BEIJING — After losing to the U.S. in the gold medal game four years ago, some dejected Canadian players took off the silver medals around their necks. Thursday, they won a color that suited them better.
Canada defeated the U.S., 3-2, for the gold medal in women's hockey at the Beijing Olympics, avenging that bitter shootout loss in Pyeongchang. The country's fifth Olympic gold medal ended a dominant run through the tournament and gave Canada the upper hand once again in one of the most heated rivalries in sports.
Marie-Philip Poulin, a constant thorn in the Americans' sides at the Olympics, scored Canada's second and third goals as it took a 3-0 lead at Wukesong Sports Centre. Hilary Knight got the U.S. on the board at 16 minutes, 39 seconds of the second period with a short-handed goal, assisted by Hannah Brandt.
The U.S. got a power play with 1:25 remaining and pulled goaltender Alex Cavallini for a six-on-four advantage. Amanda Kessel scored on a rebound to pull the U.S. within 3-2 with 12.5 seconds left.
The U.S. outshot Canada 40-21, but it converted few of those chances into goals, an issue it had throughout the tournament. Ann-Renee Desbiens was outstanding in goal for Canada, with 38 stops. Cavallini had 18 saves for the U.S.
The U.S. earned silver for the fourth time. The teams have met in the gold medal game in six of the seven Olympics that included women's hockey, with Canada now holding a 4-2 advantage.
Poulin became the only man or woman to score in four Olympic hockey gold medal games and now has seven goals in Winter Games gold medal matchups.
With the Olympics operating in a pandemic-prevention bubble, the arena lacked its usual energy. Dieter Ruehle, organist for the Los Angeles Kings and Dodgers, gave it a good soundtrack of classic tunes. There were a few hundred invited Chinese spectators in the stands, along with athletes and staff from other countries.
Though the U.S. was the defending Olympic gold medalist, Canada had won the most recent title game in the rivalry, defeating the U.S., 3-2 in overtime, in the world championships last summer. The American players were eager to avenge that loss, and falling to Canada, 4-2, in Olympic pool play only intensified those feelings.
The U.S. outshot Canada 53-27 in that game, turned away repeatedly by Desbiens. She entered the gold medal game with a save percentage of .936, yielding only seven goals on 110 shots faced.
Canada set an Olympic record with 54 goals in the six games leading to the final. The U.S. created the first good scoring chance Thursday when Brandt got the puck low in the left circle, with Desbiens out of position and an open net to shoot at. Brandt's shot hit the left goal post.
Canada picked up the pace after that, controlling play for long stretches of the period. Natalie Spooner scored at 7:15, but the goal was waved off because a Canadian player was offside.
Only 45 seconds later, Canada scored one that counted. After a faceoff in the U.S. zone, Claire Thompson got the puck near the blue line and spotted Sarah Nurse in the slot. Nurse's shot, off the heel of her stick, hit the right post and caromed behind Cavallini.
Poulin struck at 15:02 to make it 2-0. As the U.S. tried to get the puck out of its zone, Poulin, near the blue line, intercepted Megan Keller's pass out of the corner. Poulin skated to the slot and shot over Cavallini.
Cavallini made two good saves early in the second period, and the U.S. began to generate more chances. But Poulin pushed Canada's lead to 3-0 when she scored on a rebound at 9:08. Cavallini stopped Brianne Jenner's initial shot, but the rebound popped right to the wide-open Poulin, who knocked it past the sliding Cavallini.
The U.S. offense continued to push, racking up 13 shots to Canada's six in the second period. Knight's persistence netted the Americans' first goal. With Kendall Coyne Schofield in the penalty box, Brandt snared the puck in the U.S. zone and took off with Knight on a two-on-one. Knight's first two shots hit a Canadian defender and Desbiens, but the puck came back to her again, and she tucked it in.
In the third period, the Americans pushed hard on offense and again generated good chances. But they couldn't get past Desbiens until Kessel's rebound goal with 12.5 seconds left.
