Hockey

CALGARY - Meghan Agosta now has steak to go with her sizzle.

The Canadian women's hockey team winger demonstrated some dazzling moves at the Hockey Canada Cup in Vancouver last month, but had trouble finishing the job at the net.

The native of Ruthven, Ont., has now scored three goals in two straight wins over the U.S., which is expected to be Canada's opponent for the Olympic gold medal Feb. 25 in Vancouver.

"Less thinking and more doing,'' Agosta explained Monday following practice at Calgary's Father David Bauer Arena.

"I feel like I've come a long way. This year, my goal is to improve each day. Something I've been practising is shooting harder and picking those corners, so I think it's helped me a lot.''

Agosta, 22, is playing alongside captain Hayley Wickenheiser and either Cherie Piper or Marie-Philip Poulin, who rotate on and off that line.

Agosta finds open ice with slick hands and shifty speed. Gasps from spectators at the Hockey Canada Cup in early September were followed by groans as she beautifully deked defenders only to put the puck in the goalie's midsection.

But Agosta scored Canada's first goal late in the first period of a 5-2 win over the Americans last Friday in Spokane, Wash., after collecting a pair of goals in a 3-1 victory Oct. 1 in Victoria.

The five-foot-seven, 147-pound forward is a veteran of the national team despite her youth. She played in the 2006 Olympics and scored a hat trick on her 19th birthday against Russia.

In 68 career games for Canada, Agosta has 28 goals and 28 assists.

"She gets a fair amount of opportunities,'' Canadian head coach Melody Davidson said. "She's starting to bury it and I'd still like to see her bury it more consistently. She's scoring the goals at the right time for us.''

The Canadian team plays three road games against men's midget triple-A in three nights starting Tuesday in Grande Prairie. Canada stops in Edmonton on Wednesday before taking on the Bisons in Strathmore on Thursday.

The 26 players trying out for Canada's Olympic team have been training daily together in Calgary since Aug. 3.

It's been a regular schedule of games against Alberta Midget Hockey League teams that forces Canada to execute at high speeds, which in turn prepares for the pace of games against the Americans.

"The goalies are so much better and if we can score on them, I feel we can score on anybody,'' Agosta said of playing against the men.

"They're so much quicker, their sticks are longer and the goalies are quicker. You have to think ahead before you get rid of the puck or you have to think what you're going to do when you do get it. They have prepared us for the big games versus the U.S.''

The next meeting between Canada and the Americans will be at the Four Nations Cup in Finland from Nov. 3 to 7. The six-game exhibition series between the two resumes Dec. 12 in Denver, Colo., followed by another meeting Dec. 15 in Calgary.

The U.S. women also scheduled games against males as part of their preparation for the Olympics, but they will not play as many as Canada. The Canadians will have played 31 against the AMHL before the Olympics.

Davidson feels the AMHL games have been the difference in Canada's performance since losing two in a row to the U.S. at the Hockey Canada Cup.

"Work ethic,'' she said. "You can't not work where you play the boys teams. If you don't work, they're going to embarrass you.''

Just three days prior to the most recent win against the U.S., the Canadians fell behind 3-1 against the Calgary Buffaloes, but battled back to win in overtime.

"You can't practise those situations,'' Davidson said.

Wickenheiser says the team's attitude and confidence altered when Canada defeated the U.S. in Victoria. Prior to that win, Canada had lost six of their last eight against the Americans.

"To win that game was a big step for us because it solidified things we were doing and how we felt as a team,'' she explained. "We could trust in ourselves.