CANADA SWEEPS SERIES WITH A 4-3 OVERTIME WIN

LAKE PLACID, New York - Canada managed to eke out a 4-3 OT win with only three seconds left on the clock despite giving up three power-play goals to the Americans and being unable to convert any of their own 14 power-play chances.

After a day off, it seemed like the timing was off for both teams as pucks were bouncing off sticks and neither team had much flow to their game. Canada’s first goal was the result of one of those bounces, an unlucky one for the USA. With Dominque Thibault about to be penalized for hooking and the USA goaltender out of the net, Rebecca Johnston’s stick made contact with the American player’s stick, sending the puck into the empty US net to give Canada a 1-0 lead just under 15 minutes into the opening period. Less than a minute after the Canadian goal, the USA responded with their first power-play goal of the game when Sarah Parsons converted a Hilary Knight pass to even the game at 1-1. As was the case in the two previous games the period ended with the teams tied.

A very determined US team started the second period and had Canada on their heels for the full twenty minutes, out shooting the Canadians 12-9. Canada struggled with passes and puck control and provided the Americans with many outnumbered rushes on the Canadian goaltenders, who each played half the period. The best American chance came while Canada was on a fiveon-three power play. A Canadian miscue in the neutral zone resulted in Olympian Sarah Parsons going in alone on the Canadian net. Fortunately for Canada, Shannon Szababdos made a great save to steal what would have been in US’s second shorthanded goal of the series. Canada scored its second goal of the game after Haley Irwin fired a shot from the right wing low into the middle of the net. The ensuing rebound, which went right out into the slot, bounced off of a driving Dominique its second power play when Canada failed to clear a Hilary Knight point shot. Jinelle Zaugg backhanded the rebound over Szababdos into the top of the net to tie the game at 2-2. It was a penalty-filled period as both teams started to get rough around the front of both nets. Both teams had power-play opportunities and while the US got another power play goal, Canada was unable to generate anything in the way of scoring chances in any of their four power-play opportunities.

Canada seemed to start the third with a renewed energy and scored 30 seconds into the period after Melanie Gagnon followed her own shot to the net, finding the loose puck in front of Schaus and diving to tuck tit into the net to put the Canadians back up by one. A minute and a half later with Blais in the box for hooking, Zaugg got her second goal of the game and the US’s third straight power-play goal when she scored only seven seconds into the power play. The balance of the period remained scoreless as Canada held off the hungry Americans to send the final game of the series into OT.

The OT was a different story for Canada when it returned to the strong team game which had brought them so much success on Thursday and Friday nights. Canada spent most of the period in control of the puck and on the attack, outshooting the Americans 10-2 over the 10 minutes. With the final seconds ticking down on the clock, Jocelyn Larocque intercepted a pass that was intended for a breaking US player, keeping Canada in the offensive end of the ice. A patient Larocque held onto the puck while the Canadians cleared the zone so the Canadians were able to re-enter the zone and go right back on the attack. With the US trying to clear the puck, it puck ended up on Catherine Ward’s stick at the blue line and she fired a low shot at the middle of the net. Samantha Hunt managed to get a stick on the puck deflecting it by Schaus to provide Canada with the OT win.