🇨🇦 Canada 5-1 United States 🇺🇸
Women’s World Championship Preliminary Round
WinSport Arena, Calgary 🇨🇦
Thursday, 26 August 2021

Canada scored early and often and defeated the United States emphatically, 5-1, to claim first place in Group A. They did it without their captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, but Jamie Lee Rattray stepped up and contributed two goals in the win.

“It was a really fun game to be a part of,” Rattray said. “I’m proud of the girls and how we played together and stuck to our game plan. That was key to us. I think we did a really good job coming out strong, and we didn’t take our foot off the gas. It was a big confidence-booster for us, but now we have to let it go and move on to the next one.”

The Americans entered the game with a 29-game winning streak at the Women’s Worlds, their last loss coming to Canada, 3-2 in a penalty-shot shootout, on 2 April 2013. During that time, they had defeated Canada eight straight times.

“We’re pleased with the outcome and feel we’ve been rewarded for a lot of the work we’ve done here in the last number of months,” added coach Troy Ryan. “I think this group is well on the way to really uniting and being a good group. We were able to put four lines over the boards and seven d. over the boards, and everybody was contributing to our team’s success. Right now, that’s the best thing that’s happening. There’s no one looking for the individual. They’re looking for team.”

“We didn’t have our game today,” acknowledged USA captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. “And it just continued throughout the game. Things didn’t go our way. We didn’t earn it, and we’re going to have to learn from it. They played a phenomenal game, and we didn’t.”

Canada started the game like bulls being released from a pen. Wave after wave brought the puck into the U.S. end and, when they didn’t have the puck, they took time away from their opponents. It has been a long time since an American team looked rattled, but rattled they looked.

Blayre Turnbull got the first good chance, but she was stopped nicely by Alex Cavallini (née Rigsby). Rebecca Johnston misfired on a clear shot in front, and Emma Maltais cut it on goal from the side and had a nice chance.

Finally, at 7:13, Canada converted off a fortuitous circumstance. Cavallini lost her stick, and Coyne Schofield gave her hers, leaving the Americans on the defensive. Jocelyne Larocque’s shot from the point went just wide, but the puck bounced off the lively boards and came in front where Mélodie Daoust banged it home.

The goal was of significance for two reasons. First, it ended the U.S, shutout streak at this tournament after 187:13, and, more important, it was Canada’s first 1st-period goal of the tournament.

The Americans didn’t record their first shot on goal until 12 1/2 minutes into the game, and Canada continued their relentless puck pursuit. They were rewarded again at 13:50 when a mad scramble in front saw Renata Fast get her stick on the puck, which bounced crazily over the goal line to give Canada a well-deserved 2-0 lead.

The U.S. had a great chance early in the second when Canadian goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens misplayed the puck behind her goal. Brianna Decker got to it and tried to stuff it in, but the goalie dove back and got her paddle on the puck to knock it away.

But Canada was nowhere near finished with the goals. A miscue inside the Canadian line between Coyne Schofield and Jincy Dunne allowed Brianne Jenner to skate up ice on a two-on-one. Her shot was stopped by Cavallini, but Rattray drilled the rebound in at 4:18.

Three minutes later, Canada created a goal from nothing more than brute tenacity behind the U.S. goal, Rattray finishing the play by stuffing the puck in the short side from behind the goal line. That spelled the end for Cavallini, but not for the hosts.

Sarah Nurse scored her first goal of the tournament at 10:36 short-handed. Coming down the left side on another rush, she fired a bullet over Nicole Hensley’s glove to make it 5-0.

The Americans got a little bit of hope early in the third when a long shot from Lee Stecklein made its way through traffic and beat Desbiens on the stick side at 2:44. Soon after Rebecca Johnston hit the post on a clear chance to keep it a 5-1 game, but it was clear there would be no comeback tonight. Canada battened the hatches, kept the pressure on, and skated to an impressive win.

“I don’t know how to feel,” admitted U.S. coach Joel Johnson. “I know it’s a common phrase to say that was good for us, but I don’t think that was good for us. I just think Canada was so good, how they started the game, how they played through it. By the time we created some positive momentum, the game was out of reach. We’re going to go back and try to fix what we can do, because I think we’re better than we showed tonight.”

BOXSCORE
1st Period
07:13 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Daoust (Spooner, Larocque)
13:50 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Fast (Clark, Daoust)
19:40 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Johnston, tripping

2nd Period
21:12 – 🇺🇸 PEN – team, too many players
24:18 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Rattray (Jenner)
27:16 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Rattray
29:25 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Turnbull, elbowing
29:55 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Clark, holding
29:55 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Keller, roughing
30:36 – 🇨🇦 SH GOAL – Nurse
40:00 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Rattray, roughing
40:00 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Murphy, roughing / boarding double minor

3rd Period
42:44 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Stecklein (Compher, Scamurra)
52:39 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Ambrose, boarding
55:34 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Fillier, boarding
55:34 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Decker, roughing

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Desbiens (22-23)
L: 🇺🇸 Rigsby (16-20), Hensley (7-7)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 15+8+4 = 27
🇺🇸 4+8+11 = 23

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer. Defence: Erin Ambrose, Ashton Bell, Jaime Bourbonnais, Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque (A), Ella Shelton, Claire Thompson. Forwards: Victoria Bach, Emily Clark, Mélodie Daoust, Sarah Fillier, Brianne Jenner (C), Rebecca Johnston, Emma Maltais, Sarah Nurse, Kristin O’Neill, Jamie Lee Rattray, Jillian Saulnier, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull (A).
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Nicole Hensley, Alex Rigsby. Defence: Cayla Barnes, Megan Bozek, Jincy Dunne, Savannah Harmon, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, Lee Stecklein (A). Forwards: Dani Cameranesi, Alex Carpenter, Jesse Compher, Kendall Coyne (C), Britta Curl, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight (A), Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Abby Roque, Hayley Scamurra, Grace Zumwinkle.

Article Credit: 2021 Women’s World Championship
Photo Credit: 2021 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC