New-look Inferno aiming to heat up CWHL
Canada, U.S. Olympians lead star-studded roster in anticipation of Oct. 13 puck drop
The Calgary Inferno are ready to light the world on fire.
Or at least the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
The 2018-19 edition of the Inferno is set after an intense week of training camp leading into the CWHL season, with their opening puck drop slated for Oct. 13 in Montreal.
The home opener then follows a week later, Oct. 20 against China’s KRS Vanke Rays.
The Inferno boast a change in the roster from last season with only 15 players returning and the rest as new additions to the team.
The all-star lineup includes a number of Olympians from Pyeongchang including: two members of the United States goldmedal team (Kacey Bellamy and Brianna Decker), four members of the Canadian silver-medal team (Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Brigette Lacquette and Blayre Turnbull), one member of the Finnish bronze-medal team (Venla Hovi) and one member of Team Japan (Aina Mizukami).
“The Inferno tryouts were competitive and making selections was difficult. The coaches have selected 25 great players to make up the new 2018-19 Inferno team, and now we take our first step forward together,” said Inferno head coach Shannon Miller.
“We have what it takes for greatness and it’s going to be an exciting season.”
The trio of goaltenders is Annie Belanger, Lindsey Post and Alex Rigsby.
The blue-line crew is comprised of Bellamy, Lacquette, Mizukami, Katelyn Gosling, Tori Hickel, Halli Krzyzaniak and Kelly Murray.
And the forwards are Decker, Hovi, Jenner, Johnston, Turnbull, Kelty Apperson, Laura Dostaler, Zoe Hickel, Rhianna Kurio, Erica Kromm, Rebecca Leslie, Eden Murray, Louise Warren, Kaitlin Willoughby and Dakota Woodworth.
The Calgary Inferno would like to recognize the contributions from all players including those who will not return with the team this season. Hayleigh Cudmore, Megan Grenon and Elana Lovell have been dedicated to community involvement and promoting women’s sport during their tenure with the Inferno. Cudmore and Lovell were part of the 2016 Clarkson Cup championship team. Lovell was named the 2016 CWHL Rookie of the Year. Cudmore’s contributions off the ice include serving on the CWHL Player’s Association for the past four seasons, including a role as co-chair of the association in 2017-18.
In addition, one of the Inferno’s top scorers from the past two seasons, Iya Gavrilova, is taking the season off to recover after tearing her ACL in the final game of the playoffs last season. She had surgery on Aug. 24 and is now on a sixto nine-month recovery period.