🇺🇸 United States 1-0 Canada 🇨🇦 (OT)
Women’s World Championship Preliminary Round
Adirondack Bank Center, Utica 🇺🇸
Monday, 08 April 2024

Kirsten Simms scored at 3:38 of overtime to give the U.S. a 1-0 win over Canada and first place in the Group A standings with a perfect 4-0 record.

Canada, 3-1, now finishes second. The game was played before 4,017 raucous fans at Adirondack Bank Center.

Despite the lone goal, this was a game full of scoring chances, great goaltending, heart-pounding pace, and plenty of physicality.

The Americans came out of their end on a three-on-one after Natalie Spooner fell in the corner, and Caroline Harvey made no mistake with the pass to Simms, who beat Ann-Renée Desbiens with the quick shot. Desbiens was sensational throughout, but especially earlier in the three-on-three overtime when she made two great saves to keep the game going.

“It was a 20-player effort,” noted American Britta Curl. “I thought Aerin played great and we moved from defence to offence really well. Our penalty killing was also outstanding. U.S.-Canada is always going to be physical. It was bit chippy to start but we thrive with competitiveness. The refs let us play, which was great.”

“I think there were a lot of good things we did out there,” offered Canadian forward Sarah Nurse. “One thing we could have improved on was pace of play, but once we figured that out, we were fine.”

It was a goalies’ duel of the highest order, Desbiens and Aerin Frankel unbeatable for 60 minutes. There have been only two other 1-0 games between these teams that went past three periods, both won by the U.S., and the last one in 2016. Tonight, Frankel stopped 26 shots for the shutout.

It’s a good thing both teams have a couple of days off now before the quarter-finals on Thursday because most of the players will need time on the massage table and with ice packs and heating pads. Yes, there is camaraderie off ice to make the PWHL work, but make no mistake, the rivalry on ice is as tempestuous as ever. There were pushes and shoves, hits and scrums after whistles, and downright heavy hitting. The all-North American officiating crew let the players play, but it was a tough night all around.

The Americans dominated the opening period, and only some rock steady play from Desbiens kept the game scoreless. The U.S. looked faster and more confident; the Canadians a little tentative, even nervous. In the faceoff circle, the U.S. had the better of the puck, which meant possession.

But much of the period was played at breakneck speed, teams going back and forth, each testing the other, trying to force a mistake without making one.

This rivalry being what it is, it was Canada that came out and took control early in the second, but they didn’t get many scoring chances on Frankel, and the Americans worked their way back into the game. Canada then took consecutive penalties as a result of big hits, even by tonight’s standards, but Canada’s PK was flawless.

Desbiens made her best save of the night from in close on Hannah Bilka, flashing the glove and forcing the American to look to the rafters in disbelief. Canada had a good chance while short-handed when they created a two-on-one, but Laura Stacey couldn’t get much of a shot and Frankel smothered the puck.

As play opened, Canada had the better of chances, but this time Frankel stepped up, making a nice save off Emma Maltais, one off Natalie Spooner on a two-on-one, and then a glove grab off a hard Sarah Nurse shot.

And again, momentum changed to start the third, the hosts coming out strong and doing everything but score. They had a two-on-one, Caroline Harvey having an empty net, but she blasted a shot high. Canada had a late power play, but it was the U.S. that had the best chance when Kendall Coyne Schofield got the puck to Hilary Knight, whose backhand was stopped by Desbiens.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
14:24 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Shelton, cross checking
14:24 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Scamurra, roughing

2nd Period
26:19 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Serdachny, body checking
28:40 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Larocque, body checking
37:25 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Simms, hooking
39:20 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Scamurra, delay of game

3rd Period
55:45 – 🇺🇸 PEN – Bilka, body checking

Overtime
63:38 – 🇺🇸 GOAL – Simms (Harvey)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇺🇸 Frankel (26-26)
L: 🇨🇦 Desbiens (29-30)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇺🇸 12+6+5+7 = 30
🇨🇦 6+11+9+0 = 26

ROSTERS
🇺🇸 Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel, Nicole Hensley. Defence: Cayla Barnes, Rory Guilday, Savannah Harmon, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller (A), Haley Winn. Forwards: Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter (A), Kendall Coyne, Britta Curl, Joy Dunne, Lacey Eden, Laila Edwards, Taylor Heise, Tessa Janecke, Hilary Knight (C), Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Hayley Scamurra, Kirsten Simms.
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer. Defence: Erin Ambrose, Ashton Bell, Jaime Bourbonnais, Renata Fast, Nicole Gosling, Jocelyne Larocque (A), Ella Shelton. Forwards: Emily Clark, Sarah Fillier, Julia Gosling, Brianne Jenner, Emma Maltais, Sarah Nurse, Kristin O’Neill, Marie-Philip Poulin (C), Jamie Lee Rattray, Danielle Serdachny, Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey, Blayre Turnbull (A).

Article Credit: 2024 Women’s World Championship
Photo Credit: 2024 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC