REGINA, Saskatchewan (AP) — Natalie Spooner opened the scoring on a power play 58 seconds into the third period and Canada won its third straight to send the Rivalry Series to a decisive seventh game, beating the United States 3-0 on Friday night.
Emerance Maschmeyer made 27 saves, and Emily Clark and Sarah Nurse added goals. Game 7 is Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Twenty-six seconds after Megan Keller was penalized for body-checking, Spooner took a centring pass from Marie-Philip Poulin on a rush, cut right to the slot and fired a wrist shot to the far side past goalie Aerin Frankel. Soon after, Canada killed off the last of the United States’ five power plays.
Clark made it 2-0 with 9:08 left. She sped up left side off a turnover, cut to the middle and put her own rebound past Frankel. Nurse scored with 4:25 to go.
The United States had its best scoring chance early in the second period on a power play when Hayley Scamurra’s close-range attempt slid through the crease.
There was a 10-minute delay at the start of the second period because of a problem with the scoreboard system. After returning to the ice for the start of the period, the officials sent the teams back to their dressing rooms.
The U.S. failed to wrap up the series for the third straight game and second time in three nights in Saskatchewan. On Wednesday night in Saskatoon, Canada won 4-2.
The Americans opened the series in November with a 3-1 victory in Tempe, Arizona, and a 5-2 decision in Los Angeles. In December, they won 3-2 in Kitchener, Ontario, and Canada outlasted the U.S. 3-2 in a shootout in Sarnia, Ontario.
