🇺🇸 United States 5-3 Canada 🇨🇦
Four Nations Cup Gold Medal Game
Järvenpää Arena, Järvenpää 🇫🇮
Saturday, 05 November 2016

Brianna Decker tallied three points (one goal, two assists) and Hilary Knight added two goals to help the U.S. Women’s National Team defeat Canada, 5-3, and claim its seventh Four Nations Cup Championship. Nine players had at least one point in the victory.

“I’m very proud of the team and their overall effort in a well-deserved victory,” said Ken Klee, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. “We played a very complete game, used our speed and creativity to generate chances that we converted on when we needed to for a big win.”

Canada opened the scoring at 3:40 of the first period to take a 1-0 lead.

Team USA killed off three penalties in the period before tying the game, 1-1, at 16:51 on an Emily Pfalzer goal. Haley Skarupa drove to the net and her initial shot was denied by Canadian goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, but Pfalzer gathered a rebound and fired it in.

Just 1:19 later, Knight took a pass from Kendall Coyne, skated down the right side and beat the goaltender low to the far post to go up 2-1. Decker earned the second assist on the play. The score would stay that way entering the first intermission.

After a scoreless second period, Canada would tie the game, 2-2, at 5:50 of the third period but less than a minute later, Decker gave the U.S. a 3-2 lead with a slapshot from the top of the faceoff circles that beat the goalie glove-hand side.

Knight would extend the lead to 4-2 at 9:46 of the final frame, picking up a loose puck on a turnover and skating in from the left boards across the crease to pull the goalie with her and put the puck past a sprawling netminder.

Kelli Stack added a goal at 11:47 to make it 5-2 with assists going to Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Alex Carpenter.

Canada would register a late goal to close the gap to 5-3, but that is how the game would end.

Alex Rigsby finished with 13 saves for Team USA.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
03:40 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Poulin (Spooner, Fortino)
04:11 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Bozek, slashing
10:04 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Stecklein, hooking
13:44 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Pelkey, tripping
16:51 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Pfalzer (Skarupa)
18:10 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Knight (Decker, Coyne)
19:49 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Poulin, hooking

2nd Period
23:52 – 🇨🇦 PEN – team, too many players
28:48 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Stack, hooking
32:44 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Fast, interference
34:55 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Poulin, slashing

3rd Period
45:50 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Stacey (Campbell)
46:43 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Decker
49:46 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Knight (Decker, Duggan)
51:47 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Stack (J. Lamoureux, Carpenter)
59:20 – 🇨🇦 EA GOAL – Poulin (Irwin, Johnston)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇺🇸 Rigsby (14-17)
L: 🇨🇦 Maschmeyer (24-29)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇺🇸 7+13+9 = 29
🇨🇦 5+4+8 = 17

ROSTERS
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Nicole Hensley, Alex Rigsby. Defence: Kacey Bellamy (A), Megan Bozek, Megan Keller, Monique Lamoureux (A), Emily Pfalzer, Anne Schleper, Lee Stecklein. Forwards: Hannah Brandt, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne, Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan (C), Hilary Knight, Jocelyne Lamoureux, Annie Pankowski, Amanda Pelkey, Haley Skarupa, Kelli Stack, Dana Trivigno.
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Geneviève Lacasse, Emerance Maschmeyer. Defence: Erin Ambrose, Courtney Birchard, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino (A), Brigette Lacquette, Jocelyne Larocque. Forwards: Meghan Agosta, Bailey Bram, Jessica Campbell, Mélodie Daoust, Sarah Davis, Haley Irwin (A), Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Jenelle Kohanchuk, Marie-Philip Poulin (C), Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey.

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