Canada earned gold at the 2013 World Ball Hockey Championships, buoyed by the play of four former members of the Gee-Gees women's hockey team. Past captains Danika Smith, Erika Pouliot, and Fannie Desforges, as well as assistant captain Alicia Blomberg were presented with their hardware on Sunday evening in St. John's, Nfld. following Canada's 2-0 win over Slovakia.
Canada ran the table in the tournament, which is held every two years, posting wins over Czech Republic, Great Britain, and Greece in the preliminary games. Greece had their own uOttawa player on the roster - Tessa Dimitrakopoulos of the Gee-Gees women's soccer team scored three goals for the Greek side to lead them in scoring during the tournament.
In the medal round Canada cruised to the gold medal game with 15-1 and 8-0 scores over Switzerland and the USA, respectively. Fannie Desforges tallied seven playoff points, including a five-goal performance against Switzerland. Desforges scored an additional three goals and three assists in the round robin, and was named the MVP of the tournament.
Blomberg was also honoured with an individual award, earning the Best Forward nod thanks to her eleven points over the course of the tournament.
All four Gee-Gees alumni were selected to the team after being scouted at the Canadian Ball Hockey Association national championship, and were joined in St. John's by four members of the CWHL as part of Canada's 23-women roster.
The first place result is Canada's third gold medal at the women's world championship and also marks the first time Canada hosted the event. Canada won gold medals at the inaugural 2007 worlds in Dusseldorf, Germany, and the 2009 worlds in Pilsen, Czech Republic. The red and white claimed the silver medal at the 2011 worlds in Bratislava, Slovakia.
