You have been redirected from 24 Hours. Canada looks to remain unbeaten in Group A action as it faces Czech Republic at Gangneung Hockey Centre as the Olympic men’s competition continues Friday night (Saturday afternoon in South Korea).
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All things considered, the Canadians are in a favourable position heading into their second game. South Korea will feature seven North American-born players, all now dual citizens.
Right up until the puck dropped between the USA women’s hockey team and rival Canada, everyone stayed on script: Players and coaches alike repeatedly stated they were not looking ahead to this much-anticipated matchup between the gold medal favorites to close out Group A play.
While Canada now holds a 40-4-2 edge over Switzerland in Olympic and IIHF World Championship play, the Swiss had won two of the last three meetings and four of the last nine.
Former NHL players Rene Bourque and Wojtek Wolski each scored two goals apiece in the win over the Swiss. “So it’s just the rules, I guess”.
“I felt like we had a good game”, she said.
Or, alternately, that of the Americans. The 2-2 tie was enough to give the Canadians their fourth Olympic gold medal in as many tries.
Meghan Agosta and Sara Nurse each scored in the second period as Canada clinched the top spot in pool on Thursday. “Do I think we have another level?”
“It’s the two giants of the world of hockey colliding”, said USA forward Hilary Knight, who had a chance to tie the score in the waning seconds but missed a swipe at a rapidly moving pass during a scramble.
“They’re going to have a lot of scoring chances and we just have to protect our house and get our goals”.
So they responded in style with an impressive 5-1 victory against Switzerland, ranked seventh in the world, on Thursday to keep the good vibrations going for a terrific Day 6 for the entire Canadian Olympic team. “This one’s over and done with and we need to start looking forward to the next game”, he said. “We want to play hockey by being physical, checking hard and just doing what we do”.
Canada burned the White House, you know. “It comes down to one game and you’ve got to win”.
“I think Canada does have a certain identity”, Desjardins said of the mindset his players have embraced.
Drake posted a story to his Instagram account Thursday evening celebrating Team Canada’s Sarah Nurse.
“Just more hunger”, she said.
“I’m sure you saw them”.
But the Americans were better.
“It was at this moment I was so incredibly proud to be Canadian”, MacLeod says. A medal ceremony complete with tears and anguish was the lasting image of that team, which knew there was nothing to be done about it for another four years. Canada lost 2-1 to Sweden in a shootout in the gold medal game.
“It’s always a battle playing the US”, said Agosta.
“We have to find a way to bury those”. My reply is, maybe in their country that is the case, but not in Canada. Not in the second period, when Jocelyn Lamourex-Davidson was awarded a penalty shot, went forehand, backhand, forehand, backhand and then watched her shot ricochet off the knob of Lacasse’s stick.
Canada won the last two in 2010 and 2014. “We’re mentally trained and mentally fresh and ready to go”. But that goal proves how Canadians have that special quality.
The Americans can’t be happy with the result against Canada, but can be somewhat pleased with the effort – and the room for improvement.
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The Americans are coming, and they might even be here.
