aeros, scoring a 3-2 decision over the Aeros in Brampton. On the weekend, visiting teams were perfect. On Saturday, the Sainte-Julie Panthères defeated the Chiefs 2-1 and the Thunder 5-3, and on Sunday, the Panthères prevailed over the Sting by a score of 4-0. Finally on Saturday, the Montréal Wingstar defeated the Ottawa Raiders by a score of 3-1.

Week 14 of the NWHL saw many low scoring, close scores, as visiting teams went undefeated on the road. The Brampton Thunder defeated rival Beatrice Aeros 4-1 on Monday, and on Tuesday, the Aeros defeated host Clearnet Lightning by a score of 8-0. On the weekend, the Thunder travelled to Québec for three inter-divisional games. On Saturday, the Thunder pulled out a tie with 12 seconds to play against the Sainte-Julie Panthères to a 2-2 tie, and defeated Eastern Division leaders Montréal Wingstar by a score of 3-1. On Sunday in Laval, the Thunder played to a 2-2 draw with Le Mistral. Earlier on Saturday, host Laval dropped a 3-1 decision to the visiting Ottawa Raiders. Finally in Scarborough on Sunday, the Sting lost 3-1 in a close game versus the Mississauga Chiefs.

The National Women's Hockey League feature a full slate of games this week, even though a total of 18 players from various club were busy playing with their respective National Team at the Three Nations Cup: thirteen were representing Canada, four the USA and one (Sari Krooks of the Beatrice Aeros) Finland. On Monday, the Beatrice Aeros recorded an 8-0 home ice victory over the Clearnet Lightning. The following day in Durham, the Lightning recorded a 4-1 win over division rival Scarborough Sting. On Wednesday, the host Brampton Thunder played to a 2-2 draw with the Mississauga Chiefs. The Sting lost 7-1 to the Aeros in Scarborough on Thursday night. On the weekend, Laval Le Mistral had a difficult road trip, losing to the top three teams of the Western Division: 12-1 to Mississauga on Saturday, 6-3 to Brampton on Sunday, and 10-0 to the Aeros also on Sunday. The Lightning split a pair of games on the weekend, losing 9-0 to Brampton at home on Saturday, before defeating the Sting 2-1 in Scarborough on Sunday. Finally in Ottawa, the Raiders dropped a pair of low scoring home games, losing 2-0 to Sainte-Julie on Saturday and 3-1 to Montréal on Sunday.

In the three weekday games, the home team came up empty. On Tuesday, the Brampton Thunder defeated the Clearnet Lightning by a score of 9-1, on Wednesday, the Beatrice Aeros got by the Mississauga Chiefs 3-0, and finally on Thursday, the Lightning picked up their first win ever defeating the Scarborough Sting 2-0. On the weekend, the visiting teams took three out of five games. The Montréal Wingstar won two of their three away games, losing to the Chiefs 3-0 before rebounding with a 5-0 win over the Lighting and a 7-2 win over the Sting. Finally, the Sainte-Julie Panthères swept their home and home series with Laval Le Mistral, defeating them 7-3 in Sainte-Julie, and 4-2 in Laval. Several teams were missing National Team members, as Canada, Finland and the USA were preparing for the Three Nations Cup.

Four players from the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) will represent the USA at the 1999 Three Nations Cup. The Cup will take place from November 28th to December 5th in Montréal and Sherbrooke, and will feature the national teams from Canada, Finland and the USA. Three teams from the NWHL will be represented on Team USA: two players from the Ottawa Raiders, and two players from the Brampton Thunder. Congratulations and best of luck to the following players:

Defense

• Chris Bailey, Ottawa Raiders
• Sue Merz, Brampton Thunder

  Forward

• Brandy Fisher, Ottawa Raiders
• Meaghan Sittler, Brampton Thunder

In the two weekday games, the Scarborough Sting lost a pair of road games, losing 7-1 to the Beatrice Aeros on Monday, and 5-1 to the Brampton Thunder on Wednesday. On the weekend, the Sting headed down to Montréal for another three away games. On Saturday, they dropped a pair of games, losing 8-0 to the Sainte-Julie Panthères and 5-0 to the Montréal Wingstar. On Sunday, they ended their five game road trip on a positive note, picking up their first win of the season, 2-1 over Laval Le Mistral. In other action, the Ottawa Raiders played two tight games at home, tying Le Mistral 2-2 on Saturday, and losing 2-1 to the Panthères on Sunday. Finally in Brampton, in the first encounter between the Western division's top two teams, the Beatrice Aeros and the Thunder played to a 2-2 tie.

The Mississauga Chiefs lost a pair of games early in the week, losing 5-0 on the road to the Beatice Aeros, and 6-2 at home to the Brampton Thunder. On Tuesday, the expansion Clearnet Lightning earned their first point ever, battling to a 2-2 tie versus the visiting Scarborough Sting. On the weekend, the Thunder won a pair of home game, first defeating the Lightning 15-1 on Friday, and then defeating the Ottawa Raiders 4-1 on Saturday. The Raiders split their four game road trip. On Saturday, they squeezed by the Durham Lightning by a score of 2-0. On Sunday, they defeated the Sting 2-1 before falling to the division leading Aeros 8-0. The Chiefs also managed a split in their three game road trip in Québec. On Saturday, they earned a 1-1 tie versus the Saint-Julie Panthères and lost 5-3 to the Montéal Wingstar, while on Sunday, the Chiefs defeated the Laval Le Mistral by a score of 4-1. Finally, the Panthères handed the Wingstar their second loss of the season, defeating them in Montréal by a score of 3-1 on Sunday night.

In the only weekday game, the Mississauga Chiefs defeated the Clearnet Lightning 5-0 in Ajax. On the weekend, the Sainte-Julie Panthères split their road trip: on Saturday, they lost to the Chiefs 4-1, and defeated the Lightning 5-2, and on Sunday, they defeated the Scarborough Sting 4-0 before losing to the Beatrice Aeros 6-1. In Ottawa, the Brampton Thunder took both games from the Raiders, winning 4-0 on Saturday and 6-1 on Sunday. Finally the Montréal Wingstar took three out of four points in their home and home series versus the Laval Le Mistral, winning 5-1 at home on Saturday, and tying 2-2 in Laval on Sunday.

In the only two weekday games, the Beatrice Aeros and the Mississauga Chiefs posted home ice shutouts, blanking the Scarborough Sting 6-0 and the Clearnet Lightning 13-0 respectively. On the weekend, the Chiefs played .500 hockey on the road, getting shutout by the Saint-Julie Panthères 2-0, and then rebounding for a 1-1 tie against Eastern Division leader Montréal Wingstar, and a 3-2 win against Laval Le Mistral. The Ottawa Raiders earned one point in their two game road trip, dropping a 5-4 decision to Le Mistral and then tying Wingstar 1-1. Finally, the Brampton Thunder defeated the Sting 4-1 in Scarborough.

In the lone weekday game, the Beatrice Aeros jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, en route to a 5-0 win over the Mississauga Chiefs. On the weekend, Laval Le Mistral split their four game road trip. On Saturday, they lost to the Chiefs 7-1, before being overpowered by the Brampton Thunder by a score of 17-4. On Sunday, Le Mistral downed the Scarborough Sting 4-2 and the Clearnet Lightning 5-1. In Ottawa, the host Raiders dropped a pair of close game to the Beatrice Aeros, losing by scores of 3-0 and 5-3. In Montréal, the Wingstar squeaked out a 1-0 win over division rival Sainte-Julie Panthères. Finally in Brampton, the Thunders won a tight contest 2-0 over the Chiefs.

Thirteen players from the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) will represent Canada at the 1999 Three Nations Cup. The Cup will take place from November 28th to December 5th in Montréal and Sherbrooke, and will feature the national teams from Canada, Finland and the USA. Seven teams from the NWHL will be represented on Team Canada: five players from the Beatrice Aeros, two players each from the Brampton Thunder and the Montréal Wingstar, and one each from the Laval Le Mistral, the Mississauga Chiefs, the Ottawa Raiders and the Saint-Julie Panthères. Congratulations and best of luck to the following players:

Goalie

• Marie France Morin, Ottawa Raiders

  Defense

• Therese Brisson, Montréal Wingstar
• Isabelle Chartrand, Laval Le Mistral
• Becky Kellar, Beatrice Aeros
• Cheryl Pounder, Beatrice Aeros
• Nathalie Rivard, Mississauga Chiefs

  Forward

• Cassie Campbell, Beatrice Aeros
• Nancy Drolet, Sainte-Julie Panthères
• Jayna Hefford, Brampton Thunder
• Angela James, Beatrice Aeros
• Caroline Ouellette, Montréal Wingstar
• Laura Schuler, Brampton Thunder
• Sommer West, Beatrice Aeros

Week 6 of the NWHL calendar was a successful one for road teams, as they went undefeated in all eight games. The Beatrice Aeros squeeked by the Mississauga Chiefs 4-3, and defeated the Scarborough Sting 5-1. The Ottawa Raiders were undefeated on their road trip, tying the Chiefs 1-1, before beating the Clearnet Lightning 6-1, and the Sting 4-0. Finally, the Brampton Thunder had similar success, tying the Montréal Wingstar 1-1, defeating the Sainte-Julie Panthères 7-1, and overpowering the Laval Le Mistral by a score of 10-1.

In North York, the Beatrice Aeros handily defeated the Clearnet Lightning 10-0, while in Mississauga, the Chiefs dropped a 5-3 decisision to the Brampton Thunder. In Ottawa, the Raiders swept their weekend series against the Lightning, by scores of 8-4 and 4-0. In Sainte-Julie, the Panthères tied the Montréal Wingstar 2-2, and in Laval tied Le Mistral 3-3. Finally, in Scarborough, the Chiefs blanked the Sting 4-0.

Twenty-two players from the National Women's Hockey League have been invited to attend the National Women's Team Evaluation Camp which will be held at Teen Ranch, in Caledon, Ontario, from October 5th to the 12th. Six teams from the NWHL will send at least one player to the camp, including nine from the Beatrice Aeros, five from the Brampton Thunder, two each from the Mississauga Chiefs, the Montréal Wingstar and the Sainte-Julie Panthères, and one each from the Laval Le Mistral and the Ottawa Raiders. A total of forty-one players will be at the evaluation camp.

Seventy-five percent of Canada's 1999 National Women's Team (15 out of 20) currently play in the NWHL. In addition, three players from the USA's 1999 National Women's Team currently play in the league : Chris Bailey, Brandy Fisher and Sue Merz. Rie and Masako Sato of Team Japan, Nathalie Costagliola of Team France, Sari Krooks, a veteran of Team Finland, and Mirjam Baechler of Team Switzerland also play in the NWHL.

The following is a list of the NWHL players that will be going to the evaluation camp. The players on Canada's 1999 National Women's Team are indicated with an asterisk(*). France St-Louis, of the Montréal Wingstar, now retired from the National Team, was also a member of Canada's 1999 National Women's Team.

Goalie

• Marie-France Morin, Ottawa Raiders
• Sami Jo Small, Brampton Thunder (*)

  Defense

• Therese Brisson, Montréal Wingstar (*)
• Isabelle Chartrand, Laval Le Mistral
• Gillian Ferrari, Beatrice Aeros
• Geraldine Heaney, Beatrice Aeros (*)
• Becky Kellar, Beatrice Aeros (*)
• Cheryl Pounder, Beatrice Aeros (*)
• Nathalie Rivard, Mississauga Chiefs (*)

  Forward

• Amanda Benoit, Beatrice Aeros (*)
• Cassie Campbell, Beatrice Aeros (*)
• Nancy Drolet, Saint-Julie Panthères (*)
• Lori Dupuis, Brampton Thunder (*)
• Jayna Hefford, Brampton Thunder (*)
• Angela James, Beatrice Aeros
• Mai-Lan Lê, Saint-Julie Panthères
• Kathy McCormack, Mississauga Chiefs
• Karen Nystrom, Brampton Thunder (*)
• Caroline Ouellette, Montréal Wingstar (*)
• Laura Schuler, Brampton Thunder
• Vicky Sunohara, Brampton Thunder (*)
• Amy Turek, Beatrice Aeros
• Sommer West, Beatrice Aeros

The Montréal Wingstar swept through Ontario undefeated, earning three wins and a tie in the process. On Saturday, the Wingstar battled the Mississauga Chiefs to a 2-2 tie before handing the Scarborough Sting a 6-1 loss. On Sunday, the Wingstar first defeated the Brampton Thunder 2-1, and then finished their successful road trip with a 3-1 win over the Beatrice Aeros. In the only other weekend game, in Sainte-Julie, the hometown Panthères edged out the Ottawa Raiders 2-1.

The Ottawa Raiders hosted the Mississauga Chiefs on the weekend for a pair of games at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena. On Saturday, the Chiefs prevailed 3-0 in a very physical contest, scoring two goals in the second period and one more in the third. On Sunday morning, in another physical and exciting match, the Chiefs broke a 0-0 tie early in the third period, and overcame tenacious play by the Raiders to register a 3-1 win. In Montréal, the Wingstar swept the home and home series against the Laval Le Mistral, winning by scores of 6-3 and 4-0.

In the weekend's other action, the Sainte-Julie Panthères had one win and two losses on their Southern Ontario road trip. In Pickering, the Clearnet Lightning (Durham) dropped their first ever home game 8-3 against the Panthères. The Panthères lost their other two weekend games, by scores of 3-0 against the Brampton Thunder and 3-2 against the Beatice Aeros.

In front of almost 500 people, the Mississauga Chiefs defeated the Scarborough Sting 5-1, winning their first game at their new home, the Hershey Centre. Halfway through the second period, the Chiefs broke a 1-1 tie with a powerplay goal. The Chiefs then added three more goals to seal the win away.

The defending Ontario Champions Beatrice Aeros served notice that they will again be a difficult team to beat this season. In sweeping their three game set this weekend versus the Montréal based teams, the Aeros scored 26 goals and allowed only 2. On Saturday, they defeated the Saint-Julie Panthères by a score of 5-1, and the Montréal Wingstar by a score of 4-0. On Sunday, the Aeros crushed the Laval Le Mistral 17-1.

In the only other weekend game, the Brampton Thunder won their home opener, edging out the Mississauga Chiefs 3-2 on Saturday night. In a tightly played game, the Thunder broke a 1-1 tie late in the third period, scoring two quick goals to take a 3-1 lead. The Chiefs trimmed the lead to one goal with 2 minutes to go in the game, but were unable to close the gap.

This past weekend, the first full regular season of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) got under way. The NWHL previously operated under the name of the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, until the official name change that took place on February 15th, 1999. In Ottawa, the home town Raiders took 3 out of 4 point from the visiting Scarborough Sting, winning 2-1 on Saturday, and drawing even 1-1 on Sunday. In Québec, the expansion Clearnet Lightning (based in Durham, Ontario), were swept, losing 7-1 to the Sainte Julie Panthères, 10-0 to the Montréal Wingstar, and 3-1 to the Laval Le Mistral.

September 7th, 1999 - The Clearnet (Durham) Lightning has joined the NWHL for the 1999-2000 season. They will compete in the Western Division, along with the Beatrice Aeros, the Brampton Thunder, the Mississauga Chiefs and the Scarborough Sting. The teams from the Eastern Division this season will be Laval Le Mistral, the Ottawa Raiders, the Montreal Wingstar, and the Sainte-Julie Panthères, who last season were called Jofa-Titan. The regular season will open on Saturday, September 11th.