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KAMLOOPS, B.C. - Canadas kids passed their first test at the Four Nations Cup with flying colours.Jillian Saulnier and Jamie Lee Rattray each scored their first goal at the senior level Tuesday as the host country opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Sweden.The 22-year-olds are among 10 players making their debut for Canada as the womens national program looks to develop its next generation of talent with an eye towards the 2018 Olympics.Im really excited to get the first tournament under my belt, said Rattray. Its a stepping stone and hopefully theres more to come.Canadas roster has a much different look than the one that scored the dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind overtime victory against the United States at the Sochi Olympics.Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Caroline Ouellette, Gillian Apps, Meaghan Mikkelson, as well as goaltenders Shannon Szabados and Charline Labonte, are among the veterans who were left off roster for the event at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops to give younger players a taste of the international stage.Hockey Canada held a camp in September ahead of the tournament and made it clear to all the invitees whats expected of them at this level.We told them right from the beginning: We didnt bring you in here just to experience the camp. We brought you here because we believe you can play on this team, said Canadian head coach Doug Derraugh. They proved us right.Canadian captain Haley Irwin, one of the veterans on the team, said it was exciting to see the youth coming up through the ranks.Its awesome for (Saulnier and Rattray) to get their first goals in their first game, said Irwin. Our young group is very talented, very skilled, very hard working. As we go through the tournament well see them get better and better.Emerance Maschmeyer — a 20-year-old who also played her first game for Canada — made 12 saves to record the shutout on Tuesday, while Kim Martin Hasson stopped 40 shots for Sweden in a losing effort.I love getting shots, said Maschmeyer. But I cant complain about not getting shots because that means my teams doing really well.In the days other game, Dani Cameranesi had a goal and an assist as the U.S. opened its schedule with a 5-0 victory over Finland.Canada plays its rival to the south on Wednesday in the first meeting between the two teams since Sochi, something that definitely isnt lost on the young players.Its just a healthy, competitive rivalry, said Saulnier. Its always a big game and the countries love it. Its something thats very hard-fought and very clean. Its a good battle so its definitely a fun one to play in.After Saulnier scored to give her team a 1-0 lead in the first period against Sweden, Rattray calmed any Canadian nerves 2:31 into the second, moving in and ripping a shot upstairs shortside on Hasson.I was pretty excited to get out there and the atmosphere was pretty fun, said Rattray. Its pretty great to be in your home country and its definitely a great way to start.Canada and the U.S. remain the two dominant powers in womens hockey, and Hasson was the only reason Canada didnt win by a more lopsided scoreline. Sweden barely touched the puck in the second period as Canada cycled for entire shifts and held a 19-0 edge in shots.Every team has their own style of play, said Saulnier. Its really important we stick to our game plan and try not to focus too much on theirs. Just focus on the little things and hopefully that will work for us.Sweden had a bit more pushback in the third, but Hasson continued standing tall to keep the deficit at just two, making big saves on Rebecca Johnston and Jessica Campbell.Saulnier opened the scoring at 7:22 of the first period, taking a feed from Jenelle Kohanchuk off the rush and firing a quick shot past Hasson.As expected, the Canadians came in waves throughout the opening 20 minutes, controlling the puck for long stretches on an ice surface that looked to be tilted in one direction. But they couldnt find another way past Hasson, despite a 12-5 shot advantage, often passing up clear opportunities in search of a better options that werent there against an opponent content to collapse in front of its own net.There was a couple times when we came right around the slot and werent even looking for the shot — we were looking to make a play, said Derraugh. I think especially when you have a younger team with some veterans they tend to do that.With a step up in class at the tournament just around the corner, the players know they will have be more ruthless in front of goal in order to succeed.I think it was a good first start for us, especially with a lot of newcomers, said Irwin. Im sure they had a few nerves. Theres always things we can get better at.We have to bury the puck on 42 shots more than twice, but thats something that will come.Notes: Canada has won the Four Nations Cup tournament 13 times — including last year in Lake Placid, N.Y. — while the U.S. claimed the other five titles. ... The teams are gearing up for the womens world hockey championship, which runs from March 28 to April 4 in Malmo, Sweden. ... Apart from Canadas veteran core, the team in Kamloops is also without Marie-Philip Poulin — who scored the late equalizer as well as the winner against the U.S. at the Olympics — because of an undisclosed injury. 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Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, grew up in Ogden, Utah, far from any NFL city, and became a fan of the Los Angeles Rams because shes an Aries and liked their uniforms. For Guequierre, raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and now a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, it was a family affair. Treasured season tickets for the Green Bay Packers were acquired by his grandfather, passed on to his father, and now are his. The cover photo of his Facebook page shows the towering statue of a Packers wide receiver. For Kendell, Guequierre and other gay fans of the NFL, their passion for pro football was rewarded May 10 with a moment they describe as thrilling: the decision by the Rams -- now of St. Louis -- to make Sam the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team. "I feel like my support for the NFL now doesnt have an asterisk come with it," Kendell said. "Its now truly Americas game." The milestone has made gay fans more enthusiastic and already is drawing newcomers into the fold. Many may become Rams fans or -- like Guequierre -- henceforth consider St. Louis "my second favourite team." The NFL says it hasnt done any marketing research to gauge the size of its gay and lesbian fan base. Gay sports fans surveyed by Outsports said pro football was their favourite sport by far. Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler said that Sam -- if he makes the Rams roster -- will further boost the NFLs popularity among gays. "People who have never liked football are buying Michael Sam jerseys," he said. "People who have never watched a game watched the draft." As of midweek, Sams Rams jersey was the No. 2 seller among rookies at NFLShop.com, trailing only Johnny Manziel, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Sam -- although drafted 249th out of 256 players -- also was among just 10 draftees selected by the league to be featured on special bronze and silver commemorative coins, according to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. Howard Bragman, a public relations expert who has been working with Sam, expects the NFL and advertisers to capitalize on fans excitement over Sams debut. "The first time he plays, youre going to have huge numbers watching," said Bragman, the vice chairman of Reputation.com. "The NFL is a business," Bragman added. "It understands very well that LGBT fans are passionate, they have good incomes, theyre concentrated in NFL cities." Sam already has done a nationally televised ad for Visa. "The tide has turned," Bragman said. "Martina Navratillova said she lost endorsements after she came out.dddddddddddd Youll find that Michael will do very well." That doesnt mean the NFLs advertisers will shift their focus away from heterosexual young males, nor are sexy female cheerleader squads likely to disappear. But gay fans may be all the more at peace with such things. "We know who theyre marketing to with those ads," said Guequierre. "Most (gay) people I know are OK with that. We dont feel like were being left out." Now based in Washington, D.C., Guequierre, 36, tries to attend at least one Packers home game per year, and makes his tickets for the other games available to relatives and friends, including a lesbian couple who are devoted fans. Guequierre said gay fans, like gay athletes, increasingly feel less pressure to conceal their sexual orientation while at games. He recalled an incident at a Packers game a few years ago, when he stood up and vocally scolded a fan behind him who had called a Chicago Bears player a homophobic slur. "No one else gave me a hard time," Guequierre said. "The guy looked embarrassed. ... He came across as the bad guy." Guequierres passion for football extends to the playing field -- hes an avid competitor in the D.C. Gay Flag Football League, which has 20 teams and about 275 players. One of the main sponsors is Nellies Sports Bar, one of a wave of gay sports bars that have opened up in cities nationwide. Doug Schantz, co-owner of Nellies, says there are now 25 TVs in the bar, all tuned to sports, with pro baseball and the NFL neck-and-neck as the most popular. "With the Redskins, it doesnt matter if theyre bad or good," Schantz said. On the other side of the country, Kate Kendell has settled into San Francisco, and is a zealous 49ers fan -- though her girlhood love of the Rams is now rekindled. She has raised her 17-year-old son to share her football passions. "On Monday nights, we break with tradition of sitting around the table as family," Kendell said. "We all watch the game. I leave office early to make sure were there for kickoff." Kendell expressed delight that gay youths would now be able to grow up with openly gay sports stars as role models. "Many of my gay male friends are not sports fans -- not because of lack of interest, but because their earliest introduction to sports made them feel stigmatized and shamed," she said, evoking epithets such as "You throw like a girl." "While surely there will continue to be homophobic remarks, there is a sense of a corner being turned," she said. "What I feel more than anything is a sense of elation and joy, that the game I loved since I was a kid I can now embrace without reservations." ' ' '