Team USA Golden at Women’s Worlds U.S. Tops Canada, 3-2, in Overtime For Fourth Straight World Championship

Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho) scored the game-winning goal with 9:43 to play in overtime, as the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Canada, 3-2, here tonight in the gold-medal game at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship at USA Hockey Arena. Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.) also netted two goals for Team USA.

“Our goal was to come in on day one and be better by the end and I think we accomplished that,” said Robb Stauber, head coach of the 2017 U.S. Women’s National Team. “I’m so proud of this team. It’s an unbelievable feeling to have been able to win a gold medal here tonight in front of our amazing fans.”

The victory gives the U.S. Women’s National Team its fourth consecutive world championship and seventh in the past eight competitions. Team USA, who finished the event with a 5-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, went undefeated at the tournament for the third consecutive year and has now won eight world championships overall.

Canada opened the scoring 1:01 into play with a goal by Meghan Agosta on a two-on-one rush.

The U.S. responded 3:33 later when Bellamy beat goaltender Shannon Szabados with a slap shot from the point.

Both teams traded chances throughout the rest of the opening frame but remained tied entering the first intermission.

Team USA successfully killed off a pair of Canadian power-play opportunities in the opening ten minutes of the second stanza and goaltender Nicole Hensley (Lakewood, Colo.) kept the score tied with a sprawling glove save on the rush later in the period.

Just 42 seconds into the final frame, Bellamy gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead with her second goal of the contest. The play started when Knight gathered the puck at the side of the net and fed a centering pass between her legs for Bellamy, who buried the puck for the score.

Brianne Jenner scored unassisted with 10:16 to play to tie the game.

The U.S. had two power-plays in the final 7:24 of regulation, but was unable to convert as the world championship entered overtime for the second straight year.

Knight retrieved a pass from Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.) and delivered the game-winner with a slap shot from the left circle 9:43 into the extra frame.

Hensley made 28 saves for her third victory of the tournament.

CANADA’S NATIONAL WOMEN’S TEAM TAKES HOME SILVER AT WOMEN’S WORLDS

Canada’s National Women’s Team will cross the border with a silver medal after a 3-2 overtime loss to the United States in the gold-medal game on Friday at the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.) put Canada ahead just over a minute into the first period before the U.S. netted the equalizer at 4:34 into the frame. Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont./Calgary, CWHL) answered the United States’ second goal finding the back of the net midway through the third to send it to overtime.

The Americans were lifted to victory after Hilary Knight potted the game-winner just over 10 minutes into extra time. Between the pipes, Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, Alta./Ft. Saskatchewan, CHL) turned aside 37 of 40 shots.

“This definitely wasn’t the outcome we wanted, it was one great game and it could have gone either way at any moment,” said head coach Laura Schuler. “We definitely had our chances tonight and it’s important for us to hold our heads high.”

Canada finished the preliminary round with 1-2-0 record after falling to the United States (2-0), Finland (4-3) and besting Russia (8-0). It advanced the gold-medal game after a 4-0 semifinal victory over Finland on Thursday.

“This one hurts for sure, it’s tough but it’s motivation for us,” said captain Marie-Philip Poulin. “This was a better game for us, looking back to the start of the tournament we went through a lot of adversity and I’m really happy with the way we came out and stuck together.”

The Canadian contingent has now won the silver medal eight times at the world championship (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017). Canada’s National Women’s Team has appeared in every world championship gold-medal game, winning 10 gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2012).