Melodie Daoust struck first and Canada never let up in a 5-1 win over the United States in the final preliminary-round game of the IIHF Women’s Hockey World Championship on Thursday night.
The loss ended the Americans’ winning streak at the women’s worlds at 29 games. Team USA’s last loss in the tournament dates all the way back to April 2, 2013, when Canada beat the U.S. in a shootout.
Canadian forward Jamie Lee Rattray was a major factor in the win, scoring twice within three minutes in the second period as Canada notched the game’s first five goals.
That's 2⃣ for 4⃣7⃣!#WomensWorlds | #OurGameIsBack | @ratt26 pic.twitter.com/BSLad2cDIX— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 26, 2021
That's 2⃣ for 4⃣7⃣!#WomensWorlds | #OurGameIsBack | @ratt26 pic.twitter.com/BSLad2cDIX
“It was a really fun game to be a part of,” Rattray said afterward. “I’m proud of the girls and how we played together and stuck to our game plan. That was key to us. I think we did a really good job coming out strong, and we didn’t take our foot off the gas.”
Renata Fast and Sarah Nurse also scored in the win, while goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens made 22 saves. Lee Stecklein scored the lone goal for Team USA early in the third period. The U.S. outshot Canada 11-4 in the final period, but the deficit was too much for them to overcome.
“Obviously, not the game we were hoping for,” U.S. coach Joel Johnson said. “Canada played really well and I give most of the credit to them. By the time we generated any positive play, the game was kind of out of reach. We’re going to go back and try and fix what we can do, because we are better than what we showed tonight.”
With the win, Canada (4-0) takes the top spot in Group A to set up a quarterfinal meeting Saturday with Germany, who placed third in Group B. The United States (3-1) will face Japan at 3:30 p.m. ET on NHL Network.