The writing was on the wall.
A team that had been embarrassed on home ice by its southern rivals, not two months before, came to the Winter Olympics relatively unchanged, but expecting a different result. On top of that, the team was without its star player. That made the Canadian women’s team an underdog on a scale it hasn’t been in almost a quarter-century.
In front of 11,390 fans at the Milano Santagiulia IHO on Tuesday night, the story in the latest chapter of the rivalry stayed the same. Canada was swamped by the stronger, faster, and overall better American squad, 5-0, surrendering first place in Group A.
It marked the Red and White’s seventh straight loss against the U.S., the longest losing streak since the Americans won eight games in a row leading up to the Winter Games in 2002. It was also the most lopsided loss either team has suffered at the Olympics, surpassing the Americans’ round-robin win in the inaugural tournament in 1998, which ended 7-4.
However, there’s no indication that Canada will have what it takes to rally and upset the U.S. in a potential gold-medal game, as it did in Salt Lake City 24 years ago. What we saw in Milan on Tuesday wasn’t just Canada getting outplayed by Team USA – they were getting destroyed.
The Canadians were held to a measly four shots on goal in the first period, and even though the U.S. was only up by two at that point, it truly felt like the game was over. Canada was getting outhustled and outworked in a way that we haven’t seen at this level in a decade. The final shot count had the U.S. lead 33-20, thanks to a 10-shot outburst by Canada well after the game became out of reach.
Sure, having a healthy Marie-Philip Poulin in the lineup would’ve helped a little. But even Captain Clutch could’ve done little to slow down the United States’ persistent attack.
Canada head coach Troy Ryan recognizes how talented the U.S. roster is, but believes his team could’ve been better.
“I think our team can score goals,” Ryan told the media after the loss. “I think our team can play defensively. Neither of them were there tonight. … They’re big, they’re strong, they’re fast, they’re skilled, they’re a great team. But you still got to find ways.”
Ryan noted that he could tell his team was feeling deflated at the halfway mark of the game, as Canada couldn’t mount any counterattack.
“There just seemed to be a bit of a shoulder drop…Honestly, I have no time for it. We’re at the Olympic Games.”
Unlike previous major tournaments, where Hilary Knight or Kendall Coyne Schofield would score the big goals, it was the Americans’ youth that powered them to victory. Hannah Bilka scored twice, while University of Wisconsin teammates Caroline Harvey, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards all found the back of the net. The plethora of first-time Olympians made the U.S. a unanimous favorite among pundits heading into Italy, as the experience the young core has had over the past couple of IIHF Women’s World Championships has prepared them for this moment, a moment they thrived in during the team’s final preliminary-round game.
The U.S. has six players under 25 and 13 players born this century. Canada’s average age is close to 30, with all but five of its 23-player roster born in the ’90s.
Even after a disappointing effort, the players in Canada’s locker room still believe they can turn things around. Getting back into the gold-medal conversation isn’t out of the equation.
“It’s obviously not an ideal game for us,” said 37-year-old defender Jocelyne Larocque. “It’s one of those things that we have two choices to make. We can dwell on this, or there’s a lot to learn and get better. I have full trust in this team and confidence in this team that we’re going to learn, we’re going to get better.”
“We’ll learn from this,” added 34-year-old forward Brianne Jenner. “Our coaches will cut it up and figure out how we can be better, and we will be better.”
The embarrassing losses for Canada date back to the Rivalry Series, where they were shockingly swept by the United States. It wasn’t just that the Canadians lost all four games, but how badly they were defeated. On top of a 10-4 loss in Edmonton in December, Canada was outscored 24-7 in the series.
While some believed the beatings would lead to a shakeup of Canada’s roster heading into the Winter Games, it didn’t. Every player in Milan (excluding Sarah Nurse, who was injured at the time) also played in the Rivalry Series.
Hockey Canada had an opportunity to make some changes to improve their roster. Instead, they elected to rely on experience from previous Olympics and world championships. The U.S.’ approach and personnel evolved since losing to the Canadians twice in Beijing four years ago.
Now that they’ve made their bed, Canada is lying in it.
Poulin is out with an injury that, according to some, might be more serious than day-to-day. Canada has to bounce back and face Finland on Thursday, a game postponed from last week due to a norovirus outbreak. The Canadians need to avoid regulation loss to secure second place in Group A.
Even with a relatively easy path to the semifinals and a potential rematch with Team USA in the final, many wonder if Canada can provide any sort of challenge for the best assembly of players ever brought to the Olympics by USA Hockey, male or female. Canada doesn’t have the speed to keep up with the Americans, nor the depth it had in yesteryear. One could argue that the aging goaltending duo of Ann-Renee Desbiens and Emerance Maschmeyer might not be able to match up to the U.S. tandem of Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips.
If Canwant to win a sixth Olympic gold medal, they’re going to have to change the way they play. If not, the Stars and Stripes will be cloaked in gold next week.
Read more women’s Olympic stories at DFO
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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