2022 Winter Olympics Women’s Hockey: Canada Tops Team USA 3-2 for gold medal in Beijing

The US Women’s hockey team has failed to defend its Olympic gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Games. In a rematch of the PyeongChang 2018 gold-medal game, Canada collected a 3-2 Victory over the Americans.

Marie-Philip Poulin spearheaded Canada’s winning effort. The two-time gold medalist scored two goals and Assisted on the game’s first score. She now has seven goals in four career Olympic gold-medal games and is the only hockey player – men’s or Women’s – to score in four separate Olympic gold-medal games.

Canada ran out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. Sarah Nurse scored the game’s first goal 7:50 into the game, less than a minute after another goal from teammate Natalie Spooner was nullified by an offsides call. Poulin – who along with Claire Thompson Assisted on Nurse’s goal – added another score before the period closed.

The US made the game interesting late in the second period, though. Hilary Knight, Team USA’s oldest player at age 32, scored a short-handed goal with less than two minutes remaining to cut Canada’s lead to two. Hannah Brandt Assisted on the play.

With 12.5 remaining and Canada leading by two, Team USA’s Amanda Kessel scored to make the final score 3-2.

Canada looked unstoppable for much of the gold-medal game, and that’s been the case for much of these Olympics. The Canadians came into the contest as the only undefeated squad in Beijing, plus their 54 goals led the field and were nearly double than the Americans’ second-place total of 28. Canada also defeated the US, 4-2, in group play earlier in the Olympics

Both teams thoroughly impressed en route to the gold-medal game. The US beat Finland, 4-1, while the Canadians rolled to a 11-0 Victory over Sweden in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Team USA added another 4-1 Victory, this one over Finland, while Canada reached double digits again in a 10-3 win over Switzerland.

Canada has now won four of its six gold-medal games against the US The Canadians own five of the seven Olympic Women’s hockey gold medals overall, adding silver medals in ’98 and 2018.

This is Team USA’s fourth Olympic women’s hockey silver medal, the most of any country.