Canada seeks to turn the tables on U.S. for women’s world hockey gold medal
CANADA 4
CZECHIA 0
UTICA, New York — Canada lost the women’s world hockey championship gold medal on home ice to the United States last year, so poetic justice will be on the minds of Canadian players in Utica, New York, today.
The two countries will clash for women’s international ice hockey supremacy at the Adirondack Bank Center a year after the U.S. doubled Canada 6-3 for gold in Brampton, Ont.
“Our goal is to win,” Canadian forward Blayre Turnbull said. “It doesn’t necessarily matter that we’re in the States, but I think it would feel a little bit special considering they beat us last year on home soil.”
Canada and the U.S. will clash for gold for the 22nd time in 23 world championship finals.
The Canadians blanked Czechia 4-0 and the U.S. shut out Finland 5-0 in Saturday’s semifinals.
Veteran defender Jocelyne Larocque scored and had an assist for Canada in the semifinal. Her goal was the 35-yearold’s second in 10 world championship appearances.
Turnbull and Sarah Fillier also scored in Canada’s victory.
Ann-Renee Desbiens posted a nine-save shutout in the Canada’s net, and thus won’t be worn out for the gold-medal game. Her Czech counterpart Klara Peslarova stopped 43 shots in the loss.
Clark and Larocque became the 14th and 15th players on Canada’s roster to score in the tournament.
American forward Taylor Heise believes a home crowd behind her team today will be an advantage.
“Having people getting under like other team’s skin and everything like that, like that’s a plus-one that we’ve talked about in the media,” Heise said. “It’s something that we can’t control and other teams can’t control, but it’s in our favour.”
The Americans edged Canada 1-0 in overtime Monday in Group A in the fastest and hardest game played between the two countries.
A combined 30 players on the two rosters are in their first season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the remainder played in the NCAA.
The fleet-footed U.S. will again want to take away time and space and force Canada in all three zones to make quick decisions with the puck.
“I would say Monday was probably the fastest game I’ve ever been a part of, so it was a lot of fun,” Larocque said. “I don’t see it not being the same [today]. The rivalry when you’re wearing that Canadian and American jersey, it just brings it out, and especially at a world championship, it brings it up a notch.”
Canada’s roster is older with an average age of 28 compared with 24 for the U.S.
“Probably against what a lot of people think, we don’t look at what roster the Americans are putting out and then adjust our roster to match it,” Canadian head coach Troy Ryan said. “We pick the best players that we think are available. No matter what happens [today], I can say one hundred per cent I would pick the exact same lineup.”
Fillier, the 2023 tournament MVP, scored her second of the tournament in Saturday’s third period.
Her linemate and captain Marie-Philip Poulin has been held without a goal in the tournament, but has played with an edge to get under opposing players’ skins. She got into a shoving match with Czechia’s Noemi Neubauerova late in Saturday’s semifinal.
Poulin missed three PWHL Montreal games before the international break and sat out a pre-tournament win over Finland heading into the tournament because of an undisclosed injury.
“I like the jam that she’s showing,” Ryan said.