Canada remains perfect at Beijing Olympics after 4-2 win over U.S. in women’s hockey

BEIJING –

Brianne Jenner scored twice and captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored on a penalty shot for Canada in a 4-2 win over the United States in Olympic women’s hockey Tuesday.

Jamie Lee Rattray also scored for the Canadians, who topped Pool A at 4-0. Goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens made 51 saves for the win.

Dani Cameranesi and Alex Carpenter countered for the U.S. (3-1). Maddie Rooney stopped 23 of 27 shots in the loss in front of 591 spectators at Wukesong Sports Centre.

Canada will face the third seed and the United States the second seed from Pool B in the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal matchups Feb. 11-12 will be A1-B3, A2-B2, A3-B1, A4-A5.

Russia, Finland and Switzerland jockeyed for Pool A seedings Tuesday as did Japan, Czech Republic, China, Sweden and Denmark in Pool B.

The semifinals Feb. 14 are followed by the bronze-medal game Feb. 16 and the gold-medal game Feb. 17.

Canada outscored its opposition 29-3 in its first three games and the U.S. carried an 18-2 differential heading into Tuesday’s clash.

The North American hockey rivals demand a fast, hard brand of hockey from each other when they meet, and the game was that. The Canadians killed off a pair of U.S. power plays in the third period to preserve their win.

U.S. defender Cayla Barnes slashed Poulin on a breakaway late in the second period. The captain beat Rooney bottom corner on the ensuing penalty shot for a 4-2 lead at 17:25.

Canada emerged from a burst of four goals scored in just over six minutes in the second to lead 3-2. Spooner behind the net wrapped the puck out front for Rattray to bat past Rooney’s pad at 14:25.

Jenner whipped a Sarah Nurse drop pass past Rooney to pull Canada even at the 12-minute mark of the second.

Carpenter’s power-play goal at 11:34 gave the U.S. a temporary lead. She backhanded Amanda Kessel’s pass upstairs on Desbiens.

Cameranesi scored the first goal for the U.S. at 9:97. Desbiens lost track of the puck after an initial save, which gave Cameranesi time and space to score on her own rebound.

The Americans outshot Canada 16-5 in the opening period, but trailed 1-0 on Jenner’s power-play goal. Poulin, from the side wall, dished down low to Sarah Fillier, whose one-time pass set up Jenner to roof the puck at 14:10.

The U.S. was more efficient in their breakouts, however, and the puck was in Canada’s end for the majority of the first 20 minutes. Abbey Murphy put a backhand off the post with the Americans pressing hard midway through the period.

The game was down to one referee in the second period when Canada’s Cianna Lieffers needed attention for a bloody cut on her face. She was back on the ice before the end of the period.

Canada won its second game in as many days after beating Russia 6-1 while wearing KN95 masks under their cages Monday.

All players and on-ice officials wore masks to start that game delayed an hour because of Russia’s late COVID-19 test results.

The Russians and officials removed their masks for the third period when the test results materialized, but the Canadian kept theirs on until the final buzzer.

Forward Emily Clark, who was pulled from warmup Monday because of an inconclusive test, was back in Canada’s lineup Tuesday.

The U.S. lost forward Brianna Decker to a tournament-ending knee injury in a 5-2 win over the Finns last week.

The Canadians were minus Melodie Daoust, who hasn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury in the second period of a 12-1 win over the Swiss to start the tournament.

Canadian women won four straight Olympic gold medals before the Americans edged them 3-2 in a shootout in the 2018 final in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Canada and the U.S have met in all Olympic finals except one in 2006, when the Swedes pulled off a semifinal upset of the Americans.

The Canadians’ nine-game Rivalry Series against the Americans this winter was curtailed to six because of COVID-19 outbreak among the former.

Canada won the last two games of the series in overtime for a 4-1-1 record.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2022.