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Canada clinched a dramatic 3-2 victory over the U.S. women's hockey team in the Rivalry Series on Saturday, marking America's first loss in this series. Marie-Philip Poulin's decisive shootout goal and Ann-Renée Desbiens' 22 saves were instrumental in Canada's win, cutting the U.S. lead in the series to 3-1.
Canada showcased remarkable resilience, overturning a two-goal deficit in the third period. Danielle Serdachny's goal with 9:54 remaining and Ella Shelton's equalizer at 7:21 ignited the comeback.
“This team has a lot of character and we showed that today,” Desbiens said, as reported by the Associated Press. “It would have been easy to give up when we were down by two and down 3-0 in the series, but it was important for us to get a win in front of Canadian fans.”
Canadian coach Troy Ryan commended Desbiens for her pivotal role, adding, “She kept us in the game and gave us a chance to come back.”
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The U.S. had earlier established their dominance with Megan Keller's short-handed goal and Alex Carpenter's score, making it 2-0. U.S. women's hockey coach John Wroblewski praised the game's competitive nature, describing it as a “classic U.S.-Canada game.” Nicole Hensley's 24 saves for the Americans, however, couldn't prevent the Canadian comeback.
“The game was such a back-and-forth contest,” Wroblewski said. “It was a physical contest.”
Previously, the U.S. women's hockey team secured a 3-2 overtime victory, with Captain Hilary Knight's decisive goal marking a significant 3-0 lead in the series. The U.S. had demonstrated their experience with victories in Tempe, Arizona, and Los Angeles.
Looking forward, the series moves to Saskatchewan for games in Saskatoon and Regina on Feb. 7 and Feb. 11, respectively, with the final showdown set in St. Paul, Minnesota on Feb 11.
