USA v Canada: women’s world ice hockey championship final – live
Meet Team USA Yes, the USA beat Canada, but they’re coming into the final with a little less momentum than their rivals after squeaking past Czechia by a 2-1 score in the semifinals. The host country actually led 1-0 after the first period, and the USA didn’t take the lead until the 48:26 mark on a goal by Kelly Pannek. Czechia only managed 11 shots to the USA’s 45, but goaltender Klara Peslarova turned aside 43 shots to keep it close. Aside from that and the 2-1 win over Canada, the USA’s wins have been comfortable – 7-1 over Finland, 4-0 over Czechia, 5-0 over Switzerland and 3-0 over Germany. Like Canada, the USA have shown a balanced attack. The only player with more than two goals is Pannek, who has four. Hilary Knight, who leads the PWHL in points, has six assists to hold the team lead. Knight will leave Czechia with her 15th world championship medal, and this team has experience to spare. Only two players, one of them third-string goaltender Ava McNaughton, are in their first world championship. Meet Team Canada These teams met in group play, and the USA took a 2-1 win. That was the only time Canada was challenged in the slightest. They opened with shutouts over Finland (5-0) and Switzerland (4-0) before losing to the USA, then blasted a very good Czech team (7-1) to wrap up group play. They took out Japan (9-1) and Finland (8-1) to get back to another rematch against their neighbors. They’ve accomplished this by spreading the puck around – 17 players have scored. Jennifer Gardiner is the top goal-scorer in the tournament with five, and Marie-Philip Poulin has four goals and seven assists. Only one skater has failed to register a goal or assist. Daryl Watts has been cleared to play after receiving a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for a hit late in the semifinal win over Finland. While 18 players return from last year’s squad, Gardiner and Watts are playing in their first world championships. Poulin leads the PWHL in goals. Renata Fast holds the assist lead. When you think of top rivalries, you may think of the Bears and Packers. Maybe the Bulls and Knicks back in the day. Duke and North Carolina. Michigan and Ohio State. Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. Why does the USA-Canada rivalry in women’s ice hockey have a claim to the best of them all? Simple. They’re always in the final. The Olympics have had seven women’s hockey tournaments. The USA and Canada have faced off in the final six times. (Canada has won four of those and took the gold when the USA settled for bronze in 2006.) Women’s hockey has had 23 world championships. The USA and Canada have played each other in the final 22 times. (Today makes it 23 of 24. Canada holds the edge, 13-9, and the USA won a 10th when Canada missed the final in 2019.) These teams have immense respect for each other, and the players are working together to establish pro women’s hockey at a serious level. But these games can get rather chippy as well. Best rivalry in sports? It’s certainly in the running. (And yes, political intrigue adds a new wrinkle this year, but this game is in Czechia, so the vitriol in the stands should be minimal.) Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s the report off Saturday’s semi-finals.
