Canada beats arch-rival USA in Olympic women's hockey

Feb 8 2022, 6:34 am

Team Canada is still perfect in Olympic women’s hockey, after securing a win over their arch-rival.

Canada beat USA 4-2 in Beijing to take first place in Group A with a 4-0 record. The United States finishes second with a 3-1 record.

Brianne Jenner (2), Jamie Lee Rattray, and Marie-Philip Poulin scored the goals for Canada. Dani Cameranesi and Alex Carpenter answered for USA.

The Americans outshot Canada 53-27, as Canadian goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens made 51 saves in the win. Desbiens’s 51-save performance set a new Canadian record for saves in an Olympic hockey game (men’s or women’s).

Canada opened the scoring on a first-period power play when Jenner converted a pass from Sarah Fillier. The rest of the scoring was done during an 8:08 span in the second period, beginning with two American goals scored 2:17 apart which gave USA a 2-1 lead.

USA’s lead lasted 26 seconds, as Sarah Nurse pounced on a loose puck and set up Jenner for her second goal of the game. Rattray scored 2:25 later to give Canada the lead, converting on a pass from Natalie Spooner — the tournament’s leading scorer with 11 points in four games.

Poulin scored the insurance marker on a penalty shot, with the Canadian captain beating Madeline Rooney stick side.

Canada will play the third-place team from Group B in the quarterfinals later this week, while USA will face the country that finishes second in Group B. Barring a major upset, Canada and USA will play again in the gold medal game next week. USA is the defending Olympic champion, while Canada is the reigning world champion.

Rob WilliamsRob Williams

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