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CWHL All-Star Game Recap: Poulin's two goals leads Team Chu

Jen Neale

TORONTO, Ont. -- Marie-Philip Poulin is known well to American hockey fans as the Canadian who crushed the gold medal dreams of the USA in Sochi.

In the CWHL All-Star Game at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday, she turned her prowess for scoring goals against the All-Stars on Team Spooner. Clad in the black and white colors of the Brampton Thunder, Poulin netted the first goal of the game on her Les Canadiennes de Montreal teammate Charline Labonte.

For an All-Star Game, the pace was high tempo throughout. So much so the venerable Hayley Wickenheiser, playing for Team Chu in black, threw her stick across the crease at the puck when Montreal's Katia Clement-Heydra got behind her.

That is a no no and Clement-Heydra was awarded a penalty shot. However, she would not prevail as Toronto Furies goaltender, Christina Kessler denied the forward with a poke check.

Team Chu's Jillian Saulnier closed out the period by capitalizing on a Dru Burns turnover in front of the net. Putting the team in black up 2-0.

Almost midway through the second period, Poulin struck again. She connected for a second time with Montreal teammate Caroline Ouellette in addition to the previous goal scorer, Saulnier of the Calgary Inferno. Team Chu now up 3-0.

Midway through the second, starting goaltenders Kessler and Labonte were switched out for Genevieve Lacasse of Team Spooner and Delayne Brian of Team Chu.

Jessica Campbell was the first to put Team Spooner, wearing the white and blue of the Toronto Furies, on the board with a goal on a backwards pass from Brittany Esposito. The two goal deficit was short-lived for Team Spooner. Who else but women's hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser connected on a beauty of a cross crease pass by Jess Jones to put Team Chu up 4-1.

The third period saw play slow down a little bit.

There was a rare All-Star Game power play when Team Spooner goaltender Lacasse inadvertently threw the puck over the glass and into the crowd. It was pretty clear the special teams weren't something either team had practiced. Team Chu did not capitalize on the opportunity.

For the final goal of the game, Laura Fortino shot the puck on net. It slipped just under Lacasse's pad as she dropped down. Waiting at the opposite post was Kim Deschênes to tip it in. Team Chu wins it 5-1.

There were 5,400 tickets sold for the event; with approximately 4,000-plus people in attendance. Commissioner Brenda Andress said 22 private suites were utilized for groups outside of the CWHL's Board of Governors, who occupied the only suite used in last year's All-Star Game.  

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.

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