US hockey loses gold to Canada, Shiffrin skis out; Two-woman bobsled Friday
Mikaela Shiffrin will leave Beijing without an individual medal. US women’s hockey falls to Canada in gold medal game. Kaillie Humphries returns Friday.
Sandy Hooper, USA TODAY
BEIJING — The waiting is not intended to be cruel, but it is.
For more than three years, the U.S. women’s hockey team worked to repeat as gold medal winners at the Beijing Olympics. Instead, the Americans had to watch Canada jump all over each other in celebration while volunteers readied the ice for the medal ceremony.
Some U.S. players took a knee on the ice. Others gazed into the abyss. A few hugged. Eventually, they begrudgingly hung silver around each other’s necks and then had to watch Canada be presented with gold, as “O Canada” played throughout Wukesong Sports Centre, with the Maple Leaf raised to the rafters above the Red, White and Blue.
“It stings for a while,” U.S. forward Amanda Kessel said. “I won’t forget this, probably, forever.”
Two constants have emerged over the past 12 years in the U.S.-Canada women’s hockey rivalry. One is Marie-Philip Poulin scoring goals in Olympic gold medal games, which she did twice Thursday, to provide the difference for Canada in its 3-2 victory – the third straight time the Olympic final has ended in that score. She’s the first player to score in four Olympic finals, according to Hockey Canada.
The other constant is the parity between the two teams – the previous two gold-medal games required overtime to determine a winner. While the final score Thursday reflected a one-goal game, Canada dominated the first two periods and built a 3-0 lead that seemed insurmountable given the inefficiency of the American attack.
“I think the elephant in the room is you can’t get down that many goals,” said U.S. forward Hilary Knight.
Knight willed a short-handed goal into the net with three minutes to play in the second period to cut the deficit to 3-1. But the next score didn’t come for more than a period. Kessel made it 3-2 on a power play with 13.5 seconds remaining in the game.
“I don’t think we scratched the surface with our ability to play,” Knight said. “It is what it is. They won a gold medal. We didn’t.
“I’ve seen us put together 60 minutes. That just wasn’t it.”
In a 4-2 loss to Canada in group play nine days ago, the U.S. outshot Canada 53-27. The U.S. ended with 40 shots against Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens on Thursday, while Canada recorded just 21 shots on goal.
“I think a big thing for us is quality over quantity,” said Canada forward Sarah Nurse. “I know today the Americans took a bunch of outside shots. We have the best goaltender in the world in Ann-Renée. They’re not going to be scoring from the outside very often.”
After the 2018 Games, Desbiens walked away from hockey for 18 months. Asked why she came back, Desbiens (38 saves) looked down at her gold medal.
“Well, for this,” she said. “Exactly this reason. Four years ago, after a silver medal, I thought it was my last game. I thought I was done. But then I came back. I didn’t have fun back then, and I can tell you today that it’s the most fun I’ve had in a while. My teammates are special. They’ve made playing the game I love again fun.”
Nurse, who set a record for most points in an Olympic tournament (18), broke a scoreless tie 7:50 into the game when she received a pass in the slot and deftly one-timed it off the bottom of the right post. By that point, the U.S. had already wasted a point-blank opportunity when Hannah Brandt hit the left post early in the first period. In the third, a good look from Alex Carpenter hit the right pipe.
“I don’t know if it’s tough luck, what it is,” Kessel said. “Any empty net, any bounce, we weren’t getting them. We got like one bounce all tournament and it just seemed like that was the way it was going.”
The audible pings from those misses will haunt the U.S. for the next four years. So will Poulin, as she has for 12 years. Then 18, Poulin scored the game-winning goal in the 2010 gold medal game and did the same four years later.
Her first goal Thursday came with five minutes left in the first. Poulin stripped Kelly Pannek of the puck and skated toward the slot and got a wrist-shot past American goaltender Alex Cavallini.
“I feel like I didn’t hold it in there for the team today,” said Cavallini (18 saves), who started all three games for the USA in the playoff round despite suffering a torn MCL on Jan. 14. “A bit numb right now.”
Poulin scored again nine minutes into the second by knocking a rebound off Cavallini’s right pad into the net. It was the largest deficit the U.S. had faced while playing Canada in the Olympics since group play in the inaugural women’s tournament in 1998, according to NBC Sports.
The U.S. could have rolled over, but didn’t, and played an inspired – and somewhat desperate – third period to keep the pressure on Canada.
“I think the way we played today shows the fight, the grit, the resiliency and the adversity that this group has faced and has overcome over these last three years, six months and two weeks. There’s so much to be proud of,” captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said.
It didn’t result in a gold medal, though, and doesn’t make the loss any less painful.
“It’s devastating. It’s heartbreaking,” said the 32-year-old Knight, who set the American record for number of games played in the Olympics in what might be her final contest on this stage. “To come up short, it’s tough. It’s not what you want as a competitor. It’s not something that you even consider when you’re alone training. It’s not even a thought. It definitely stings. It hurts. It feels like we let our country down.”
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.
