OT goal lifts Canada to victory over U.S. in world hockey final

UTICA, N.Y. — Even with the sting of disappointment evident on her face, United States defenseman Caroline Harvey couldn’t help but acknowledge being part of something special. And riveting.

“I was just on the edge of my seat myself and excited for what was to come,” the 21-year-old said, detailing the relentless intensity put on display in a 6-5 overtime loss to Canada in the women’s world hockey championship gold medal game on Sunday. “The end was devastating. But I was excited to be out there and a part of it.”

Unnerving as it was for Canada coach Troy Ryan to deal with the momentum swings of an outing that featured three lead changes and neither team holding more than a onegoal edge, he enjoyed a brief moment of clarity at one point by telling himself: “I’d love to be a fan sitting up there having a beer watching this one.” Cheers, to you.

In a 10-team tournament that had several nations — Finland, the Czech Republic and even upstart Germany — showing signs of closing the gap on the sport’s two traditional powers, leave it to the U.S. and Canada to ratchet the bar even higher.

Not once. But twice. The thrilling finale, decided on Danielle Serdachny’s power-play goal 5:16 into overtime, came six days after the two rivals tangled in a fastpaced and physical 1-0 overtime win sealed by Kirsten Simms, one of four Americans making their tournament debuts.

In the big picture, the breath-taking outings were another reminder of why U.S. versus Canada in women’s hockey stands as the world’s fiercest rivalry, and showcased a sport that’s suddenly gaining traction in North America with this year’s launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

And make no mistake, the PWHL was a predominant topic of discussion on and off the ice throughout the 12-day tournament. And it included league officials spending much of Saturday morning outlining plans with International Ice Hockey Federations officials that have the potential of changing the women’s hockey calendar, and having an even greater impact of growing the sport internationally.

The discussions revolved around moving the timing of the world championships from April so not to disrupt the PWHL season, which resumes on Thursday, with each of the league’s six teams having five games left.

Adrian Kraus/Associated Press United States forward Hilary Knight, right, celebrates with defensewoman Caroline Harvey after scoring against Canada during the third period in the final at the IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships in Utica, N.Y. on Sunday.