United States downs Canada 4-1 in exhibition action; rival teams face off twice more before end of month

 and by Kristen Lipscombe

GRAND FORKS, N.D.  – Kevin Dineen learned quickly what the U.S. Women’s National Team is all about ahead of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

In his debut as Canada’s National Women’s Team head coach, Dineen watched his club drop a 4-1 decision Friday to the Americans in exhibition action, the fourth of a six game series between the top women’s hockey powerhouse rivals.

“Tremendous amount of respect for that opponent, that's an exceptional team there,'' Dineen said after the game of his first taste of the U.S program.

Brianna Decker scored the eventual winner for the Americans, while sisters Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux each had a goal and an assist. Hilary Knight added one more to round out the offence.

Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) scored Canada's lone goal of the game, tipping in a Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que./Montreal, CWHL) shot off a beautiful pass back from Jayna Hefford (Kingston, Ont./Brampton, CWHL).

U.S. goaltender Molly Schaus earned the win, while Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, Alta./Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, ACAC) took the loss for Canada.

Irwin opened the scoring for the Canadians at 17:22 of the first period. But the lead didn't last long, as Monique Lamoureaux tied it up for the Americans with less than 10 seconds to go in the first frame.

“Getting scored on in the last 10 seconds of the first gave them momentum and we made some pretty big mental errors,'' Irwin said following the game.

Things got worse for Canada in the second period as they gave up three goals in a seven-minute span.

Decker scored for the U.S. at 8:37, Knight tacked on another at 13:24, and Jocelyne Lamoureux made it 4-1 just over two minutes later.

“There were preventable plays that led to scoring chances,” Dineen said. “The second period was an area I thought we were out-played.”

The Americans not only controlled the scoreboard through the first 40 minutes, but they kept the Canadian squad from any real scoring chances. Heading into the third period, Canada had registered just 11 shots on goal.

“I've seen that we need to look for ways to create more offence.” Dineen said. “Certainly, putting pucks on the net is a good way to start and we didn't do that enough tonight.”

The Canadians tried to battle back in the third period, but couldn't find a way to beat Schaus.

Eventually, emotions took over, and with the game out of reach tempers flared in the final minute, as 12 players  - six from each club - were handed penalties with just eight seconds remaining in the contest after a 10-player altercation unfolded in front of the American net.

“It's no different than any other rivalry in sport,” Irwin said of the tussle. “That emotional part that came out at the end for both teams ... obviously you don't want players to have major penalties, but emotions do run high in hockey.''

Dineen took his first international coaching job after Dan Church stepped down unexpectedly last week with less than two months before the puck drops on Sochi 2014.

Dineen served as head coach of the NHL's Florida Panthers for just over two seasons until he was fired last month.

The Americans will play the Canadians in two more exhibition games before the end of the month, with the first Dec. 28 in St. Paul, Minnesota and the second Dec. 30 in Toronto, Ont. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET inside the Air Canada Centre, home of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, in that sixth and final exhibition game between the two top women’s hockey teams in the world, before both head over to Russia to battle for Olympic gold. Purchase tickets to the Dec. 30 game by visiting www.hockeycanada.ca/tickets.

For more information on Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/nwt, and follow via social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_women.