Shannon Szabados released from men's pro team

Goaltender Shannon Szabados has been released by the Peoria Rivermen after two games with the Southern Professional Hockey League team.

The team announced that Szabados, who helped Canada win gold in Olympic women's hockey in 2010 and 2014, was cut along with fellow goaltender Storm Phaneuf following the Rivermen's opening weekend losses to the Huntsville Havoc.

Peoria was outscored 11-2 over those games, and Szabados, who played in parts of both games, had a goals-against average of 6.10 and a save percentage of .792.

"After our first two games, I thought our goaltending wasn't good enough to compete, and changes had to be made," Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel said in a statement.

Szabados, a 30-year-old from Edmonton, spent the last two seasons in goal for the SPHL's Columbus Cottonmouths.

Her overall record was 20-20-6 and she carried a save percentage over .900 each year.

The move could be good news for the Canadian national women's team as it works toward the 2018 Winter Olympics. Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada's director for the women's program, had indicated previously that Szabodos' pursuit of a spot in the men's league could conflict with training for the women's team.