Former Badgers named to Canadian Olympic roster
December 21, 2009 | Women's Hockey
Dec. 21, 2009
MADISON, Wis. -- Hockey Canada has announced that former UW defensemen Meaghan Mikkelson and Carla MacLeod have been named to the 21-player roster to represent Canada's National Women's Team at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C.
Mikkelson will skate in the Olympics for the first time, while MacLeod helped lead Canada to the gold medal during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
Prior to the upcoming games, Wisconsin had only two Olympians in MacLeod and Molly Engstrom, who took home a bronze medal with Team USA in 2006. Currently nine Badgers are expected to play in the 2010 Olympic Games, seven Americans and two Canadians. The Olympic roster isn't confirmed until the evening before the first game.
MacLeod, a Calgary, Alberta native, lettered at Wisconsin from 2001-05 scoring 15 goals and tallying 66 assists during her time. MacLeod was a two-time second team All-American.
Mikkelson who hails from St. Albert, Alberta, scored 29 goals and had 86 assists in 142 games at UW and was a part of the 2006 and 2007 national championship teams. In her final season at UW, Mikkelson was named the 2007 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and picked up her first All-American honor.
Both MacLeod and Mikkelson were top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in their respective senior seasons.
Canada's 21-player roster includes three goaltenders, six defensemen and 12 forwards. Canada's roster includes 14 players (Agosta, Apps, Botterill, Hefford, Kellar, Kingsbury, Labonté, MacLeod, Ouellette, Piper, St-Pierre, Sostorics, Vaillancourt and Wickenheiser) who have played in previous Olympic Winter Games. Four players (Botterill, Hefford, Kellar and Wickenheiser) will compete in their fourth Olympic Winter Games. The 21 players on Canada's roster have combined to play in 94 IIHF World Women's Championships.
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will mark the fourth time women's hockey has been part of the Olympic program. The women's hockey tournament opens on February 13, 2010, with Canada facing Slovakia at Canada Hockey Place. The UBC Thunderbird Arena will be home to Canada's remaining two round-robin games, with the medal round being held at Canada Hockey Place. The gold medal game will be on February 25, 2010.
Canada's National Women's Team will have a holiday break from December 22-27 before traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a game against the United States on December 30 (Xcel Energy Center, 7 p.m. CT). Canada and the United States will complete a six-game pre-Olympic series on January 1, 2010 in Ottawa (SBP Arena, 7 p.m. ET).
