Canada silver in women’s hockey

MILAN — One hundred and twenty-four seconds.

That’s how close the Canadian women’s team came to Olympic gold on Thursday. But in their quest for a near-perfect performance — which they knew would be needed on this night — they came just short of the finish line and had to settle for silver.

Legendary Team USA forward Hilary Knight, appearing in her final Games, tipped in the tying goal with 2:04 remaining in regulation. Then, in overtime, teammate Megan Keller completed the stunning comeback, scoring the golden goal 4:07 into the three-on-three session.

“It’s going to take a little bit to decompress, there’s no doubt about it. That’s the exact game expected, a tight matchup,” an emotional Canadian defender Renata Fast said following the heartbreaker.

“I think what I’m most proud of is this group and the heart and the pride and the passion that we played with after a lot of adversity throughout the year and a lot of noise in the background. I think this group showed up tonight and they made our country proud.”

Kristin O’Neill had given Canada a 1-0 lead just 54 seconds into the middle frame with a beautiful shorthanded deke. For the longest time, it looked like that goal might hold up.

Until it didn’t.

“It’s tough to lose that way,” said forward Natalie Spooner.

“Three on three, I thought we were right there all game. We had a great start, we had a good forecheck and were getting chances. You know, probably maybe one of the best games we’ve been able to put together.”

Canada had multiple chances to extend their lead, but U.S. goaltender Aerin Frankel was sensational, stopping 30 of 31 shots.

“I think a second goal would have been huge for us,” said Fast.

Not to be outdone, Canadian netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens finished with 31 saves and could not be faulted on either goal.

“We showed a lot of pride. We clawed, we fought. We were very resilient. We took time and space away. We did a lot of right things, so we can be proud of ourselves,” said Desbiens.

“Obviously disappointed with the result and how it ended. I think this group deserved better. We did a lot of right things.”

Canada went 0-for-3 on the power play, including a critical one with just under seven minutes left in the third. U.S. forward Britta Curl-Salemme was initially given a major for boarding Canada’s Erin Ambrose, but it was reduced to a minor after video review.

This loss will leave a mark on Canada — not just because of the painful result, but for what it represents: a changing of the guard in women’s hockey.

The U.S. is now the team to beat, something Canada has been unable to do in eight straight meetings. Critics had questioned Canada’s roster, calling it too old and slow compared with the speedy, skilled and youthful Americans.

But Canada showed growth. This looked nothing like the team that was blown out 5-0 in group play last week, or the one that was swept in the four-game Rivalry Series earlier this winter by a combined score of 24-7.

“I think we had great conversations (Wednesday) about embracing the underdog mentality,” said Fast.

“We were well aware of the position that we were in. We were excited about being in that position and going out there to play and play an honest game, play a team game and see where it can take us. The group did a great job sticking to that game plan.”

For the Americans, this was a well-earned coronation. They cruised through group play, the quarterfinals and the semifinals, winning all six games by a combined score of 31-1. That included five consecutive shutouts, with O’Neill’s goal snapping a remarkable 331:23 streak without conceding.

The Canadians stayed on the ice for about an hour after the game, watching the U.S. celebrate and receive their gold medals as chants of “U.S.A.” rained down. Canadian players received silver, while Switzerland earned bronze after defeating Sweden in overtime earlier in the day.

“It’s difficult. I think there’s going to be a lot of girls that use this as motivation,” said Spooner, who recalled doing the same thing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games when Canada lost 3-2 in a shootout to the U.S.

“It was a huge motivation for me. Same now. It’s a tough spot to be in. You don’t want to be there hearing not your anthem on that line. You go back to work and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Spooner now has a second silver to go with golds from Sochi (2014) and Beijing (2022).

A pair of Manitobans were also on the team. Ste. Anne’s Jocelyne Larocque now has four medals, the same as Spooner, while Winnipeg’s Kati Tabin earned her first.

One big question after this tournament is what the next Canadian team will look like. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who became the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer (20), is widely believed to have played in her fifth and final Games. Other veterans, like Spooner and Larocque, are also nearing the end of their careers.

Poulin, who missed two games with a lower-body injury, was clearly playing through pain and was emotional after Thursday’s loss. She embraced and spoke with teammates and even her Team USA rivals.

“(She told us) just how proud she is of all of us,” said Fast.

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“She’s the best captain possible. Everyone just loves the person that she is, because she makes an effort to get to have a relationship with every player. It’s special to have a captain like that who leads us both with her play but also with the type of person she is. Nice to be able to have that moment with her.”

The majority of players will now head back to their respective club teams in the PWHL to gear up for the second half of the season.

“Despite coming away with the (silver) medal, we can all step away and be really proud of the effort and the heart and the passion that we played with,” said Fast.

“We’ve dealt with a lot of adversity already through this entire year, the Rivalry Series and this tournament. For us to come out with a performance like that, I’m just really proud of the group. Just wish we could have got it done.”

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Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

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