Coldstream’s Anne Cherkowski helped Canada’s women’s hockey team claw back into its Rivalry Series with the United States.
Making her debut with the national team in December, Cherkowski had an assist, and a chance to clinch the second game of the latest two-game series (part of seven games scheduled), played in Ontario.
Cherkowski set up the first goal of the night scored by Danielle Serdachny, in front of 7,243 rabid Canadian fans in Kitchener Dec. 14. The goal came seven minutes into Cherkowski’s debut.
Canada would fall 3-2 in overtime to the Americans, who scored the winning goal on a powerplay less than a minute into the extra frame.
Two nights later, in front of 4,583 fans in Sarnia, , Canada picked up its first win of the series, 3-2 in a shootout. The Canadians trailed 2-0 with 15 minutes to go in regulation time, but rallied to force overtime, then penalty shots.
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin was Canada’s third player in the one-on-one, and scored the only goal in the shootout, right before an attempt by Cherkowski. Had she scored, Canada would have clinched the game, but Cherkowski was stopped by U.S. netminder Nicole Hensley.
Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens secured the win by stopping Abbey Murphy on the Americans’ fifth attempt.
The Americans have won three of the first four series games, with their only loss coming in the Sarnia shootout. Canada is 1-2-1.
The series resumes in February, with games in Saskatoon Feb. 7 and Regina Feb. 9. The final game is in St. Paul, Minn. on Feb. 11.
Cherkowski is a senior playing in the NCAA with the Clarkson Golden Knights of Potsdam, NY. She’s helped the Golden Knights to an undefeated season thus far, going 18-0-2 (two ties), and the team is 9-0-1 both home and away.
Cherkowski has played in all 20 games for the Golden Knights, averaging almost a point per game. She has 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points., good for fourth overall on the team. She led Clarkson in scoring in 2022-23 with 23 goals and was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s All Academic team.
Cherkowski was a member of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, earning silver with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2020 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia. She won gold with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Obihiro, Japan.
