U.S. Women’s Hockey Team Opens Rivalry Series With A 4-3 Shootout Win Over Canada
by Nicole Haase
Hilary Knight skates after the puck in the women's ice hockey gold medal match during Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Feb. 17, 2022 in Beijing.
The U.S. women’s hockey team started off the 2022-23 iteration of its Rivalry Series against Canada with a 4-3 shootout win Tuesday night in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter each scored in both regulation and the shootout, while goalie Nicole Hensley did not allow a goal in the shootout.
Hensley came up huge for the Americans with 32 saves, including a game-saving stop of Marie Philip-Poulin’s penalty shot with 39.2 seconds left in the extra period. She also did not allow a power play goal in seven opportunities for Canada.
The Canadians had the momentum in the first period before Hannah Brandt’s long-distance shot found the top of the net, giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
Knight quickly doubled the lead in the second. She capitalized on a collision at center ice to get behind the defense with Carpenter, who drew the defender and then fed Knight the puck that she buried to make it 2-0.
Canada scored twice in 62 seconds later in the second period to tie the game up before taking a 3-2 lead just over six minutes into the third.
A penalty on Canada with 2:13 left in regulation prompted U.S. coach John Wroblewski to call his timeout and send his power play unit out with an empty net. The gamble paid off as Carpenter scored the tying goal with 1:29 left in the period to force overtime. Abby Roque faked a shot and passed to Knight, who was below the goal line. Knight eventually fired a pass through traffic that found Carpenter on the opposite post for the tying goal.
The U.S. went on to win the shootout 2-0, as the Canadians were denied in all four of their attempts.
The seven-game series will continue in Kamloops, British Columbia, on Thursday, Nov. 17.