🇨🇦 Canada 3-1 United States 🇺🇸
Exhibition Game
KVIK Hockey Arena, Herning 🇩🇰
Tuesday, 23 August 2022

After golden years for the United States, the last 12 months were Canada’s months in women’s hockey. Gold at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship on home ice in Calgary last August, Olympic Gold in Beijing last February and again Gold at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship on American ice in Madison, Wisconsin.

Almost exactly half a year since Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals including the game-winner en route to a 3-2 victory in the Gold medal game of Beijing 2022, these two teams met again in Herning renew their rivalry.

Just an exhibition game it was on paper, however, the fierce rivalry and intensity could be seen and heard throughout the KVIK Hockey Arena during each and every shift and gave the local fans a good foretaste of what’s to come in the battle for Gold when the tournament starts on Thursday.

Team USA got on the scoreboard first at 5:50. Lacey Eden tried to score from the right into the almost empty net and saw her shot blocked in the last moment but Lee Stecklein capitalized on the rebound.

Canada tied the game 2:28 into the middle frame when Blayre Turnbull got the puck at the blueline, skated towards the American net and beat Nicole Hensley with a high shot and when Abby Roque was sent to the penalty box the Canadians pushed for the second goal but to no avail but a few minutes later they converted another penalty against Savannah Harmon. After a long shot from Kristin O’Neill, Jessie Eldridge was in the slot for the rebound and directed the puck into the net via the skate of U.S. defender Rory Guilday.

Midway the third period Sarah Fillier converted a diagonal pass from Poulin to double the margin and give Canada a 3-1 victory with two days to go until the start of the event.

Tuesday evening’s game was the last of a series of exhibition games. All teams have played at least one game while Finland, the recent Bronze medallist at the Women’s Worlds and Olympics, was busiest playing five games during the past four weeks with a 4-1 record. Earlier today Switzerland beat Sweden 2-1 on a shootout in Herning and Germany edged Czechia 3-2.

The 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, played with a ten-team format with two tiered groups of five teams each, starts on Thursday. Japan-USA and Finland-Canada will be the first two games of Group A in Herning while Switzerland will start on Friday against Japan. In Group B in Frederikshavn Germany will play Hungary in the afternoon and host Denmark will take on neighbouring country Sweden in the evening. Czechia will enter the tournament on Friday against Hungary.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
05:50 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Stecklein (Eden, Zumwinkle)
18:16 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Clark, slashing

2nd Period
22:27 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Turnbull
24:00 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Roque, holding
29:29 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Harmon, tripping
31:10 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Eldridge (O’Neill)
39:45 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Fillier, tripping

3rd Period
46:56 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Zumwinkle, interference
48:44 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Fillier (Poulin, Ambrose)
53:29 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Bilka, body checking
55:27 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Barnes, cross checking

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇨🇦 Desbiens (7-8), Campbell (12-12)
L: 🇺🇸 Hensley (7-9), Rooney (4-5)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇨🇦 3+6+5 = 14
🇺🇸 7+3+10 = 20

ROSTERS
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Kristen Campbell, Ann-Renée Desbiens. Defence: Erin Ambrose, Ashton Bell, Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque (A), Meaghan Mikkelson, Ella Shelton, Micah Zandee-Hart. Forwards: Victoria Bach, Emily Clark, Jessie Eldridge, Sarah Fillier, Brianne Jenner, Emma Maltais, Sarah Nurse, Kristin O’Neill, Sarah Potomak, Marie-Philip Poulin (C), Jamie Lee Rattray, Laura Stacey, Blayre Turnbull (A).
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Nicole Hensley, Maddie Rooney. Defence: Cayla Barnes, Jincy Dunne, Rory Guilday, Savannah Harmon, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, Lee Stecklein (A). Forwards: Hannah Bilka, Hannah Brandt, Alex Carpenter, Jesse Compher, Kendall Coyne (C), Lacey Eden, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight (A), Kelly Pannek, Abby Roque, Hayley Scamurra, Grace Zumwinkle.

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