Western Mustangs women’s hockey players Kelly Campbell and Katelyn Gosling were announced in early October as two of the 20 players selected to represent Canada at the 2013 Winter Universiade to be held December 10-21 in Trentino, Italy.
The Winter Universiade is a Biennial Interuniversity multi-sport event open to full-time students attending post-secondary school. The games made their debut in 2009, and Canada defeated the host Chinese team at the inaugural event, 3-1 in the gold-medal final. Other sporting events at the Winter Universiade include alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey (women and men), Nordic combined, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating (short and long track).
Including Campbell and Gosling, Canada’s women’s hockey team is made up of 20 standout players from each of the four CIS conferences, including four other players from OUA schools.
Campbell, a third-year goaltender from St. Thomas, Ontario, had a stellar year defending the Western net in 2012-13, posting 12 wins and recording a .942 save percentage, which placed her second in the country in both categories. For her efforts, the BMOS student was named an OUA First Team All-Star and CIS First Team All-Canadian.
“Kelly Campbell is the kind of goalie every team wants,” said Mustangs head coach Chris Higgins. “She gives our team a chance to win every game.”
Gosling, a third-year defenseman from London, led all CIS blue liners in scoring last season with seven goals and 19 assists. The Social Sciences student joined Campbell as both an OUA First Team All-Star and CIS First Team All-Canadian.
“Katelyn Gosling is one of those players who really understands the game,” Higgins said. “She sees the ice, makes great first passes and is an offensive threat.”
Canada enters this year’s Universiade as the two-time defending champions, holding a combined perfect 14-0 record over the first two tournaments (held in 2009 and 2011). Canada and Great Britain are the only three-time competitors. Also appearing in this year’s event will be Japan, Spain, Russia and the United States.
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