Team Canada, with a lineup that includes Maggie Connors of St. John’s, will take on the United States in a semifinal game at the world women’s U18 hockey championship in Dmitrov, Russia just outside Moscow.
Canada advanced to Friday’s game by beating the Czech Republic 3-1 in a Wednesday quarter-final.
The Canadians had lost two of three preliminary-round games, including a 6-2 setback to the Americans Tuesday, but the 17-year-old Connors, who has a goal and an assist in the tourney, says she and her teammates never stopped believing in themselves.
“We know that we can do well in this tournament. Just our work ethic – that’s what we really base what this team is all about,” said Connors, who attends Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a Minnesota prep school, and who has committed to attend Princeton University this fall.
“We had talked about all of (our) systems, but those can’t come together unless we have work ethic. So our main goal is just to outwork the other team. If we keep that work ethic throughout the whole game, we can come out with a win.”
