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Winnipegger Kati Tabin’s first Olympic experience might not have ended the way she’d hoped, but she says it was still “a dream come true” to play for Canada.
“I thought we played an unreal game. Going into OT, we were very confident that we were going to get the job done, and unfortunately, sometimes with the sport, it just doesn’t go your way,” Tabin said Friday morning, less than 24 hours after the United States came from behind to beat Canada in the women’s Olympic hockey gold medal game in Milan, Italy.
Canada, the defending Olympic champs, led the game 1-0 after a shorthanded goal from Kristin O’Neill early in the second period.
The U.S. tied it with 2:04 remaining in the third period and their goalie pulled for an extra skater, then scored the game winner a few minutes into overtime.
“Obviously not the best,” Tabin said, when asked how she was feeling the next day. “Not the medal we were hoping for.”
Canada’s Kristin O’Neill (43) celebrates her goal with Jocelyne Larocque (3) and Erin Ambrose (23) during the second period. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
But it was a dream to represent the province at the highest level with four-time Olympian Jocelyne Larocque, from Ste. Anne, Man., while friends and family watched from the stands of Santagiulia arena, Tabin said.
“I obviously looked up to Joss a lot, so to be able to play alongside her was super cool,” she said.
“Having family and friends here is the best, you know, just having people that have kind of been in your corner for forever. To be able to share this experience with them has been phenomenal.”
Tabin plans to spend time with family and friends before they fly out on Saturday, then cheer on the other Canadians competing at the Games before she heads back to join her PWHL team in Montreal on Monday.
The next date circled on her calendar, which nearly brings Olympic-level excitement, is March 22. That’s when Tabin’s Montreal Victoire take on Larocque’s Ottawa Charge in a PWHL game in Winnipeg.
The PWHL is looking to add new teams and is sparking interest by playing neutral-site games in six different Canadian cities this season.
“Obviously going to the Olympics was my No. 1 dream, and second dream was, you know, to be able to play in front of friends and family and in Winnipeg,” Tabin said.
“So it’s going to be a great game. It’s going to be super cool, just this real moment to kind of bring it home and play in front of everyone who supported me along the way.”
