UTICA, NY — Danielle Serdachny jumped on the rebound off an Erin Ambrose point shot to give Canada a 6-5 overtime victory over their rival Americans in the women’s world hockey championship on Sunday night.
And for the first time at the Adirondack Bank Center on Sunday, when it was all over, the smattering of Canadian fans here yelled “Can-a-da! Can-a-Da!” on a night that was heavy on “U! S! A!” chants.
After dropping the gold medal final to the Americans last year on home ice, Canada has regained the world title. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice, while Ambrose had a goal and an assist on the winner. Canadian goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens made 18 saves.
In three-on-three overtime — which was absolute breakneck speed, and saw Poulin fire one high on a breakaway — Team USA got a penalty for too many on the ice, and after struggling to capitalize on the power play for much of the tournament, Canada struck when it mattered most.
No lead in this game was safe. This final was tied five different times. On four occasions, one team scored and the other answered with a goal less than three minutes later. Hockey’s fiercest rivals delivered once again with a game for the absolute ages, one that was tied 5-5 through 60 minutes and needed extra time.
Canada struck first when the game was about eight minutes old, when Ambrose’s point shot made its way through traffic and deflected off an American stick to beat goalie Aerin Frankel high on the blocker side, silencing most of this crowd — aside from the pockets of rowdy Canadian fans here.
Adirondack Bank Center hit an absolute boil a little more than a minute later when American forward Laila Edwards — who had a hat trick in the semi-final a day earlier — beat Desbiens with a rifle of a wrist shot, top corner, glove side. Edwards fell against the board while she was celebrating with a low fist pump, and this baby was all tied up and the “U! S! A!” chants were thundering again.
Canada regained the lead again early in the second period when Julia Gosling came streaking down the left wing and beat Frankel five-hole, with a low shot Frankel no doubt wants back. It took seven minutes (that’s a long time, in the context of this game) for Team USA to answer. Veteran defender Megan Keller got her first of the tournament on a shot Desbiens no doubt wants back, a wrist shot that went off the goalie’s shoulder and trickled in.
Alex Carpenter then gave Team USA its first lead of the night, late in the second, quickly corralling a pass from Kendall Coyne Schofield in the low slot and firing it over Desbiens’ blocker. Carpenter threw up both hands and looked at the ceiling as her teammates jump-hugged her, and fans rose to their feet cheering.
And then with a minute to go in the second, captain Poulin tied things up to make it 3-3 heading into the third. She carried the puck down the left wing in the American zone and looked to be making a pass, then instead cut toward the faceoff dot and lasered a shot into the top corner.
Poulin was called for an illegal hit nearly half-way through the final frame, when her shoulder came up and hit American forward Britta Curl’s head, and Team USA capitalized. Defender Caroline Harvey’s shot bounced off the back end-boards, and captain Hilary Knight was right there to backhand the rebound in.
Team USA’s lead lasted fewer than two minutes. Canadian forward Emily Clark fired a pass in front that was headed for her linemate, Blayre Turnbull, but instead deflected off Harvey’s skate and into the net to make it 4-4. Harvey put both hands over her head after she saw that goal light turn red.
Poulin struck again to give Canada a 5-4 lead, tipping a Renata Fast point shot and then jumping on the rebound, banging it out of the air and hitting it again past Frankel. The captain pumped her fists and yelled “yeah!”
And then two minutes later, with five minutes to go in the third, American forward Lacey Eden sent a beautiful pass from behind the net out to Harvey in the slot and Harvey made no mistake, tying things up for the Americans, then getting down for a low fist-pump as the crowd once again lost it.
American fans turned up, with a sellout crowd that was chanting “U! S! A! U! S! A!” even before the puck dropped, and a couple fans banging on massive drums. One fan wore an American flag onesie with a giant eagle on the front of it. A group of women wore sequined American jackets. Fans held signs that read things like “Knight Knight Canada” (for captain Hilary Knight), and “All the way USA!” and “Re-peat!” There were plenty of Team USA jerseys in the crowd, and even more flags. On the walk in, American flags were hanging off light posts lit up red, white and blue. A couple of local fans lining up to get into the game pointed out this was a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” and that “Utica doesn’t usually get events this big.”
It would be difficult — if not impossible — to author a final quite like this, too.
With the win on Sunday, Canada has now won 13 world titles in all.
