Cheryl Pounder: Team Canada bound
Beth Mullen

Last Thursday night will remain a memorable date in Golden Hawk history as one of our varsity athletes was chosen to be a part of Team Canada. At about 9:30pm, Cheryl Pounder, defensewoman for the WLU Women's Hockey Team received a call inviting her to be a member of the National Team to help represent the country at the World Championships.

Since being chosen from a regional camp last May, to attend a National Selection Camp in Montreal, Pounder has been under critical evaluation by scouts searching out the best in Canada.

From the National Camp in Montreal which consisited of a week on Inner Squad Games, Pounder was chosen to play for Canada in the Three-Nations Cup in Finland this past December.

Coming out victorious, Canada made further cuts to the team to form the group that played in the Eastern Quebec/Ontario Tour which took place from the 17th to the 24th of last month. Still at the top of her game, Pounder continued to be a member of the National team and took part in this most recent tournament. On coming home last Monday, Pounder had been awaiting the call to be invited to represent Canada yet again at the Worlds.

"I was ecstatic", said Pounder, "It was a long process and a challenge. You play a lot of hockey and when it comes down to it, it all pays off." Pounder is no stranger to hockey on a national level as she, at the age of 17, represented Canada in the 1994 World Championships in Lake Placid and in the 1996 Three-Nations Cup in Ottawa. After a little time off from the team, Pounder has now regained her status as one of the top 20 female hockey players in the country.

Hawk coach Josh Batley expresses his pride about Pounder's achievement, "This is a great accomplishment and a fantastic opportunity for Cheryl." We can be assured that Pounder's place on the National Team will not interfere with her commitment to the Hawks.

Practices for the Worlds will be held in Sweden towards the middle of March, after the OUA's and the CIAU's are completed. From there the team will travel to Finland for the Championships.