ERIE, Pa. – Five current members and an alumnae of the Mercyhurst College women's hockey team have been invited to the Canadian National Women's Under-22 selection camp, beginning on Aug. 7 at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary, Alberta.

Juniors #Vicki Bendus# and #Jesse Scanzano#, sophomores #Bailey Bram#, #Jess Jones# and #Hillary Pattenden#, and 2008 graduate #Laura Hosier# will join 36 other players from various collegiate and club programs in training during the weeklong event.

Selections for the camp were based on evaluations done by Hockey Canada regional scouts and the Canadian National Women's Team coaching staff during the 2008-09 season. These evaluations included performances with Canada's national team, under-18 and under-22 programs, their club teams, along with the National Women's Under-22 Team strength and conditioning/skating camp in May in Calgary, among other criteria.

38 players who were born in 1988 or later were selected to the initial roster, while four others, born prior to 1988, were added after not being selected for centralization with the Canadian Women's National Team. These four players will train with the under-22 team for the 2009-10 season.

The players attending the camp will be eligible to represent Canada at the 2010 MLP Cup in Ravensburg, Germany in early January. Canada has won the tournament six times in seven years, losing just two games. Hockey Canada will also use the camp to select 22 players for a three-game series against Canada's National Women's Team in Calgary in mid August.

The Canadian National Women's Under-22 Team, coached by former Niagara head coach Margot Page, will see 17 members (Bendus and Bram) return from its 2008-09 squad, while six members of Canada's silver medal-winning 2009 National Women's Under-18 Team will be in attendance.

The National Women's Under-22 Team selection camp will see the 42 players divided into two teams – Red and White – which will compete with Sweden's national women's team in a series of games.