The U.S. women's Olympic team made a valiant effort to overcome a three-goal deficit to Canada in the gold medal contest at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Thursday morning. Canada held on for a 3-2 win, however, capturing its fifth gold medal since women began competing in hockey 24 years ago.
Team USA was looking for its second straight gold — and third overall since 1998 — but came up just short. Hilary Knight scored a shorthanded goal to put the Americans on the board before Amanda Kessel potted another with just 12.5 seconds left, but there was not enough time to find the equalizer. Canada got a pair of goals from captain and Boston University's all-time leading scorer Marie-Philip Poulin. Sarah Nurse, who got the other goal, set the Olympic women’s record for most points in a single tournament (18), breaking Hayley Wickenheiser’s 16-year-old mark.
The Americans played with pace and outshot Canada by a 40-21 margin and held the advantage in positional play and scoring chances early on, but goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens faced the onslaught with poise and focus. She killed rebounds and stood up to heavy traffic in front of her net.
For Canada, which outscored the opposition 57-10 in seven games, it was the fifth gold medal in seven attempts, six of which have been played against the U.S.
We’ll look at the New England connections, keys to the game and anticipate what the future holds for area players in the coming international competitions and the Winter Olympics in 2026.
