🇨🇦 Canada 4-2 United States 🇺🇸
Four Nations Cup Preliminary Round
1980 Herb Brooks Arena, Lake Placid 🇺🇸
Thursday, 06 November 2008

Team captain Hayley Wickenheiser led a three-goal third period for Team Canada, as Canada skated to a 4-2 win over USA on Thursday night at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, NY. Wickenheiser, with two, and Sarah Vaillancourt scored for Canada in the third period, ensuring the win for Canada. It marked Canada’s first win in three games against their longtime rivals, having lost twice to the U.S. at the 2008 IIHF World Championship, in the round robin and then in the championship game.

A scoreless first period was not without great scoring chances. At the five minute mark, Kim St-Pierre turned aside consecutive point blank chances off the sticks of American forwards Jocelyne Lamoureux and Gigi Marvin. The scoring chance of the period however went to Canada’s Caroline Ouellette, whose hard wrist shot off the wing beat U.S. netminder Molly Schaus on the glove side, but caught the crossbar and bounced wide.

It took a strange play to break the scoreless tie at the ten-minute mark of the second period. Meghan Agosta tried to make a centering pass to Jennifer Wakefield, but the puck bounced off the skate of the U.S. defender and past a startled Schaus.

Canada’s 1-0 lead stood until late in the second frame, when U.S. struck on a powerplay. Jenny Potter found Hilary Knight alone in front of the net, and Knight gave St-Pierre no chance with a hard, quick shot into the upper part of the net. 1-1 through two periods of play with shots also nodded up at 20-20.

Canada’s Wickenheiser and USA’s Natalie Darwitz exchanged goals in the space of 18 seconds, before Wickenheiser, with her second goal of the night, put Canada ahead for goal at 5:42. Wickenheiser carried the puck from her blueline and found room over Schaus’ glove for the goal. Sarah Vaillancourt added an insurance goal to make the final 4-2 for Canada.

Canada’s National Women’s Team is right back in action on Friday, facing Sweden.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
10:37 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Kellar, interference
20:00 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Wickenheiser, boarding

2nd Period
25:03 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Duggan, elbowing
26:44 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Agosta, interference
26:44 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Ouellette, hooking
30:00 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Agosta
33:57 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Ruggiero, cross checking
35:07 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Vaillancourt, body checking
35:07 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Weiland, interference
37:58 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Kellar, interference
39:27 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Knight (Schmidgall)

3rd Period
43:16 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Wickenheiser
43:34 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Darwitz
45:08 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Vaillancourt, body checking
45:42 – 🇨🇦 SH GOAL – Wickenheiser (Hefford, Bonhomme)
48:56 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Vaillancourt (Kingsbury)
49:52 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Weiland, delay of game
53:35 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Thatcher, hooking
57:15 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Darwitz, high sticking

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 St-Pierre (27-29)
L: 🇺🇸 Schaus (25-29)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 7+13+9 = 29
🇺🇸 11+9+9 = 29

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Charline Labonté, Kim St-Pierre. Defence: Tessa Bonhomme, Annie Guay, Becky Kellar, Jocelyne Larocque, Meaghan Mikkelson, Caroline Ouellette, Cheryl Pounder, Bobbi Jo Slusar, Catherine Ward. Forwards: Meghan Agosta, Gillian Apps, Jennifer Botterill, Valerie Chouinard, Jayna Hefford, Rebecca Johnston, Gina Kingsbury, Natalie Spooner, Sarah Vaillancourt, Jennifer Wakefield, Hayley Wickenheiser.
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Molly Schaus, Jessie Vetter. Defence: Kacey Bellamy, Caitlin Cahow, Rachael Drazan, Molly Engstrom, Angela Ruggiero, Anne Schleper, Kerry Weiland. Forwards: Julie Chu, Natalie Darwitz, Brianne Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight, Jocelyne Lamoureux, Erika Lawler, Gigi Marvin, Erica McKenzie, Sarah Parsons, Jenny Schmidgall, Kelli Stack, Karen Thatcher.

Article Credit: Hockey Canada
Photo Credit: Hockey Canada – IIHF – HHOF – IOC