If anyone still has the audacity to question why women’s hockey remains part of the Olympics, Tuesday’s thriller should put the conversation to rest.
The best rivalry in the sport was on display once again as Canada and the United States battled through a barnburner fit for the Olympic stage, the Americans throwing 53 shots at the red and white only to see the Canadians cap a resilient win with a dramatic penalty-shot tally from none other than Captain Clutch, Marie-Philip Poulin.
With the 4-2 win, the Canadians finish the group stage with a perfect 4-0 record, and will head into the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed.
Before they get to that next test, let’s take a closer look at how Canada earned its latest win over the U.S.:
Desbiens in dominant form for Canadians’ toughest test yet
There’s no debate about Canada’s MVP against the Americans.
While it was Brianne Jenner who led the way offensively with a pair of goals, and the likes of Poulin and Jamie Lee Rattray pacing the team with five shots and a goal apiece, Canada simply doesn’t get out of this one with a win if not for the incredible performance of Ann-Renee Desbiens.
The veteran netminder turned aside an absurd 51 shots from the high-flying Americans. But it was more than just the total number of puck marks dotting her equipment by game’s end that proved her worth. From start to finish, the Americans hemmed Canada in its own zone, repeatedly flinging the puck down low, battling along the walls, and working the cycle to fire chance after chance at the Canadian net.
And time after time, Desbiens was there to nullify the opportunities, to calm the game down.
In fact, the tilt’s opening period told us all we’d need to know about how things would play out and just how crucial Desbiens would be. Pouring it on early, the Americans were outshooting Canada 16-5 by the time the opening 20 minutes had expired. In a pattern that tended to repeat over the course of the night, turnovers from the Canadian defence had allowed the Americans extended periods of sustained zone time, leading to more than a few scrambles in front of the net — all met with diving saves from Desbiens.
But the Canadians headed into the intermission up 1-0, capitalizing on an early power play to score on just their third shot of the game. If not for Desbiens keeping them alive until then, it’s no stretch to imagine this one might’ve gotten away from Canada in the opening frame.
And really, it goes back further than Tuesday, as Desbiens’ performance was all the more incredible knowing the journey she’s taken to return to top form after hanging up her skates just a few years ago — a revival documented poignantly by Sportsnet’s Kristina Rutherford recently.
Ann-Renée Desbiens appreciation post
We needed a few more looks at this BEAUTY of a save @HockeyCanada pic.twitter.com/qLgeDKM4fU
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 8, 2022
Special teams emerge as Canada’s saviour, America’s downfall
With the ice decidedly tilted at even-strength for the vast majority of the contest, it was the special-teams battle that proved the most important factor for both squads.
Again, the first period told the story. Despite peppering the Canadians with shot after shot after shot through the opening 20, the Americans offered their rival a sliver of an opportunity by taking one ill-timed penalty — their only one all night — which the red and white pounced on.
But while their penalty kill let them down, it was the Americans’ own power play that might’ve played the bigger role, coming up short when it was needed most over the latter half of the game.
It didn’t look too bad early in the second period, when the Americans’ extended zone time led to a goal from Dani Cameranesi off a favourable bounce, and Alex Carpenter followed up with a power-play goal off the rush soon after. Canada tied it up less than a minute later, but the American power play had done its part, getting them back in the game.
When Rattray capitalized off a Natalie Spooner wraparound attempt to put Canada up 3-2, though, forcing the Americans back on their heels, the U.S. got yet another chance to head to the power play and level the score once again. Instead, they watched Poulin steal the puck at the blue line, fly down the ice to draw a penalty shot short-handed, and push Canada’s lead to 4-2 even as her club continued to get heavily outshot.
Two more times in the third, the Americans were granted power plays — crucial opportunities to put goals on the board and get back in it — but again came up short. All in all, they went 1-for-6 on the night.
On the other side, of course, Canada’s special teams were as essential to its victory as Desbiens stood on her head: 1-for-1 on the power play, 5-for-6 on the penalty kill, and a penalty-shot snipe while short-handed. Can’t ask for much more than that from either unit, especially while being largely outplayed at even strength.
The pass from Fillier The finish from Jenner
Canada takes a 1-0 lead on a power play goal by Brianne Jenner @HockeyCanada pic.twitter.com/Dp7RhJt4HW
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 8, 2022
Youth movement on display for both sides of the Canada-USA rivalry
On either side of the puck, young talent made its presence known at the Wukesong Sports Centre.
For the Americans, it was 24-year-old Abby Roque, whose skill was undeniable as she weaved through the opposition, dominated in the faceoff circle (to the tune of literally 100 per cent) and let her playmaking creativity shine. Making her Olympic debut at these 2022 Games — and under difficult circumstances, having been moved into a bigger role in the wake of Brianna Decker’s injury — Roque was a clear standout in her first instalment of the Canada-USA rivalry on this stage.
For the Canadians, it was of course Sarah Fillier, who came into the contest already leading the tournament with five goals through her team’s first three games. While she largely had a quiet night and was well-defended by the United States’ defence corps, the 21-year-old phenom showed up early in the match when the rest of her team was still floundering.
The context makes her moment of brilliance all the more impressive. Rewind back to that opening period, when Desbiens was treading water trying to keep her team in it as the Americans unleashed a barrage, when the Canadians were gifted a power play to try to somehow turn the tide — and it was Fillier who allowed Canada to capitalize on that moment, coming up with a silky one-touch pass from below the goal line to set up Jenner’s opening tally. An all-world play, from an all-world talent.
While Poulin made clear she’s still the heart of Canadian Olympic hockey, and fellow veterans like Jenner proved they’re essential pieces of Canada’s golden dream in Beijing, Fillier quietly showed us once again why she’s this team’s future.
