Canada, USA to play for gold in women’s Olympic hockey tournament
It’s Groundhog Day in women’s hockey.
Following their wins in the semifinals, the United States and Canada will once again meet for the gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Thursday will mark the seventh time that the two rivals will meet for all the marbles at the Winter Games. The only time Canada and the Americans didn’t meet in the final was in 2006, the last time the Olympics were held in Italy.
The teams punched their tickets to the championship game on Monday, with Team USA pulling away for a 5-0 victory over Sweden, and Canada defeating Switzerland in a tight 2-1 contest.
This will be the second time in nine days that the North American superpowers. Last Tuesday, the U.S. secured first place in Group A with a dominant performance, beating Canada 5-0. It was not only the most lopsided matchup between the two teams at the Winter Games, but also the first time Canada had ever been shut out in an Olympic game, as well as marking the team’s first loss in the preliminary round since the inaugural tournament in 1998.
The U.S. will be seeking its third Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey, and first since its infamous shootout win over Canada in PyeongChang in 2018. The team has loads of momentum heading into the final. Not only are they undefeated, but they also haven’t allowed a goal since their first game against Czechia. The U.S. has broken the Olympic record for longest shutout streak, having not surrendered a goal in 331:23 of game time. On top of that, with her performance against Sweden, Aerin Frankel became the first woman to post three shutouts in a single Olympic tournament.
Canada will certainly be looking for redemption. The loss last week wasn’t a fluke. Dating back to last year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship, the U.S. has won seven straight games against Canada, the longest losing skid for the Canadians since the lead up to the gold medal game in Salt Lake City in 2002. While Canada might have history on their side, it will have their hands full if they want to win a record sixth gold medal.
Canada is 7-4 against the U.S., all-time, at the Winter Olympics.
The gold medal game at Milano Santagiulia IHO is set for 1:10 p.m. ET on Thursday.