Jason La Rose
GAME STATS: CANADA 3, UNITED STATES 2 (OT)
CALGARY, Alta. – Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que.) scored a dramatic overtime winner 7:22 into the extra period, giving Canada’s National Women’s Team a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the United States on Tuesday night for its 11th gold medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
The Canadians claimed the world title for the first time since 2012, when Caroline Ouellette scored the extra-time goal to give Canada the win over the U.S. It also marks the first time Canada has gone unbeaten at a women’s worlds since 2007 in Winnipeg.
With the teams going end-to-end in three-on-three overtime, Poulin took a perfect pass from Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont.) and wired a shot over the glove of American netminder Nicole Hensley.
THE GOLDEN GOAL! 🥇#WomensWorlds | #OurGameIsBack | @pou29 pic.twitter.com/tL3mbdYzLJ
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) September 1, 2021
The puck pinged off the under side of the cross bar and came down just across the goal line, but was in and out so fast that it was initially waved off by the referee. As play continued into the Canadian end, IIHF video review confirmed the shot was in and the horn sounded to end another memorable chapter of the Canada-U.S. rivalry.
Early on it looked as if the Americans would crash the party in Calgary and leave with a sixth-straight gold.
Alex Carpenter got the all-important first goal midway through the first period, knocking her own rebound through the legs of Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que.), and she added a second less than three minutes later, finding a loose puck off a scramble in front and firing it past the Canadian netminder.
But Canada came out with the jump to open the second, equalizing before the period was seven minutes old.
Jenner was first on a Canadian power play at 4:13, showing off her quick hands to tuck a shot around Hensley.
Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont.) tied it 2:29 later, getting her stick on a blast from Jocelyne Larocque (Ste. Anne, Man.) and tipping it down and through the five-hole of the American goaltender.
What. A. Tip. 🏒#WomensWorlds | #OurGameIsBack | @ratt26 pic.twitter.com/s2N1X0m27x
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) September 1, 2021
After back-to-back Canadian power plays came up empty, the penalty kill went to work; the Americans enjoyed three-and-a-half power plays in the third period alone, but the Canadians, led by Poulin and Jenner up front, kept the game tied.
Desbiens did her part as well, making a couple of point-blank stops as part of her 23-save performance.
It was no surprise the gold medal game needed overtime; it marked the fifth time in the last seven finals between the teams that an extra period was necessary to crown a world champion.
Poulin joins an exclusive list of golden goal scorers for Canada at women’s worlds – Nancy Drolet did it in 1997 and 2000, and Caroline Ouellette was the hero when Canada won its most recent gold in 2012.
Follow the game, Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que.) earned Most Valuable Player and Top Forward honours, as well as a place on the Media All-Star Team, where she was joined by Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont.) and Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont.).