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The US women's hockey team is preparing for a high-stakes matchup against Canada in the decisive seventh game of the Rivalry Series, following a 3-0 loss on Feb. 9 that marked Canada's third consecutive victory in the series. The upcoming Game 7 clash, set for Sunday in St. Paul, Minnesota, promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the high-energy series.
The US struggled to find their rhythm and capitalize on scoring opportunities in Game 6, including a key moment early in the second period when Hayley Scamurra's attempt narrowly missed the goal. The loss marks a missed opportunity for the US team to close out the series, forcing a game 7.
US women's hockey coach John Wroblewski acknowledged the challenges faced by his team, emphasizing the need to regroup and come back stronger for Game 7.
“Tonight just wasn't our night,” Wroblewski said, per the Associated Press. “Canada kept pushing and was eventually rewarded in the third. We're going to regroup and be ready for Game 7 on Sunday.”
Canada capitalizes on power plays, penalty kills
Meanwhile, Natalie Spooner's early third-period goal sealed Canada's victory, capitalizing on a power play opportunity just 58 seconds into the period. The goal set the tone for the remainder of the game, with Canada's Emerance Maschmeyer delivering a stellar performance in goal, stopping all 27 shots she faced to secure the shutout. Emily Clark and Sarah Nurse further added to Canada's lead with their goals.
“We have a very special group, staff down to players, and I think being able to lean on past experience is huge for us and our confidence,” Clark said. “Obviously, rosters are different, but there's definitely a core group and core experience that you can lean on and just a belief that this group has done it before.”
The strategic execution by Canada was evident in their power play and penalty kill units. Spooner's goal, a result of a pass from Marie-Philip Poulin, hlighlighted the high-level coordination and skill that Canada brought to the game. Meanwhile, Maschmeyer's confidence in goal, especially during penalty kills, played a significant role in Canada's ability to maintain their lead.
The series has been tightly contested from the start, with the US initially taking a lead with victories in the first three games, only for Canada to mount a comeback in the subsequent matches.
