🇨🇦 Canada 4-3 United States 🇺🇸
Exhibition Game
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto 🇨🇦
Thursday, February 14, 2019

Marie-Philip Poulin and Jamie Lee Rattray led the way with a goal and an assist each, and Canada’s National Women’s Team held off a late push to edge the United States 4-3 on Thursday night and square up the Rivalry Series at a win apiece.

The teams split the two games on Canadian ice (the U.S. earned a 1-0 win Tuesday in London, Ont.), and will face off Sunday in the rubber match in Detroit, Michigan.

Laura Stacey added a pair of assists for the Canadians, who netted a pair of power-play goals in a busy first period to take a lead they would not relinquish.

After combining for just a single goal in the series opener, both teams exploded offensively in the opening 20 minutes in Game 2 – there were five goals scored in just over 12 minutes.

Alex Carpenter got it started just past the seven-minute mark, beating Canadian goaltender Geneviève Lacasse over the glove for a power-play goal, but Stacey set up Poulin to make it 1-1 only 1:44 later.

The U.S. took its second lead at 10:30 when Hannah Brandt knocked a bouncing puck past Lacasse, but Laura Fortino got a quick shot through traffic on the power play to pull the Canadians even again less than three minutes later.

Brianne Jenner put Canada ahead for good in the final minute of the opening period with another man-advantage marker, poking a shot through U.S. netminder Katie Burt to make it 3-2 after one.

The American penalty-kill was the story of a goalless second period; Canada had eight minutes of power-play time in the middle frame, including almost six-consecutive minutes, but couldn’t add to its lead.

Rattray finally put a fourth puck past Burt seven minutes into the third period off another pretty Stacey feed, and that turned into the game-winning goal when Brianna Decker scored for the Americans midway through the final frame.

Lacasse stood tall in the third with 14 saves, none bigger than a sprawling stop off Hilary Knight with just over a minute to go. She finished with 24 saves in her first international start since beating the U.S. 2-1 in the preliminary round at the Olympics last February.

Despite being outshot 15-7 in the third period, Canada had a 30-27 edge in shots on goal overall.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
05:36 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Ambrose, tripping
07:03 – 🇺🇸 PP GOAL – Carpenter
08:47 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Poulin (Stacey, Rattray)
10:30 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Brandt (Knight)
12:19 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Decker, roughing
13:13 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Fortino (Ambrose, Poulin)
18:46 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Pelkey, hooking
19:24 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Jenner (Spooner)
19:56 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Bellamy, roughing

2nd Period
25:41 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Brandt, cross checking
27:21 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Coyne, tripping
29:19 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Stecklein, hooking
37:17 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Krzyzaniak, interference

3rd Period
47:06 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Rattray (Stacey, Turnbull)
50:34 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Decker (Coyne, Knight)
60:00 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Ambrose, cross checking

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Lacasse (24-27)
L: 🇺🇸 Burt (26-30)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 14+9+7 = 30
🇺🇸 5+7+15 = 27

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Geneviève Lacasse, Shannon Szabados. Defence: Erin Ambrose, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Katelyn Gosling, Halli Krzyzaniak, Brigette Lacquette, Jocelyne Larocque (A). Forwards: Victoria Bach, Ann-Sophie Bettez, Brittany Howard, Brianne Jenner (A), Rebecca Johnston, Rebecca Leslie, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin (C), Jamie Lee Rattray, Jillian Saulnier, Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey, Blayre Turnbull.
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Katie Burt, Alex Rigsby. Defence: Kacey Bellamy, Megan Bozek, Savannah Harmon, Sidney Morin, Emily Pfalzer, Shelly Picard, Lee Stecklein. Forwards: Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne (C), Brianna Decker, Zoe Hickel, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Gigi Marvin, Amanda Pelkey, Hayley Scamurra, Haley Skarupa, Dana Trivigno.

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