MILAN–It’s one of the biggest rivalries in sports: Canada vs. the United States in women’s hockey.
Consider how close the competition has been: Canada holds the all-time lead in wins (25-23) and has scored only two more goals than the US (135-133). No other country has won Olympic or World Championship gold.
On Tuesday, the North American powers will face off against each other for the first time at these Olympics, a preliminary round game that is likely a preview of the gold medal game on Feb. 19. The rest of the world has still not caught up with these teams, although players have said that Czechia is the most improved country since the last Olympic cycle.
If you’re just watching the tournament, the speed, skill and physicality of women’s hockey has never been at a higher level. This is largely thanks to the emergence of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) as a competitive training ground leading up to this tournament, coinciding with the continued growth of the game.
Although Canada won the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and has a 5-2 gold medal record, the US is considered the favorite in Milan. The Americans swept the Olympic lead in the four-game rivalry series, defeating Canada 24–7.
Both teams enter this game in the second half of a back-to-back.
“It’s a big game coming up,” American defenseman Caroline Harvey said. “It’s going to be very intense; one you won’t want to miss.”
What did each team look like at the start of the Olympics?
Both teams are undefeated and are beating their opponents by huge margins. (The U.S. lead is 15-1; Canada is 9-1).
Let’s start with Canada, which had a delayed start after its opening game was postponed due to a norovirus outbreak on the Finland team. Canada has played one less game than the U.S., with Finland’s game rescheduled for Thursday. Canada has a more experienced team than the United States, returning 16 players from its key 2022 Olympic squad. These include captain Marie-Philippe Paulin, who is still considered the best player in the world.
Although Canada defeated Switzerland 4–0 in their first game, there were some execution issues. Perhaps it should have been a bigger blow after registering a 55-6 lead in shots. Three goals were scored on power play. The Canadian team opened matters with an impressive 5-1 win over Czechia on Monday.
Team USA features a mix of experienced players, headlined by Hillary Knight Competing in his American record fifth OlympicsAnd rising stars. The US is considered a deeper and more dynamic team. Coach John Wroblewski has preached the importance of rolling four lines, which he is able to do making for an extremely balanced attack.
Consider the opening 5-1 win over Czechia, it was No. 13 forward Hayley Scamurra, who had less than seven minutes of ice time, who led the way with two goals. Nine different players have already scored. There have been contributions from veterans (Knight has two goals, and is just shy of becoming the all-time Olympic leader for the U.S.) and college players like Ohio State’s Joey Dunn (four points in two games).
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Erin Frankel has given up just one goal on 25 shots; frankl rested 5-0 win over Switzerland on Monday To prepare for the back-to-back. The Americans also struggled with some execution against Switzerland, and failed to break the game open until the third period.
The player from each team who has impressed the most so far
It’s going to be a star-studded PWHL draft class, but there’s a good chance defenseman Caroline Harvey will be the No. 1 pick. The 23-year-old Wisconsin star, who is competing in her second Olympics, is a stellar skater and finds herself on the ice often. Harvey is leading the Americans in ice time, while scoring one goal and adding three assists.
While Sarah Fillear and Daryl Watts may be Canada’s most talked-about players, Julia Gosling of the PWHL Seattle team leads the way with three goals. Gosling highlighted Canada’s red-hot power play, going 5-for-9 (55%).
The biggest question for each team?
The biggest question for Canadians Pauline’s healthTheir captain. She was injured in the first period of Monday’s game after taking a big hit from Czechia’s Kristina Kaltunkova, the PWHL’s breakout star this season. It appears to be a lower body injury.
Meanwhile for Americans, they know just how influential they can be. PWHL Minnesota star Taylor Heise said Monday: “I think as soon as we got off the plane here, we had the confidence to know that we’re a great team. No matter what it takes, we’re here to win.”
But they may be giving up a bit too much defensively, especially with the odd man out rush. His defenders like to play pinch-hitting, creating opportunities for the opponent. Backup goaltender Gwyneth Phillips had to be on her A-game to seal a 20-save shutout against Switzerland.
The main player for each team in this game?
It’s cheating to pick two on one team, but the combination of Heise and Abby Murphy has often been brilliant and aggressive over the past few months for Team USA. While they’ve had their chances – and they’ve combined to score two goals – Heise and Murphy have another gear they can get to.
For Canada, it’s goalie Anne-Reneé Desbiens who comes into games on a heater in the PWHL (.957 save percentage, 0.99 goals against average in January). The Americans almost got “Goalie-D” thanks to exceptional performances from the netminders of Finland and Switzerland. Dialed-in Desbiens has the ability to steal games.
