The IIHF Women’s World Championship came to a thrilling conclusion on Tuesday as Canada captured victory in an emotional 3-2 overtime win.
There is a very good reason matchup’s between the US and Canada get referred to as the greatest rivalry in sports. That was shown once again in Tuesday’s IIHF Women’s World Championship Gold Medal game between the North American countries in Calgary, AB. Both played an exceptional tournament and rightfully earned their spot in this game, but it was Canada who captured the victory in an emotional 3-2 overtime win.
Game Summary
On the score sheet, the United States were the better team through the first 20 minutes as Alex Carpenter scored a pair of goals for the Americans around the midway point of the period. But the Canadians had their chances too. If it weren’t for some skillful saves from Nicole Hensley, Canada would have been right there on the scoreboard.
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In the second period, Brianne Jenner tucked in one past Hensley on the power play to get Canada within one. About two and a half minutes later, Jamie-Lee Rattray continued her clutch play and tipped in a point shot from Jocelyne Larocque. This put the Canadians in a much better spot, all tied up going into the third.
Both sides were hungry for the possible game-winner in the third turning the third frame into a big goaltender battle. Marie-Philip Poulin and Brianne Jenner showed a lot of their line chemistry with some of the best opportunities of the period on their sticks. A preview of what would come later. Ultimately, this game could not be decided in regulation so it went to overtime.
Marie-Philip Poulin got a beautiful set-up from Brianne Jenner in the third and attacked the top corner. At first glance, there was some question of whether or not it stayed in the net or hit the crossbar and bounced out. But after the game, Poulin shared in the post-game press conference that she knew it was in. After an official review, the buzzer sounded and the Canadians celebrated their golden victory to their fullest.
THE GOLDEN GOAL! 🥇#WomensWorlds | #OurGameIsBack | @pou29 pic.twitter.com/tL3mbdYzLJ
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) September 1, 2021
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin was also given the honor of awarding her team with their medals. Even including Blayre Turnbull on a stretcher after suffering an injury in overtime.
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How They Got Here
Through the Preliminaries, Team USA and Team Canada were undefeated through their first three games with their fourth being against each other. Canada was the better team in their first meeting with the United States and took away their perfect record. It was a battle between two powerhouses as the United States’ only losses all tournament were against Canada.
Preliminary Scores
CAN vs. FIN: 5-3
SUI vs. USA: 0-3
CAN vs. ROC: 5-1
FIN vs. USA: 0-3
USA vs. ROC: 6-0
SUI vs. CAN: 0-5
USA vs. CAN: 1-5
Playoff Scores
USA vs. JPN: 10-2
CAN vs. GER: 7-0
USA vs. FIN: 3-0
CAN vs. SUI: 4-0
Finals
USA vs. CAN: 2-3 (OT)
Awards and Accolades
Media members that covered this tournament were offered the opportunity to vote on the tournament all-star team and the tournament MVP. Four players from these two teams were recognized for their play.
Stecklein Lee (Team USA): Top Defender, All-Star Team Defender
Daoust Melodie (Team Canada): Top Forward, Most Valuable Player, All-Star Team Forward
Erin Ambrose (Team Canada): All-Star Team Defender
Natalie Spooner (Team Canada): All-Star Team Forward
The Road Ahead
This tournament was a great showing for Women’s professional hockey and if you enjoyed that, there is more to come in the future. The Beijing Olympics are set to begin on February 4, 2022, and most of these women will be back in action. There could even be an USA vs. Canada rematch in the near future.