MILAN — Can Hockey Canada squeeze in a quick summit before next week’s gold-medal game?
Because the gap between reigning Olympic women’s hockey champion and what is looking every bit like the next one is both frightening and growing.
Team USA dominated Team Canada 5-0 in Tuesday’s preliminary showdown between the sport’s two great powers.
Forget the Americans’ controversial third goal — the result of two painfully drawn-out video reviews, one being a failed goaltender interference challenge by Canada’s bench.
Forget the absence of Canada’s injured MVP, Marie-Philip Poulin, who is day-to-day with the lower-body injury she sustained Monday versus Czechia.
In what should be a gold-medal preview, the U.S. outclassed its opponent to a nearly embarrassing degree, outshooting Canada 33-20 at Santagiulia Arena while dictating from puck drop to the merciful buzzer.
“The speed and the tempo and the pace of it was obviously an upgrade from our first couple games. We looked like we didn’t have a ton of confidence in our decision-making or the plays that we made,” Canada’s coach, Troy Ryan, said.
“You can see it even surface in the amount of times we go offside, the amount of icings that we had, just making plays you can’t make against a team as good and as skilled as the U.S. are.”
The U.S. showed speedier and more skilled, more patient and disciplined, more suffocating defensively and sharper on special teams.
“Sometimes games like that happen, and it’s hard to put a finger on what it was,” Canadian interim captain Brianne Jenner said. “But I don’t think we’re lacking any inner confidence or confidence in each other.”
And while the Maple Leaf’s traveling faithful tried urging the underdogs with a rousing chorus of “Let’s go, Can-a-da! Let’s go!” while down 3-zip in the second period, the Canadians continued to chug uphill.
They committed the game’s first four penalties.
They went offside on odd-man rushes.
They generated so few dangerous looks, we’re not certain U.S. goaltender Aerin Frankel needed a water bottle.
“We weren’t getting inside on them at all. Like, all our shots were perimeter shots,” Ryan said. “One and done.”
Factor in the Americans’ four-game Rivalry Series sweep, and they’ve outscored Canada 29-7 this season. The IIHF’s No. 1–ranked outfit has now defeated Canada a whopping seven straight times over the past 365 days.
“We know the stories you guys will write, so that’s part of it too, right? Like, we got to make sure we’re managing some of the outside noise. You got to look a little bit more internal,” said Ryan, who will pore over video and consider line changes.
On this night, Canada didn’t dress anyone nearly as dynamic as playmaker Abbey Murphy, who gathered three assists, drew whistles and crawled under skin.
“That sort of the instigator, agitator, kind of rat side of her is something she does very well,” Ryan said. “Very few people that can play that role but also back it with some skill and some dynamic side. So, that’s very difficult to manage, right?”
Ryan couldn’t figure a game plan to break through the U.S.’s airtight defence.
“If, just because it’s difficult to get inside, you just don’t go there, you play right into their hands,” the coach said.
“I mean, you watch how they play. Like, we have a perimeter shot from the outside. Their D front pucks. They eat them with their pants, and they join the play. Like, it’s a pretty simple recipe. We just can’t fall into that trap.”
Tuesday’s game didn’t feel much like a rivalry at all.
It felt like a coronation. One that was celebrated with thumping “U-S-A!” chants as the buzzer sounded.
“Everyone’s buzzing today, and it’s so fun,” Murphy exclaimed.
“I think we’ve got a hell of a program,” U.S. defender Laila Edwards beamed.
Nah, one bad call or one great captain could not have made up the difference.
“It definitely sucked, but it definitely brought a lot of passion to us to try to win that game for her,” forward Julia Gosling said.
“Hopefully we didn’t disappoint her too much.”
Canada needs a good, hard think about where its women’s program is headed.
They have nine days to figure this out.
And to resurrect a spirit that appears to have been killed by the U.S.
“There just seemed to be a bit of a shoulder drop. Like, the group got down a little bit,” Ryan said. “Honestly, I have no time for it. Like, you’re at the Olympic Games. We got other games to play.
“You learn a little bit about yourself. You learn a bit about the opposition. But there’s just no time for dropping the shoulders and hanging your heads.”
