Only three teams remained undefeated in women’s hockey coming into Tuesday (Feb. 10) at the Winter Games. Not only that, but two of them faced off in a classic rivalry game. Team Canada and Team USA met at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy for a preliminary round battle to see who would take a stranglehold on Group A.
Canada came into this one 2-0-0, while the USA sat at 3-0-0.
Related: 3 Takeaways From USA’s 5-0 Win Over Finland at the Women’s Olympic Tournament
Team USA got two goals from Hannah Bilka, as well as others from Caroline Harvey, Kirsten Simms, and Laila Edwards, as they dominated the majority of the game. Canada found themselves in penalty trouble often and struggled to build any momentum against a tough USA defence. Team USA won this one 5-0. Here are some takeaways from the game.
Harvey & Murphy Stay Red Hot
It’s been a very well-balanced attack for the Americans so far, but two of the collegiate stars they have on the roster have been really tearing it up. Harvey and Abbey Murphy stood out as the top performers in this game, as Harvey recorded a goal and two assists while Murphy had three helpers. They have been monsters on offence while also contributing to the stout USA defence that has given teams fits thus far.
Harvey has seven points through four games, and Murphy has five. They both always seem to be the first players on the puck, among other young USA players who have created a fast, powerful mantra for this team. Players like Edwards and Haley Winn are also young talents who are fuelling this early dominance.
Desbiens Undefeated Streak Snapped
It was seven-straight wins at the Olympic Games for Ann-Renée Desbiens, a very impressive feat. However, it all came crumbling down against the juggernaut Americans on Tuesday after they buried five goals on 27 shots to snap the streak that started at the 2018 Games. While it’s still something to be proud of, the unfortunate fashion it ended in may raise questions in Canada’s net moving forward.
After the fifth goal against, Desbiens was pulled in favour of Emerance Maschmeyer with about eight minutes to play. Could we see Maschmeyer back in goal for Canada’s final preliminary matchup against Finland? If so, does that mean she is the number one for the rest of the tournament? It will be up to head coach Troy Ryan whether or not he wants to make a snap change or prefers to trust his other goalie with a touch more experience.
Scoring Hard to Come By Against USA
Team USA’s solid defence is the main storyline through their first four games. They have allowed just one goal in preliminary play, outscoring opponents 20-1. A combination of grade-A goaltending and lockdown defence from everyone in the lineup has been the recipe for them to start the tournament. They put that on full display against Canada.
This USA team has been able to neutralize any chances at the line and have kept opposing teams to the outside. They held a high-powered Canadian team to just 20 shots and basically zero high-danger opportunities. Their chances for gold look very good if they continue this trend into the medal round.
What’s Next for USA and Canada?
Team USA gets a short break now as they wait to see how the playoff round shapes up and who their opponent will be. Meanwhile, Team Canada has one more Group A preliminary game to go as they will take on Finland on Thursday (Feb. 12). Puck drop for the group stage finale is set for 6:30 a.m. MDT.
