U.S. falls to Canada in gold-medal game at women’s hockey world championships
Brianne Jenner scored twice in the second period and Canada defended its title with a 2-1 win over the United States in the women’s hockey world championship final Sunday.
Ann-Renée Desbiens made 20 saves for Canada, which won gold in a third major international event in the span of a year.
Abby Roque scored for the Americans and Nicole Hensley stopped 17 shots in the loss.
Canada edged the U.S. 3-2 in overtime just over a year ago in Calgary in a world championship delayed to August because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada also beat the U.S. 3-2 in February’s Olympic women’s hockey final in Beijing.
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The U.S. went undefeated into the final, including a 5-2 win over Canada in the preliminary round, with a plus-47 goal differential compared with Canada’s plus-22.
In addition to moving the puck quicker and cleaner than it did in the loss to the U.S., Canada also defended more tenaciously in the box between and below the faceoff dots.
Trailing 2-1, the U.S. came close to pulling even on a pair of power-play chances in the third period, and also in a furious final minute with Hensley pulled for an extra attacker.
However, Desbiens held off the U.S. throughout the third period when Canada was outshot 12-6.
Canada and the U.S. have met in the final of all but one world championship since the inaugural tournament in Ottawa in 1990. Canada lost to host Finland in the 2019 semifinal.
Canada led 2-0 on a pair of Jenner goals 84 seconds apart until Roque made it 2-1 with her fourth power-play goal of the tournament at 19:39 of the second period.
Amanda Kessel drew Canadian defenders and Desbiens to her and threaded a goal-mouth pass to an unchecked Roque to score.
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Jenner’s nine goals in February’s Winter Olympics matched a tournament record, but the veteran didn’t score in the world championship until Saturday’s semifinal win over Switzerland.
Jenner beat Hensley with a wrist shot from just below the faceoff dot for a power-play goal at 10:54. Jenner scored her first from the same area, but from a sharper angle.
She collected Marie-Philip Poulin’s pass at the high boards, took the puck deep and handcuffed Hensley with a low shot far side at 9:30.
Canada outshot the U.S. 5-2 in a goal-free first period and went 0-for-2 on the power play.
U.S. forward Alex Carpenter hit the crossbar with three minutes remaining in the period.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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