Alexis Larson and Team Canada won silver at the 2017 Winter Universiade. They lost 4-1 to Team Russia in the gold medal game on Monday.
Alexis Larson is a former Weyburn athlete, who now plays for the University of Regina Cougars. Saskatchewan was also represented by University of Regina Cougars teammates Kylie Gavelin and Jaycee Magwood.
“I was completely honoured to be representing Canada,” said Larson. “I was very humbled and proud to have been chosen. I still forget that it is real sometimes. To represent Canada is something I have dreamed of since I was a young girl, and to have this dream become a reality is something I am very grateful for.”
In the semi-final game, Team Canada won 8-1 over Team USA.
During the round robin, Canada picked up three wins in the round robin. They opened the tournament with a 9-1 win over China, topped Great Britain 14-0, and then won 11-0 over Kazakhstan. Larson picked up a goal and two assists in the win over Britain. Gavelin, who also played for the Southern Range Gold Wings before moving on to the U of R, had three assists in the tournament, while Magwood had two goals and two assists.
The 2017 Winter Universiade was held in Kazakhstan from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8. It featured a number of different sports competitions during the week.
The 22-player Team Canada roster featured 20 members who skated for Team CIS at Hockey Canada’s Women’s Development Camp in August. Eight players come from the Canada West conference, along with seven from Ontario University Athletics, five from the RSEQ in Quebec and two from Atlantic University Sport.
Larson is playing her fifth season with the University of Regina Cougars, after coming off a 2015-16 season in which she led Canada West defencemen with five goals. The blue-liner out of Weyburn also added nine helpers, good enough for fourth on the Cougars. Larson was also named a Canada West second-team all star.
