Desbiens getting chance in goal for Canada

VANCOUVER -- Ann-Renee Desbiens was ready for her latest turn with Canada's national women's team after playing on one of the biggest and most unusual stages of her career.

The goalie made 21 saves for Canada in its first victory in three tries in the best-of-5 Rivalry Series, a 3-2 overtime victory against the United States, at Save-on-Foods Memorial Center in Victoria on Monday.
That followed her performance in the Elite Women's 3-on-3 sponsored by adidas at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis.
Though considered an exhibition, the stakes were huge for the 25-year-old and the other women involved. In Desbiens' mind, the game, before a sold-out crowd at Enterprise Center, was crucial to the future of women's hockey.
"You go to the Olympics and yes, you represent your country, you represent yourself, your family, but the experience at the NHL All-Star Game was so much more than that," Desbiens said. "It was women's hockey as a whole, so there's a lot of pressure. From a goalie perspective, 3-on-3 is not your stage to shine usually, so I just went there to have fun and enjoy the experience."
Though the All-Star experience allowed Desbiens to wear the Canada jersey again, the game on Monday was her game with the full national team since the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where she won a silver medal. Desbiens says she has played sparingly for much of the past year, having returned to the University of Wisconsin to pursue a master's degree in accounting.
She says she has done some coaching, mixed in a few rec league games with men's teams and played two events with the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association before the All-Star Game and the Rivalry Series.

In an era when NHL backups often lament being unable to stay sharp when they go more than a week between starts, it's impressive Desbiens has found ways to play well while playing rarely.
"It definitely has been challenging, but I feel like I've done a lot of goalie sessions, which is kind of funny because now I see in my game more calmness and more structure. I used to scramble way more," said Desbiens. "We have mini-camps with Team Canada every other week and a total of seven before World Championships, so it definitely helps to face those girls because they're the best in the world, but there's nothing that compares to games, so I'm definitely looking to play more."
Desbiens could get that chance soon.
Canada lost the fourth game of the Rivalry Series, 3-1, on Wednesday with Emerance Maschmeyer in goal. The fifth game is in Anaheim on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; NHL Network) and Desbiens could play.
Soon after, preparations start in earnest for the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship in Nova Scotia, Canada, which runs from March 31-April 10. Desbiens will most likely compete with Maschmeyer and Genevieve Lacasse, the two other Canadian goalies in the Rivalry Series, for playing time.
In the Elite Women's 3-on-3, Desbiens made 15 saves in Canada's 2-1 victory against the United States, punctuating her performance with a dramatic glove save off Amanda Kessel at the final buzzer of the two-period game.
"It was stressful in a way because it was bigger than just me," she said, "but at the same time as a goalie, it's like, well, whatever happens, happens."

Don't confuse Desbiens' relaxed approach with a lack of preparation.
To get ready for the Elite Women's showcase and the Rivalry Series, she spent extra time with Canada national women's Team goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood in Calgary, where he also runs Top Prospects Goaltending School.
Desbiens adjusted her game, specifically for a 3-on-3 format. She focused on maintaining a calm, patient mindset and holding her skate edges in the expectation of encountering more lateral plays and breakaways typical of the 3-on-3 format.
"We did prep a little," Kirkwood said. "We played a little deeper, a little wider, worked on a ton of puck play, which she's strong at anyway but we knew she could be an asset in that area."
She also continued goalie-specific skates with USA goalie Alex Rigsby Cavallini and Wisconsin-based coach Larry Clemens.
Technical tinkering has been part of the process for Desbiens since she completed her career at the University of Wisconsin by winning the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Award as the top female college hockey player. She set NCAA records with 56 career shutouts and a 543:53 shutout streak as a junior and posted another shutout in her Olympic debut in PyeongChang in 2018.
The success she had in such a high-pressure situation in St. Louis, as well as in her first Rivalry Series appearance, has her ready for any challenge.
"[It's] just being happy mentally, being in a good place, loving the game, wanting to show up to their rink," Desbiens said. "I'm definitely an easy-going goalie. It's just another hockey game, whether you play in an NHL rink at the All-Star Game or the Olympics. I like to have fun."