LOSS TO U.S. ‘TOUGH ONE’ FOR CANADA
In the end, there were no surprises.
There never really is when these two countries face each other. Canada and the United States have played each in the final of every world championship since the tournament began in 1990.
That wasn’t including the five times they also met in the gold medal game of the Olympics.
As Canadian head coach Laura Schuler said of the familiarity between the two countries, “I think they could probably write out our game plan and we could write out their game plan.”
It was another way of saying this was going to be a close game. Schuler was right. It came down to the wire, but in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,917 at USA Hockey Arena, the Americans defeated Canada 3-2 in overtime.
The goal, scored with 9:43 remaining in the extra frame on a one-timer from Hilary Knight, capped off a back-and-forth game that lived up to the hype and history between these two teams.
“We’re both great teams,” said Knight, who also picked up an assist. “You’re going to try and cut the odds and push them in your favour, but at the end of the day we’re great teams and I think you saw a great hockey game.”
This was the seventh time in the last eight finals that the U.S. had defeated Canada to win the world championship. And though the tables had been turned at the Olympics, with Canada winning each of the last four times, the fact that this was the last meaningful game between the two countries before heading to PyeongChang, South Korea, was not lost on the players.
“This one hurts,” said Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
“It’s going to be a tough one to come back from. But more motivation for us.”
That it was Canada versus the U.S. — and that it was once again a nail-biter of a finish — was what everyone had expected.
And yet, the road to the final could not have been more different for either team.
The U.S. had shutout Canada 2-0 in the round robin portion and had steamrolled through the tournament, outscoring opponents 25-3. Canada, on the other hand, had taken a rockier path to get here. Aside from the loss to the Americans, the Canadians had also lost to Finland for the first time ever.
Against the U.S., Schuler had said that Canada needed “to play smart, play fast and we have to play with resiliency.” More importantly, the Canadians needed to play with heart, an overused characteristic that really meant they needed to want to win more than the U.S. did.
“I think because you have two amazing teams — two great teams — and anytime those two teams face each other it’s back and forth hockey and you don’t know which way it’s going to go,” said Schuler.
“I think these games really come down to heart and passion, who’s going to have the most.”
Canada came out attacking early and often, striking out to a 1-0 lead when Meghan Agosta picked the top corner on a twoon-one play 61 seconds after the opening faceoff. But the U.S. was obviously not going to go down quietly.
About three minutes after Canada’s goal, U.S. defenceman Kacey Bellamy tied the game on a heavy point shot that appeared to change direction as it went past goalie Shannon Szabados.
The second period was a mix of cross-checks, close calls and questionable body contact.
If playing each other time and time again had bred familiarity, it had also bred contempt. That was where the reference to playing with heart came in.
After a scoreless second period, the U.S. took a 2-1 lead 42 seconds into the third period after swarming Canada’s crease.
Taking a between-the-legs pass from Knight, Bellamy snuck down low and scored her second goal of the game.
Canada ended up tying it on a one-timer from Brianne Jenner that initially was waved off because on-ice officials mistakenly believed the puck didn’t actually cross the line.
From there, the game headed toward an inevitable overtime.
The extra period was complete madness, as the teams traded chances looking for the winner. Amanda Kessel of the U.S. had a breakaway that Szabados stopped. And with the puck sitting in the crease, Canada’s Halli Krzyzaniak later swept what could have been a sure goal out of danger.
“Saves or not, anytime you let in that overtime — losing in overtime’s tough,” said Szabados, who made 37 saves. “We did play better ... we tried to grow as the tournament went on, but not quite good enough today.”
Indeed, the American forwards were too much for Canada to handle. The question is whether Canada can learn from this when the teams meet again in next year’s Olympics.
“Definitely wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” said Schuler.
“It was one helluva game and it could have gone either way ... but don’t forget about this moment. Let it fuel us.”