Women's Hockey
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The United States and Canada are writing the latest chapter of their historic rivalry as they face off in the final of the Women's World Championship for the 23rd time.
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P1 3:04 – United States 0, Canada 0
A turnover by Canada in their defensive zone gives Zumwinkle a great chance from close range, but she completely whiffs on her shot.
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Team USA with an offensive zone shift there, but Canada is protecting the middle of the ice really well and keeping USA to the outside. Team Canada is generating much more dangerous looks against Aerin Frankel when they are in control.
The same idea, needing to tighten up on defense, extends to Team USA. Before the commercial break, USA’s defenders disrupted Team Canada in their own zone, but didn’t do enough to turn those plays into actual possession.
P1 7:20 – United States 0, Canada 0
Poulin with a huge chance from the slot but she can't beat Frankel from point-blank range!
Not to nitpick when its 0-0, but Canada’s defense needs to clean things up here. Sophie Jaques attempted to clear the puck and put it right on a U.S. stick. Kendall Coyne Schofield easily lifted Ella Shelton’s stick to grab the puck deep in Canada’s zone. Then, Erin Ambrose just slid the puck over to Tessa Janecke who had that breakaway chance on Desbiens, who made the save.
P1 10:54 – United States 0, Canada 0
A giveaway by Canada in the neutral zone gives Janecke a breakaway on goal, but Desbiens makes the save as Janecke attempts to go five-hole.
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Team USA has not had a shot on goal in over five minutes of play. Canada’s generated seven shots in that time.
And just when USA was in the offensive zone, they give the puck away to Watts and Canada generates another couple of looks.
You can exhale if you're in Canada (or just a fan). Laura Stacey appeared to be heading to the locker room but is staying on the bench after that last play on the U.S. doorstep.
P1 12:17 – United States 0, Canada 0
Poulin rips a shot from the faceoff circle after another Canada rush but Frankel makes a clean save.
As the play ends, Stacey collides with Harvey in front of the USA net and momentarily stays down before appealing to the ref.
As Hailey mentioned, that Montreal Victoire combo at the top of the lineup is one to watch. Stacey, Poulin, and Gardiner were the most effective players for Team Canada in their group stage matchup against USA. That trio has a lot of chemistry and, you know, the most clutch scorer of all time.
To no surprise, the Poulin, Stacey, Gardiner combo is starting to cook here. Tilting the ice every time they're out there. That No. 29 might factor into today's game, folks!
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P1 15:15 – United States 0, Canada 0
Stacey pounces on a loose puck in front of the USA net after a strong Canada rush but Frankel stands tall to make the save from close range.
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Team USA with a solid start so far — three shots in just over two minutes of play after cycling the puck in the offensive zone. But Team Canada has some juice now after putting on some pressure on Aerin Frankel.
It's still so early, but this is not the kind of start Canada wants here. They've iced the puck twice now and largely been caved into their own zone for 90 seconds, allowing three solid shots on goal against Desbiens. They need to clean it up quickly, or risk being down early again.
P1 18:25 – United States 0, Canada 0
It's all USA in the opening minutes here as Desbiens is tested several times in Canada's net including by Coyne Schofield from point-blank range.
P1 20:00 – United States 0, Canada 0
We're underway in the 2025 Women's World Championship gold-medal game!
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On the other hand, Canada enters the game with Daryl Watts available after the IIHF Disciplinary Panel determined that her illegal hit to the head — which got her a 5 minute major and a game misconduct against Finland on Saturday — did not rise to the level of further supplemental discipline.
Watts has four goals in her first six games at a women's world championship and could add a critical secondary layer of scoring for Team Canada today.
One noticeable absence from Canada's lineup is three-time world champion Natalie Spooner. She was also a healthy scratch in Saturday's semifinal. Head coach Troy Ryan told me it's not due to injury, but a decision to put the "best roster on the ice that we can."
Spooner tore her ACL in the PWHL playoffs last year and spent nine months rehabbing to return. She's 100 percent healthy, Ryan said, but hasn't quite found her game yet.
“She's doing her best and everything in our power to get her game back to where it needs to be,” Ryan said. “And I have no doubt she'll get there.”
GO FURTHER
Inside MVP Natalie Spooner’s grueling return to the PWHL: ‘I can come back from this’
USA won 2-1 in regulation in the group stage, but how much weight does that carry into the final? Not too much, if the last few years are any indication.
In 2024, USA won 1-0 (OT) in the group stage before losing 6-5 (OT) to Canada in the gold medal game. In 2023, Canada won 4-3 (SO) in group stage play, then lost 6-3 to USA in the Final. The same trend extended to 2022, when the USA won 5-2 in the group stage, before losing 2-1 to Canada in the gold medal game.
In 2021, Canada won the group stage game and gold medal game against USA. In 2017, USA also won both matchups.

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