Rivalry Series rosters announced

With November rapidly approaching, we have another highly-anticipated Rivalry Series between Team USA and Team Canada to look forward to. This should help us set the stage for the 2023 Worlds and once again reignite the ongoing discussion around the greatest rivalry in sports.

Both Team Canada and Team USA have announced their rosters and it only takes a quick glance at the squads competing in November to see which looks more experienced and established. Canada’s squad is filled with veterans — although it’s worth noting that Loren Gabel and Elizabeth Giguere of the Boston Pride are back in the mix. Both players are among the most dynamic forwards in hockey.

Team Canada

F: Laura Stacey, Jessie Eldridge, Elizabeth Giguere, Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse, Emily Clark, Emma Maltais, Marie-Philip Poulin, Loren Gabel, Blayre Turnbull, Kristin O’Neill, Sarah Potomak, Jamie Lee Rattray

D: Jocelyne Larocque, Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambrose, Jaime Bourbonnais, Micah Zandee-Hart, Claire Thompson

G: Ann-Renee Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer, Kristen Campbell

Team USA

F: Hannah Brandt, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Clair DeGeorge, Becca Gilmore, Amanda Kessel, Kelsey King, Hilary Knight, Maureen Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Gabby Rosenthal, Abby Roque, Hayley Scamurra

D: Riley Brengman, Jincy Dunne, Rory Guilday, Savannah Harmon, Megan Keller, Lee Stecklein, Haley Winn

G: Maddie Rooney, Aerin Frankel, Nicole Hensley

Six current NCAA players on the roster - Cornell's Guilday and five players making their USWNT debuts:
Ohio State's Riley Brengman and Gabby Rosenthal, MN State's Kelsey king, Northeastern's Maureen Murphy and Clarkson's Haley Winn https://t.co/7F167TE5iU

— Nicole Haase (@NicoleHaase) October 25, 2022

Schedule

• Nov. 15 | 10 p.m. ET | Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C
• Nov. 17 | 10 p.m. | Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
• Nov. 20 | 7 p.m. | Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash.
• Dec. 15 | 10 p.m. | The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
• Dec. 19 | 10 p.m. | Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif./

The big story here has to be the upcoming debuts of Brengman, Gilmore, King, Murphy, Rosenthal, and Winn. It’s also nice to see Clair DeGeorge here, especially after her electric start to the 2022-23 PWHPA Dream Gap Tour. Of course, the big name missing from Team USA’s roster — other than Brianna Decker, who has put her career on pause while she recovers from injury and is working with the PHF — is Taylor Heise, who entered superstardom with her play at the 2022 World Championship.

This infusion of youth, particularly in the Rivalry Series, strikes me as a good idea. USA Hockey has already identified future stars to build future rosters around, i.e. Heise, but this is a great way to test players who could be part of the next wave of staples on the U.S. roster. Hilary Knight, Amanda Kessel, and Kendall Coyne Schofield can’t play forever.

We're just a Maureen Murphy fan account now, and we're ok with that.

That's an NCAA-best 29th goal of the season for Murph and a 3-1 lead for the #HowlinHuskies! pic.twitter.com/W44O7jcIhh

— Northeastern Women’s Hockey (@GoNUwhockey) March 3, 2022

If you want a player to play close attention to of this bunch, it has to be Maureen Murphy. She had 30 goals in 37 games last season at Northeastern and has 12 points in 8 GP to start the 2022-23 season. This debut with the senior national team feels long overdue for a player of her skill and potential. How and where she fits into this lineup of established veterans and newcomers is a storyline to watch.

For Canada, one of the stories to bee excited about is the return of Claire Thompson. Thompson, 24, set an Olympic record in scoring by a defender at the 2022 Games with 2 goals and 11 assists in 7 GP. We will also see her on the ice this season with Team Sonnet in the 2022-23 PWHPA Dream Gap Tour.

The Rivalry Series kicks off on Nov. 15 in British Columbia at Prospera Place.