The American and Canadian women’s hockey teams will spend Thursday afternoon exactly where they expected to be from the start of the Olympic Games: playing in the gold medal game.
The suspense in Beijing was almost never going to be in the matchup. The two countries have fought over the gold medal in every Games but one since women’s hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998. The real questions have been about the conditions of the teams headed into another tilt, and, of course, the outcome after 60 minutes (or overtime, as in 2014, or, as in 2018, a shootout).
The Canadians, who have scored an Olympic-record 54 goals during their stay in Beijing, are looking to dethrone the Americans as Olympic champions. They will arrive for their final game at Wukesong Sports Center with three of the five leading scorers of these Games: Brianne Jenner (9), Sarah Fillier (8) and Jamie Lee Rattray (5).
The Americans have put up fewer points overall, but Hilary Knight, who is playing in her fourth Games for the United States, is also among the tournament’s scoring leaders, with five goals.
Both teams will also send experienced goaltenders onto the ice. The United States has relied on three formidable netminders — Alex Cavallini, Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney — who have allowed a total of eight goals. Canada accounts for half of that total, from when it beat the Americans, 4-2, in a preliminary round game.
Canada will send Ann-Renée Desbiens to the crease, again wagering that she will thwart the aggressive American offense.
Expect plentiful speed, particularly from Kendall Coyne Schofield, the American captain and one of the world’s fastest skaters.
“It’s the greatest attribute of my game,” she said in an interview last month. The sport, she added, was becoming speedier as a whole.
“It’s getting faster because of the training, the innovation behind training mechanisms, the innovation behind recovery mechanisms and just the evolution of training and skating,” she said. “I think players are working hard, but they’re also working smarter.”
The Canadians, awfully speedy themselves, are bracing for the onslaught.
“Obviously, when we play the Americans, it’s a fast game,” said Sarah Nurse, a Canadian forward. “And so it’s about really spreading them out, not getting too in tight, getting into corners, but really spreading out their defense so we can create offense.”
The game, at 11:10 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, will air on NBC.
