Canada claimed its first women’s world hockey championship in almost a decade Tuesday when Marie-Philip Poulin scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over the United States.
The Canadians won gold nine years after their last time atop the podium in 2012, and after not reaching the final for the first time in the history of the tournament in 2019.
The U.S had won five world titles in a row and eight of the previous nine.
Poulin scored at 7:22 of 3-on-3 overtime. Brianne Jenner passed the puck up to the captain whose shot went off the crossbar and into the net.
WATCH | Marie-Philip Poulin seals gold medal victory for Canada with OT winner:
Poulin scores beautiful OT winner to clinch Canada gold at the worlds
7 hours ago
Marie-Philip Poulin scored a fantastic goal to give Canada the 3-2 win and their first gold medal at the worlds since 2012. 2:21
The goal was initially waived off by an on-ice official, but the Canadians were soon piling on top of each other in celebration.
“It’s been awhile since 2012. It’s been a long time coming,” Poulin said. “The team showed up tonight and I think we stayed resilient.”
Assistant captain Blayre Turnbull suffered a leg injury during the celebration pileup. She was carried off the ice before returning to celebrate from a stretcher with her teammates during the Canadian anthem.
Jenner had a goal and two assists and Jamie Lee Rattray also scored for Canada. Jocelyne Larocque had two assists. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 23 saves in the win.
Alex Carpenter scored twice for the U.S. Nicole Hensley turned away 29 shots in the loss.
‘The greatest rivalry in sports’
Canada and the U.S. required extra time to decide the world champion for the fifth time in their last seven clashes for the gold medal.
“That’s why it’s the greatest rivalry in sports,” U.S. forward Amanda Kessel said.
The U.S. led 2-0 after the opening period on Carpenter’s two goals, but the hosts drew even in the second.
Rattray tipped a Larocque shot from the point between Hensley’s pads for an equalizer at 6:42 of the second period.
Jenner halved the deficit with a power-play goal 4:13. In a goal-mouth scramble, the assistant captain went backhand to forehand to beat Hensley’s glove.
Carpenter spun and tucked the puck under Desbiens for a power-play goal at 12:35 of the first period. Desbiens had gloved Lee Stecklein’s shot from the point, but dropped the puck in front of her.
Carpenter shovelled her own rebound between Desbiens’ pads at 9:55.
Mélodie Daoust, who was named tournament MVP, led Canada and the tournament in scoring with six goals and six assists in seven games ahead of teammate Jenner with three goals and seven assists in six games.
Poulin reinforced her reputation as a golden goaler. She scored twice for Canada in a 2-0 win over the Americans to win Olympic gold in 2010.
The 30-year-old from Beauceville, Que., scored a late equalizer and the overtime winner against the U.S. four years later for another Olympic gold.
Poulin didn’t play in a 5-1 win over the U.S. in the preliminary round in Calgary. She’d taken a hard shot in the upper chest earlier in the tournament.
Her laser over Hensley’s shoulder Tuesday pulled Canada to the top of the women’s hockey podium again.
“If you see 29 open, you’ve got to put it on her stick and she does the rest,” Jenner said.
Canada went unbeaten through the championship in Calgary.
Troy Ryan won his first tournament as Canada’s head coach. He faces the prospect of Turnbull sidelined as Canada prepares for February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“It looked bad. I was right beside it as she was coming off the ice. Obviously a terrible situation,” Ryan said.
The Canadians didn’t reach the final for the first time in the history of the women’s championship in 2019, when they lost 4-2 to host Finland in a semifinal in Espoo.
Long-awaited gold medal opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic stifling international women’s hockey meant a long wait for another chance at gold.
The 2020 women’s championship in Halifax and Truro, N.S., was cancelled. Those communities were awarded the tournament again in 2021.
After a postponement from April to May, Nova Scotia’s premier at the time pulled the plug on the tournament the day teams were departing for the province.
The men’s under-18 championship in Texas in April, and the men’s world championship in Latvia in May were completed.
Hockey Canada relocated and rescheduled the women’s championship to Calgary in August less than six months out from February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Hockey Canada didn’t sell tickets in Calgary. Only family members were allowed into a dedicated section of WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre. Players from other countries watched Tuesday’s final from the other side of the arena.
Players, team personnel and officials were tested for COVID-19 before arrival, during a five-day quarantine before the tournament and during the event.
They were confined to the tournament hotel and the arena, and travelled by bus between the two sites.
There were no positive tests for the coronavirus in over 3,000 conducted, and all teams will be able to travel Wednesday, the International Ice Hockey Federation said Tuesday.
Canada, the U.S., Finland, Switzerland, Russia, Japan and host China have berths in the 10-country Olympic women’s hockey field. The remaining three spots will be filled via Olympic qualifying tournaments in November.
The IIHF is expected to approve in September the addition of the women’s championship to Olympic years starting in 2022 in August. A host city has yet to be named.
The women’s tournament would revert back to spring in non-Olympic years.
The IIHF is also expected to expand women’s rosters to 25, including three goaltenders, to match the men’s rosters at future world championships.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
