It was going to take more than a one-goal deficit to rattle Brianne Jenner and the Canadians in their long-running cross-border rivalry against the Americans, which resumed Tuesday at the Beijing Olympics.
Rather than wilt, Canada responded by scoring three times over a span of 5 minutes, 25 seconds to secure a 4-2 win over the defending champion United States, claiming the women’s hockey tournament’s top seed entering the playoff round.
“Hockey’s a game of momentum shifts, so to come out and have a strong shift regardless of if we score or not after they do, it’s huge,” Jenner said. “They’re a good hockey team, they’re going make plays, but I think we answered really well tonight.”
U.S. coach Joel Johnson said his team needs to be more resilient when the tide begins shifting.
“I thought it was the difference in the game,” Johnson said of Canada’s second-period surge. “I thought we carried all the momentum, and all of a sudden we just kind of forgot our situation a bit.”
There’s no reason for disappointment to set in for the Americans, or for the Canadians to spend too much time celebrating. Barring a major upset, the two global hockey powers are expected to meet again in the gold-medal final next week.
