Canada, U.S. to face off for gold
Longtime rivals both blank opponents in semis
CALGARY • A couple of years have elapsed since Canada has had the opportunity to prove its worth on the world women’s hockey stage.
The team gets that chance on Tuesday.
Canada advanced to the 2021 IIHF championship final by beating a scrappy Switzerland 4-0 in their semifinal on Monday at Winsport. Canada will now meet the U.S. in the gold medal final — no surprise there — which is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The Americans defeated a game Finland squad in their semi, to the tune of 3-0.
In their round-robin meeting, Canada had blanked the Swiss 5-0 and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought this game would go any differently. In the end, save for one less goal, it did not.
Canada buzzed around the Swiss net from the opening faceoff and at 5:14 Brianne Jenner made an exceptional pass to Renata Fast, who redirected the puck past Andrea Braendli.
Less than two minutes later, Mélodie Daoust scored on a screened Braendli, and quick as that the Swiss were on their collective heels. Canada continued to infiltrate the Swiss zone with relative ease and fired 20 shots at Braendli, while her teammates managed just two on Ann-renée Desbiens.
With Sarah Forster off for roughing, Daoust notched her second of the game at 5:32 of the second when her shot bounced over the Swiss goaltender and into the net.
That period, as well, was dominated by Canada. The Swiss players were on the Canadians quickly but the latter were able to use their greater skill to find seams and create opportunities. Occasionally the Swiss had a foray of their own into the opposition zone, but more often than not they were pounced upon by Canadian defenders.
Twenty-three more shots came the beleaguered Braendli’s way in the second, while Switzerland had six.
Switzerland had a power play of its own at the end of that frame, but their attack was toothless.
Back to equal numbers in the third meant that it was more Canadian puck handling in the Swiss end. If anything, the Canadians were even more dominant in the third than they’d been all game. Switzerland’s Noemi Ryhner came closest, however, when she hit the post on a short-handed breakaway. Rebecca Johnston added the fourth Canada tally late in the game with the extra skater.
The final shot total was 65-10.
Canada will attempt to win its first world gold medal since 2012, the past five going to the U.S. In what they hope will be a harbinger, Canada throttled the Americans 5-1 in their round-robin outing.
“Here’s the thing, I really believe we just wanted to get to the championship game,” said U.S. head coach Joel Johnson.
“We’re not spending a lot of time thinking back. We’ll go back and scout that game and make sure if there’s anything we can learn from that group stage game.
“We’re having success. We’re predictable for one another. That’s what we want to do. I don’t know if firing on all cylinders is possible, but I feel we’re as close to it as we’ve been all tournament.”
The U.S. had a slightly tougher opponent on its hands. They outshot the Finns 15-4 in the first, but nothing that goalie Anni Keisala couldn’t handle. It was the Finns who had some near misses, including a goalpost late in the period. Finland also had a 5-on-3, but failed to register a shot.
The U.S. stormed out of the gate in the second and it was a Lee Stecklein point shot that was tipped past Kiesala by Alex Carpenter at 3:23.
The entire period was played virtually in the Finnish end and eventually Abbey Murphy drove to the front of the net and pushed the puck by Kiesala for a 2-0 U.S. lead.
In the last five minutes of the game, Finnish head coach Pasi Mustonen repeatedly took his goalie out for an extra attacker in the hopes of putting a dent in the U.S. lead, but it was captain Kendall Coyne Schofield who sealed the deal with an empty-netter.
The fifth-place game between ROC and Japan goes at 10 a.m. Tuesday, while the bronze medal decider featuring Finland and Switzerland is at 1:30 p.m.