Canadian forward Dara Greig battles with U.S. player Hannah Bilka during the opener of a three game series between the two under-18 national teams in Lake Placid, New York. (Courtesy of Hockey Canada)

The U.S. steamrolled the Canadian Under-18 women’s hockey team in the first period to earn a 4-1 win in the opener of a three-game series between the foes.

The series kicked off on Thursday at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid.

In a span of about eight minutes, the U.S. managed a three-goal lead from which Canada could not bounce back. A U.S. power play kicked off with a goal from Maggie Flaherty about mid-way through the opening frame. That was followed by goals from Casey O’Brien and Makenna Webster.

It was Audrey-Anne Veillette (Drummondville, Que.) who finally put Canada on the scoreboard with a nice passing play from Claire Dalton (Toronto, Ont.) and Willow Slobodzian (Clavet, Sask.) to put them down just two goals after 40 minutes of play.

Related: National U18 Team Gears Up For Summer Hockey Showdown Against U.S.

However, Canada could not dig their way out of the hole from the first period and the U.S. added and empty netter (Abbey Murphy) with 37 seconds left in the game.

Canadian netminder Halle Oswald (Sanford, Man.), who split duties with Madelyn McArthur (St. Catherine, Ont.) let in three goals on 14 shots.

Canada will meet the U.S. again on Aug. 18. Puck drop is at 5 p.m. EST. All the games are live-streamed via HockeyTV.com (subscription required).

Ice Chips:

Canada named their team captains earlier in the day for the three-game series against the U.S.

The four returnees from Canada’s silver medal-winning team at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship have been named as part of the leadership group for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team during the Lake Placid series.

The group is led by captain Brooke McQuigge (Bowmanville, Ont.), and alternate captains Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont.), Audrey-Anne Veillette (Drummondville, Que.), and Courtney Vorster (Richmond, B.C.).

“Our team is made up of a group of very talented, mature young women, all of whom have shown us they are leaders in and of their own right,” said head coach Delaney Collins before the series.

“Our captains for the series – Brooke, Sarah, Audrey-Anne, and Courtney – have the leadership skills and the experience of short-term competition from the last world championship which will help this group achieve our shared goals during our three-game series in Lake Placid. As a team, we are looking forward to putting our preparation and work on the ice this evening and representing Canada with pride.”