Canada and the U.S. have faced off for gold at 23 of 24 women’s world championships since the tournament began in 1990, including last year’s gold-medal game in New York, which Canada won 6-5 in overtime.
Team USA had the tougher road to this gold medal game, despite being the No. 1 seed in the tournament, with an intense 2-1 semifinal win against the host Czechia.
“There were times it felt like a Canada-USA game,” said U.S. defender Laila Edwards. “I’m glad we had that game, credit to Czechia for really bringing it.”
That win makes the U.S. feel more “battle tested,” than Canada, who beat Finland 8-1 in the second semifinal yesterday. While it could feel like the easier (less helpful) route, Canadian coach Troy Ryan said it could be a strong springboard for the team for a few reasons.
First and foremost, they scored eight goals while keeping their game clean and not picking up any “bad habits.” Canada was also able to limit some of their top players’ minutes (Marie-Philip Poulin only played 13:36 compared to Hilary Knight playing 20:26). The latter could be a difference maker, given how important Knight and Poulin are to their respective teams.
