On February 17, in the women's hockey final of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, legendary captain Pauling led Canada to a 3-2 perfect revenge against the United States team with two goals and one assist. The Canadians were relentless in reclaiming the gold medal they lost to the Americans at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics four years ago.
This is one of the most competitive duels in the international ice hockey world, with the two north American finalists staged a peak showdown. The Canadians were filled with joy and their opponents were unusually disappointed, and although they were close to the score 13 seconds before the final, they ran out of time.
Canada's Nas scored a goal and an assist in the final to set a single Olympic scoring record (18 points), surpassing the 17-point record set by Wigan Heather at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Nas also surpassed Wiganhäiser's single-time Olympic assist record with 13 assists.
Since women's hockey entered the Winter Olympics in 1998, the Canadians have now won five gold medals in seven finals. The Americans won gold in 1998 and 2018, while the Canadians won four straight titles from 2002 to 2014.
Knight scored a goal for the United States, who led Canada 40-21 with a 40-21 shot.
In the group stage, Canada's 4-2 victory over the United States, Canadian goalkeeper Debian performed well, contributing 38 effective saves.
In Calgary in August 2021, the Canadians won the ITALIA World Championship for the first time since 2012, ending the Americans' six-game winning streak with Pauline's winning goal in extra time.
The Winter Olympics witnessed the dominance of the Canadians. The team included 10 first-time Olympic players, but they remained unbeaten. The top six players on the Olympic scoring list are all Canadians. In the final, the Canadians had the advantage in terms of speed, fitness and competition.
Just two minutes into the game, the U.S. team had the best chance, but the shot was deflected. The Canadians have since had more possession and the Americans didn't get another shot until the 11th minute.
At 7:50, Pauline and Thompson assisted and Nas scored. For Winter Olympic rookie Thompson, it was her 13th point at the Beijing Winter Olympics, setting a single-time scoring record for a defender in winter Olympic history.
At 15 minutes and 02 seconds, Pauline scored, 2-0. It was Pauline's four consecutive Winter Olympics final goal. No one, wedded male or female, has ever done this. The champion captain scored both two goals in the finals of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, including the winning goal, and also scored one in the final of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to the United States.
When Captain America was fined 2 minutes after 24 seconds for delaying the game, it was a sign that this was not a good day for the Americans. The U.S. head coach began to control the use of players, relying solely on the first two groups of players.
At 29:08, Pauline helped the Canadian extend the score to 3-0. It was her 17th Winter Olympic goal.
The Americans were desperately trying to catch up. With 1:25 left in the second inning, Knight used a short handball to give the Americans a chance to continue life, and the score went to 1-3. It was Knight's 22nd Winter Olympic game, surpassing the 21 that legendary players Porter and Ruggereau had held together. Knight, 32, who won four Olympic medals (one gold and three silver), is the oldest U.S. women's ice hockey player ever to compete in the Olympics.
In the third inning, the old American players continued to exert pressure.
3 minutes before the end of the match. The U.S. team removed the goalkeeper. At 58 minutes and 35 seconds, Pauline sat in the penalty seat. The Americans chased after it frantically at the last moment. Finally scored a goal before the end of the game, but that was all they could do. The Canadians threw away their clubs and rushed into the stadium to hug the celebration, and the Americans shed tears.
This is the sixth U.S.-Canada showdown in seven finals in the history of the Winter Olympics. The only exception was in 2006, when the Canadian beat the Swedes 4-1. In every previous US-Canada showdown, the final score difference was only one point (2002, 2014 and 2018) or two points (1998 and 2010).
Canadian women's hockey players set a single Olympic goal record, scoring 57 goals in seven games. The previous record was 48 goals scored in five games set by the Canadians at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The road to the final was not easy for both teams. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the 2020 and 2021 World Championships either cancelled or postponed, and the training conditions are not ideal. The Canadian women's hockey league fell into a shutdown in 2019. But being able to travel to the Beijing Winter Olympics makes it all worth it.
The only team in men's hockey to win olympic and world championship gold medals in the same year was Sweden, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the World Championships in Riga. With the Women's Ice Hockey World Championships taking place for the first time in the Olympic year, the Canadian women's ice hockey team is expected to become a double champion at the 2022 World Championships in Denmark (August 26-4).
Whether it's in an ITU tournament or a professional league, women's ice hockey has an exciting future. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics gold medal battle will be another big step in expanding the global influence of women's ice hockey.
The image comes from the official website of the International Ice Federation https://www.iihf.com/