Two Future Buckeyes Named to Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Ohio State signees Laura McIntosh and Natalie Spooner to play in inaugural IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championships
COLUMBUS, Ohio Two future Buckeyes in forwards Laura McIntosh and Natalie Spooner have been named to Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, Hockey Canada announced. The team will compete in the inaugural World Women’s Under-18 Championship hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation, Jan. 7-12 in Calgary, Alberta.
The pair signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to join the Ohio State women’s hockey team for the 2008-09 season, as announced by head coach Jackie Barto, Dec. 4. Both McIntosh and Spooner were members of the Canadian squad that swept Team USA in a three-game series in August at Lake Placid, N.Y. Spooner served as an assistant captain of that team.
The two are part of the 20-player roster that will compete against seven other teams the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden and the U.S. The event will be held at the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena and Norma Bush Arena in Calgary.
McIntosh, a native of Waterloo, Ontario, plays for the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League and attends Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Prior to her two seasons with Mississauga, she was a member of the Waterloo AAA boys team and Brampton Canadettes. This November, McIntosh helped Team Ontario Red win the gold medal in the Under-18 National Hockey Tournament to follow her gold medal with Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games in March. She earned the sportsmanship award for the Under-18 tournament. She also was a member of the Canadian Under-18 summer team that won the summer series against the Under-18 Team USA squad this August. Last season with Mississauga, McIntosh helped the Chiefs win the bronze medal at the PWCL Provincial Championships. She received the team’s MVP award after leading the league in scoring with 54 points with 21 goals and 33 assists in 32 games. McIntosh also has excelled in field hockey, softball, badminton and golf, earning a total of 10 team MVP awards at Bluevale.
Spooner, from Toronto, Ontario, is a member of the Durham West Jr. Lightning of the PWHL and attends Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute. Spooner was a member of Team Ontario Red with fellow signee McIntosh, serving as captain of the squad and leading it to the gold medal in the Under-18 National Hockey Tournament. Spooner was the assistant captain of the Canadian Under-18 summer team that won the summer series against the Under-18 Team USA squad this August. She also competed for Team White, who won the event, in the 2007 Team Canada Fall Festival a national team camp for Hockey Canada. Last season, Spooner was the leading goal scorer in the Ontario PWHL with 32 goals. She captains the Lightning this season after serving as assistant captain in 2006-07. At Cedarbrae, she has been named the school’s athlete of the year the last six years in a row.
Along with McIntosh and Spooner, the 2008-09 Ohio State women’s hockey signees include Brittany Carlson of Hudson, Wis., Melissa Feste of Bloomington, Minn., Lauren Smith of Burnsville, Minn., Kim Theut of Harrison Township, Mich., and Kelly Wild of Mendota Heights, Minn.
