CANADA STRIKES GOLD AGAIN IN ITALY

The pressure of being the heavy favourite in a gold medal game didn’t seem to get to the Canadians early on, as they carried the play.

Gillian Apps (Unionville, ON/Dartmouth College) opened the scoring at 3:15, carrying the puck out of the corner and surprising Swedish netminder Kim Martin on the backhand.

A turnover at the nine minute mark led to a great Caroline Ouellette chance in alone, but Martin. But at 12:13, Ouellette (Montreal, QC/Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) took a great feed from Jayna Hefford on a two-on-one break and this time, she found the mark. Canada was up 2-0 and outshot Sweden 11-2.

Cherie Piper (Scarborough, ON/Dartmouth College) added a third goal at 8:58 of the second period, taking a Hayley Wickenheiser pass and knocking home her 7th goal of the Olympics. Less than two minutes later, at 10:27, Canada added a fourth, Jennifer Botterill came from behind net and found Jayna Hefford by the side if the net.

In the third, Sweden finally got on the scoreboard, during a power play, as defenceman Gunilla Anderson’s shot from the point, only their 8th shot in the game, eluded Charline Labonté at 5:24.

But that was as close as Sweden was going to get. Canada shut down Sweden’s power play for the rest of the game, and skates off with a 4-1 win and a second consecutive gold medal in women’s hockey.

Jayna Hefford:  "Every one (gold medal) is different.  Each experience is different and each team is different.  We had a great year and this is so sweet."
 
Vicky Sunohara: "It never gets tiring.  This is awesome."
 
Cherie Piper: "We played a great game as we did in the rest of the tournament.  In the final period, we were just looking at the clock, taking the puck and waiting to the end of the match. It feels great.  That was what we wanted to get, that was our goal.  And we got it, so we are happy."
 
Hayley Wickenheiser: "The score may have made it look easy, but it definitely wasn't.  It's been a long season, something like 54 games and to be Olympic Champions for the second time in a row is great.  It's definitely harder to defend gold than to win it."
 
Danielle Goyette: "Well, it's pretty amazing right now to win the tournament and to have nobody beat us.  It's pretty emotional.  This will be my last Olympics and I just want to enjoy the moment. I wanted to stay there (on the ice) all night.  They had to kick me off the ice to come and talk to you guys.  I didn't want it to end."
 
Katie Weatherston: "It's been an amazing road and journey.  I've just grown so much as a player.  Four years ago, I said that I wanted to be here.  I didn't know it would happen in four years though.  It's a great honour.  It went so well for our team.  We played so well together and it's an amazing feeling."
 
Cassie Campbell: "This time, to win under the pressure makes it so special.  And I think how we won.  We showed that Hockey Canada and women's hockey is dominant.  And that we have a great future because it was the young kids who really stepped up throught this whole tournament."
 
Cheryl Pounder: "It was so emotional.  Everyone says it will be different the second time.  It's different but it's very special in its own right.  This is one of the greatest teams I've ever played for.  I said earlier that what we went through as a group this year, the training and the work that went into this year, it all comes to to fruition in that final moment when you put that medal around your neck and watch your flag being raised to the anthem.  If you could stop time, you could just put it right there, and I could stay there forever."
 
Melody Davidson: "I am extremely proud of our players and our staff.  Right from day one, the day that we lost the gold medal at the World Championship, there was a group of players that committed themselves to gold at the Olympics.  And committed on and off the ice, and they commmitted to that right until the final buzzer tonight."
 
Davidson: "I thought it was a hard-fought game all the way through.  We had to earn every inch and we worked very hard on that."