MILAN — Canada vs. the United States in women’s hockey, one of the biggest rivalries in sports.
Consider how close the competition was. According to the Associated Press, Canada remains the all-time leader in wins (25-23), scoring just two more goals than the United States (135-133). No other country has won gold medals at the Olympics or World Championships.
On Tuesday, the North American powerhouses will face off against each other for the first time in these Olympics. The preliminary round matches will likely be a prelude to the gold medal match on February 19th. While the rest of the world has yet to catch up with these teams, athletes say the Czech Republic is the country that has improved the most since the last Olympic cycle.
Just by paying attention to this tournament, the speed, skill and physicality in women’s hockey is at an all-time high. This is largely due to the continued growth of the sport and the emergence of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) as a competitive training ground for the tournament.
Canada won the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with a record of 5 wins and 2 losses, but the United States is considered the favorite to win in Milan. The USA dominated the four-game rivalry series leading up to the Olympics, defeating Canada 24-7.
This game will begin in the second half of consecutive games for both teams.
“It’s a big game coming up,” said U.S. defenseman Caroline Harvey. “It’s going to be intense, you won’t want to miss it.”
How was each team doing at the beginning of the Olympics?
Both teams are undefeated and are outscoring their opponents by a wide margin. (The United States is 15-1; Canada is 9-1).
Let’s start with Canada, where the opening game was postponed due to a norovirus infection in the Finnish team, and the start was delayed. Canada has played one fewer game than the United States, and the game against Finland was postponed to Thursday. Canada has a more veteran team than the United States, returning 16 athletes from the 2022 Olympic team. One of them, captain Marie-Philippe Poulain, is still widely regarded as the best player in the world, but she was injured on Monday and will not play on Tuesday.
Canada defeated Switzerland 4-0 in the first game, but had some execution issues. Perhaps a bigger blowout should have happened after posting a 55-6 advantage in shots. Three of those goals came on the power play. The Canadians broke things off with a 5-1 blowout win over the Czech Republic on Monday.
Team USA is filled with veterans and up-and-comers, led by Hilary Knight, who is competing in her fifth Olympic Games, a U.S. record. The United States is considered to be a deeper, more dynamic team. Manager John Wroblewski has emphasized the importance of rolling four lines, and was able to create a very balanced attack.
Considering the opening game, a 5-1 win over the Czech Republic, it was Haley Skamura, the 13th forward who played less than seven minutes, who led the way with two goals. Nine different players have already scored goals. There were also contributions from veteran players (Alex Carpenter had three goals and five points, Knight had two goals, just shy of the U.S. Olympic all-time leader) and college players such as Ohio State’s Joy Dunn (four points in three games).
Meanwhile, goaltender Aerin Frankel allowed just one goal on 25 shots. Frankel was rested in Monday’s 5-0 win over Switzerland in preparation for back-to-back games. The USA struggled against Switzerland as well, unable to break through until the third period.
The most impressive player from each team so far
It will be a star-studded PWHL draft class, with defenseman Caroline Harvey likely to be the No. 1 pick. The 23-year-old star from Wisconsin, competing in his second Olympics, is a great skater and often finds himself on the ice. Harvey led Team USA in ice time, scoring a goal and adding three assists.
Sarah Filia and Darryl Watts may be Canada’s most active players, but Julia Gosling of the PWHL Seattle team leads the way with three goals. Gosling highlighted Canada’s ferocious power play, hitting 5-for-9 (55%).
The biggest question for each team?
The biggest question for the Canadians is how they will fare without their captain. Poulin was injured in the first period of Monday’s game after taking a big hit from Czech Republic player Krystyna Kartonkova and was ruled out of Tuesday’s tilt.
For Americans, on the other hand, they know how dominant they are. “I think the minute we stepped off the plane here, we knew we were a great team. We’re here to win, no matter what it takes,” PWHL Minnesota star Taylor Hise said Monday.
However, they may be giving up a little too much defensively, especially when it comes to odd-man rushes. Their defenders like to pinch themselves, which creates opportunities for their opponents. Backup goaltender Gwyneth Phillips needed to play in the A game to get a 20-save shutout against Switzerland.
Who are the key players for each team in this match?
It would be unfair to pick two players from one team, but the tandem of Heise and Abby Murphy has been dazzling and often creating offense for Team USA over the past few months. Heise and Murphy had their chances and combined for two goals, but they were able to pick up another gear.
For Canada, goalie Henrie Desbiances (.957 save percentage, 0.99 goals-against average in January) will be wearing a PWHL heater for the tournament. The Americans almost became “goalkeepers” due to the outstanding performances of the Finnish and Swiss netminders. A dialed-in desbian has the ability to steal a game.