Canada USA set to resume one of the best rivalries in sports

GANGNEUNG, South Korea — There turned into one minute and 27 seconds left in this semifinal. Canada changed into up five-0 while Shannon Szabados, the female who has backstopped her u. S. To 2 Olympic gold medals, was run over by using an Olympic Athletes of Russia forward named Yevgenia Dyupina.

Szabados, who’d long past behind her internet to pass a percent as much as a teammate, picked herself up quite quickly, and she did what you do while someone takes you out, out of nowhere: She went instantly for Dyupina. Canadian defenceman Brigette Lacquette already had that idea and became a few strides before her goalie, apparently about to lay down a punishment.

But no, it’s no longer what you observed: Szabados wasn’t going after the Russian. This game turned into all, however, over, and there’s a quite huge one ahead. The goaltender’s mind was all approximately protected.

“I became looking to hold Brigette — well, one, I changed into trying to skate to the bench because they were getting a penalty,” said Szabados, simply after Canada punched its ticket to the gold medal game. (She’s fine, by way of the manner, after that hit). “I changed into simply attempting to inform Bridge, ‘It’s OK. Near the top of the game there, we got a big one arising, so need you for that one.’”

Does Canada even have a massive one coming up? Boy, oh boy. After a couple of semifinals on Monday, consisting of Canada’s dominant win over OAR, the degree is set for one of the richest rivalries in-game.
For the 5th time in records, Canada and Team USA will meet in the gold medal very last — the reigning Olympic champions against the reigning international champions you needed to see coming. For Canada, it’s a shot at a fifth directly gold medal. For Team USA, it’s a threat to win a primary because they won the primary-ever Olympic gold presented in the sport, 20 years in the past.

Canada cruised into its sixth instantly Olympic ladies’ hockey final (and there have only been six). The reigning and 4-time Olympic champions, carrying their white jerseys, wanted less than mins to strike in Monday’s semifinal at the Gangneung Hockey Centre.

Just 1:50 in, Blayre Turnbull dug the percent out of the OAR nook, then Natalie Spooner picked it up and threaded a pleasant bypass to an extensive-open Jennifer Wakefield, who one-timed it domestically from the slot to make it 1-0, Canada.

How did that winner since, Wakefield? “I imply, I assume it became in the first 3 mins,” she stated, grinning. The first two, clearly. “It became appropriate for us to get on the board first to form of putting them on their heels.” She’d strike again within the 0.33.

But after that quick one, her first, when this recreation had slightly started, you got the sensation this turned into going to be a demolition. It took some time for Canada to get going, although sincerely. “I think we didn’t start the way we desired,” said Canadian ahead Melodie Daoust. In reality, at the same time as Canada out-chanced Russia within the first, it must’ve been 1-1 just after the midway mark of that starting duration.

OAR forward, Yelena Dergachyova will possibly be considering this neglected opportunity for a while. She had a juicy rebound land proper on her stick, with a by and large open internet. However, her rushed backhand hit Szabados at the same distance side. Dergachyova seemed up on the ceiling after that one.

“It becomes a skip throughout, and I made the first keep, but I didn’t see it come off,” Szabo said of the ensuing rebound. “Was a little past due getting there and got a bit lucky to get a chunk of it?”

That good fortune preserved a Canadian streak: It might’ve been the first time Canada had given up a primary-duration aim in 20 instantly Olympic games. (The closing time changed into against Finland, lower back in 2002).

Canada, too, had its chances early on that they didn’t convert on. In the first, they hit a put up, went zero-for-2 on the strong play, and OAR goalie Valeria Tarakanova made a couple of good saves.

In the second, captain Poulin scored the prettiest goal of this game, extending Canada’s result in two of the early goings with a beauty pinnacle-shelf backhand after Daoust observed her in front. Canada had a more potent period universal, and OAR managed simply 4 pictures.

Still, it wasn’t pretty the dominant Canadian overall performance all of us predicted, though it becomes clear they had been the higher crew. The one place in which Canada turned into outdone but changed into inside the stands. OAR had a healthful cheering contingent led by a person who acted as a conductor, and enthusiasts had pom-poms, broke out in barely choreographed dances, and wore purple t-shirts that spelled out “RUSSIAN HOCKEY” and “#RUSSIAISINMYHEART,” letter by letter. The “RUSS-I-A” chants and songs dominated the evening. Clearly, they haven’t embraced the entire Olympic Athletes of Russia called.

The making of a song got a touch less loud within the third length, but. That’s while the domination clearly set in, whilst Canada scored dreams simply 31 seconds apart, Wakefield putting along with her second on a wrist shot from a bad angle, almost parallel to the intended line, and Emily Clark from your doorstep soon after. Then, on a strength play, Rebecca Johnston scooped up a rebound and wristed it top-shelf to make it five-zero.

When it turned into all said and performed, Canada had 47 pictures compared to just 17 for OAR, who will meet Finland within the bronze medal sport. As trade captain Brianne Jenner pointed out, “we were given better as every period went on.”

“We stayed quite calm and simply targeted on some details,” the veteran forward delivered. “When we out-exchange groups and we consciousness on our line modifications we can type of hem them of their cease pretty true. That becomes a form of our recognition. I thought within the 1/3 we did a superprocess, placed them on their heels, so that’s what we’re trying to do within the next sport.”

Ah, the following recreation. It has the makings of being the sport of these Games. It sure turned into 4 years ago.

This American crew goes to be tremendously prompted, indeed. Four years in the past on this stage, they watched a two-purpose lead evaporate with a pair minutes to move in the 1/3 length, after which Poulin scored (again) in time beyond regulation to finish one of the maximum unreal comebacks in history.

But those Americans are confident, notwithstanding that fact they already misplaced to Canada inside the round-robin, 2-1, thanks to brilliant goaltending from Genevieve Lacasse. Team USA badly outshot the Canadians; they simply couldn’t convert on their possibilities.

“We had a variety of factor-clean scoring possibilities, and it’s simple, we got to finish,” veteran ahead Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said, following Team USA’s 5-0 win over Finland.

The identical goes for right here at the Olympics: It’s been twenty years on account that Team USA last finished on this degree.

But hey, Canada heads into this one feeling pretty good. “I think it’s like something: it doesn’t depend on what your report goes in, but you could take those experiences and construct off what you’re doing well,” Jenner said. “And we honestly feel after that spherical-robin that we had and that semifinal, we experience confident, and we’re enthusiastic about the sort of sport that we’re playing.”

The gold medal final is about for Thursday, and if records have shown us something, it’s going to be a real splendor.