Ice
Hockey: Canada down U.S. 5-1 in women's Olympic preview
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[October 26, 2017]
By Dan Burns
BOSTON (Reuters) - Canada thrashed the
United States 5-1 on Wednesday in a grudge match between the two
teams most likely to compete for the women's ice hockey gold medal
at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Canada forward Natalie Spooner scored twice and goaltender Genevieve
Lacasse stopped 37 shots in the win. A dominant Canadian penalty
kill left the Americans 0-10 on the power play and produced one
short-handed goal.
In front of a sell-out crowd at Boston University's Agganis Arena,
which included 12 members of the 1998 gold-medal winning American
team, defender Emily Pfalzer scored the United States' only goal.
"Our girls played fearless tonight," Canadian coach Laura Schuler
said. "They were blocking shots, and getting pucks to the wall and
doing the little things they needed to do."
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The game was the second of an exhibition series ahead of the
Pyeongchang Games between the only two women's ice hockey teams to
have won Olympic gold. Team USA won the first game 5-2 on Sunday in
Quebec City.
U.S. coach Robb Stauber said their failure to score on their 10
power plays was a key factor in the loss.
"You're not going to win too many games going 0-for-10, so that's
number one," he said.
Canada opened the scoring in the first period on a two-on-one rush
as Spooner, her team's scoring leader, put away a feed from line
mate Meghan Agosta.
The Americans tied the game later in the period on an unassisted
goal from Pfalzer.
Canada took the lead for good early in the second period on a
shorthanded goal. After a turnover by the Americans inside their own
zone, Canadian winger Jillian Saulnier fed streaking defender Laura
Fortino, who tipped the puck past goaltender Nicole Hensley.
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![](../images/102617pics/sports47.jpg)
Canada forward Meghan Agosta (top L), Canada forward Marie-Philip
Poulin (L), U.S. defender Kacey Bellamy and U.S. defender Kali
Flanagan (R) react after Agosta scored a goal in the second period
of their "The Time is Now Tour" women's ice hockey game in Boston,
Massachusetts, U.S., October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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The Canadians scored twice late in the period, with Spooner netting
her second on a scramble in front of the net. Then, with just 15
seconds remaining, Agosta slapped a shot past Hensley, who was
replaced by Alex Rigsby at the start of the third.
Marie-Philip Poulin rounded out the scoring in the third period,
lifting a wrist shot past Rigsby after a turnover in the Americans'
zone.
The two lopsided wins stand in stark contrast to the narrow margins
that have typically decided games between the rivals.
At the Sochi Games in 2014, Canada took the gold medal in a 3-2
come-from-behind win in overtime. Earlier this year the Americans
beat Canada 3-2, again in overtime, to capture the women's world
championship.
"I don't know if there's an explanation for it," Spooner said of the
latest results. "I don't think that last game we really brought our
best game.
"Today we brought a much more aggressive game."
The Pyeongchang Winter Games run from Feb. 9 to 21 next year.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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