The second annual Rivalry Series between Team USA and Team Canada begins tonight at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Tonight’s game is the first of a five-game series between the two eternal rivals that wraps up on Feb. 8 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.
What: Opening game of the second annual Rivalry Series between USA and Canada.
When: Friday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. eastern
Where: XL Center in Hartford, CT
How: NBCSN and TSN
GAME DAY!
Canada 🇨🇦 and the United States 🇺🇸 go head-to-head in the #RivalrySeries, LIVE today at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN3, the #TSN App & TSN Direct…https://t.co/3PTSwVFR94#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/VMK778Ymfe
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) December 14, 2019
USA and Canada are back on the ice together for the first time since they met earlier this year in Pittsburgh. Canada swept that series against the USA by a combined score of 9-4.
But it’s a new day for Team USA and a new look for the teams as more young players will get a chance to get their feet wet at the senior level. So who’s worth watching?
You can read a more in-depth story about Team USA’s roster here, but there are six total players making their USA senior team debut: Kelly Browne, Natalie Buchbinder, Britta Curl, Clair DeGeorge, Aerin Frankel, and Abby Roque. If she gets the start, goalie Aerin Frankel will certainly be one to watch. While Katie Burt is widely regarded as one of Team USA’s goalies of the future, Frankel has been absolutely lights out for Northeastern. Could she give Burt a run for her money? We’ll have to wait and see.
Also fresh off Boston University’s sweep of Boston College is Jesse Compher, another up-and-coming star for Team USA. She’ll try to keep her momentum going against some tougher competition in Team Canada.
Team Canada is going with a more seasoned roster, with familiar faces including Rebecca Johnston, Brianne Jenner, Marie-Philip Poulin and Natalie Spooner. Also returning are veterans Meghan Agosta and Meaghan Mikkelson, who will be worth keeping an eye on to see how they adjust to being back on the ice with Team Canada in game action.
One of the few youngsters on Canada’s roster is Jamie Bourbonnais, who hasn’t looked out of place in any of her other games with the senior team. She’s a player who could be instrumental for Team Canada in the next Olympic cycle, and seeing how much ice time she gets on a team full of seasoned blueliners will be interesting to watch.