Canada Dominate Russia, Face US for Gold

It was an expected win with an expected next step. Al Dannity reflects on Canada’s 8-1 win over Russia in the semi-finals of the IIHF Women’s World Championship and looks ahead to their clash with the USA for gold.

Having snapped the USA’s winning streak in the World Championship last year, Canada took one step closer to a second successive title with victory in the semi-finals last night. The utter dominance of the sport’s biggest rivals has once again been on display in Ottawa this year. In 14 previous competitions, Canada has taken gold 10 times while the United States has won the other four. No other team has yet to even make the final.

Russia had already defied the odds by beating Switzerland, bronze medallists in 2012, to make the semi-finals. Their luck ran out in devastating style as Canada routed them 8-1 on Monday night. Having held Canada to just a single goal in the opening period, the hosts opened up in the second with five goals to put the result beyond doubt. Earlier in the day the USA had done its job by eventually seeing off Finland. After two scoreless periods, the United States scored three goals in the final frame to secure a 3-0 win.

A slow start for either side in tonight’s decider could spell doom. Canada won the first meeting between the rivals last Tuesday, a 3-2 overtime win. Last year’s final also went to OT and tonight’s encounter looks set to be another nail-biter. “Nobody wants to give an inch,” said Canada’s Hayley Wickenheiser. “It’s lots of fun to play against one another and it’s so many years of heated battle. We’re going to have to get some jump early and use the crowd to our advantage.”

Team USA head coach Katey Stone is equally aware of the importance of this game. “We don’t need any incentive and nor do they,” said Stone. “We’re just trying to win a gold medal no matter where it is. It could be on the moon for all we care. We’re going to be ready to go and that’s what’s important.”

The timing of this game will be lost on no-one playing tonight. With less than a year to go until the Olympics, both sides will seek a psychological edge heading into Sochi. Since taking gold at Nagano in 1998, the USA has lost the gold medal games to Canada in 2002 and 2010 and failed to make the final in 2006. That’s an eternity for one of the powers of the game to go without the biggest honour in the sport. Tonight provides the Americans a chance for a confidence boost before 2014.