Canada turned four years of bitter disappointment into triumph on Thursday, downing arch-rivals the United States 3-2 to win the Olympic women’s ice hockey final and reclaim the gold medal the Americans took from them in Pyeongchang.
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored the winning goal, a rebound in the second period, as an outgunned U.S. team recorded 40 shots on goal to Canada’s 21 but were unable to convert where it counted.
“There is some angel up there. This group makes things easy celebrating each other’s success being on the same page, one team,” Poulin said.
“Since 2018 we have been putting in the work and to be honest, to be rewarded with that gold medal today, was all worth it.”
Forward Hannah Brandt nearly got the U.S. on the board in the first three minutes with a wrist shot that ricocheted off the post and a Canada effort was ruled out for offside.
Sarah Nurse put Canada ahead and Poulin added to the advantage 15 minutes into the first period, stealing the puck and whipping it past American netminder Alex Cavallini.
She produced the game-winner midway through the second frame with a rebound off Cavallini’s pads.
Four-times Olympian Hilary Knight got the Americans on the board with a shorthanded effort and Amanda Kessel converted on a powerplay with 13 seconds to go in the third period after the U.S. pulled their goalie to bring the contest to a nail-biting conclusion.
The Canadians celebrated wildly, throwing their gloves in the air and mobbing each other having earned sweet redemption four years after the Americans ended their run of four straight golds in a devastating shootout loss.
“I got shivers, 2018 was hard, very, very hard,” said Poulin. “When you take some time to reflect what you need to do better as a group it really pays off. When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen.”
Nurse made history with the most points and assists in a women’s Olympic tournament, while Poulin – nicknamed “Captain Clutch” – ended up as Beijing’s second highest scorer.
It was a devastating blow to the Americans, who also lost to Canada in last year’s world championship.
“We were never going to give up and I knew that and we believed that right to the very end,” said assistant captain Lee Stecklein.
“We always believed we could do it – if they had three, we were going to find a way to get four and we believed that until the very end.”
DOMINANT TOURNAMENT
Victory capped a dominant tournament for the Canadians, who did not lose a game, recorded an 11-0 shutout over Sweden in the quarter-finals and routed Switzerland 10-3 win in the semis.
They finished third at the 2019 world championship, missing the final for the first time since the event was introduced in 1990, and made winning the Olympics their top priority.
“We had a team slogan that was called ‘impact the red’,” said Natalie Spooner, who recorded three goals and seven assists across the tournament.
“It was impacting those days when we weren’t able to be together, making sure we were improving as individuals and as a team also.”
The U.S. had a hint of the trouble to come in Beijing after losing to Canada 4-2 in the preliminary round, despite putting up 53 shots on goal to 27 from their opponents.
They lost star forward Brianna Decker to injury early in the first game and struggled to convert powerplay opportunities.
“There was a lot of adversity. There’s a handful of us that almost didn’t make it over here (to start with) because of COVID, and with goaltenders out, and then to lose your top player (Decker),” said Kessel.
“She’s unbelievable and to lose her definitely hurt our team.”
The teams will get a chance to renew their rivalry when the 2022 world championship starts in August.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Beijing; Additional reporting by Steve Keating; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jacqueline Wong and Ed Osmond)
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.
