The United States and Canada played an exhibition game with two days to go until the start of the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.
photo: Martin Merk
After golden years for the United States, the last 12 months were Canada’s months in women’s hockey. Gold at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship on home ice in Calgary last August, Olympic gold in Beijing last February and again gold at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship on American ice in Madison, Wisconsin.
Almost exactly half a year since Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals including the game-winner en route to a 3-2 victory in the gold medal game of Beijing 2022, these two teams met again in Herning to renew their rivalry.
Just an exhibition game it was on paper, however, the fierce rivalry and intensity could be seen and heard throughout the Kvik Hockey Arena during each and every shift and gave the local fans a good foretaste of what’s to come in the battle for gold when the tournament starts on Thursday.
Team USA got on the scoreboard first at 5:50. Lacey Eden tried to score from the right into the almost empty net and saw her shot blocked in the last moment but Lee Stecklein capitalized on the rebound.
Canada tied the game 2:28 into the middle frame when Blayre Turnbull got the puck at the blueline, skated towards the American net and beat Nicole Hensley with a high shot and when Abby Roque was sent to the penalty box the Canadians pushed for the second goal but to no avail but a few minutes later they converted another penalty against Savannah Harmon. After a long shot from Kristin O’Neill, Jessie Eldridge was in the slot for the rebound and directed the puck into the net via the skate of U.S. defender Rory Guilday.
Midway the third period Sarah Fillier converted a diagonal pass from Poulin to double the margin and give Canada a 3-1 victory with two days to go until the start of the event.
Tuesday evening’s game was the last of a series of exhibition games. All teams have played at least one game while Finland, the recent bronze medallist at the Women’s Worlds and Olympics, was busiest playing five games during the past four weeks with a 4-1 record.
Earlier today Switzerland beat Sweden 2-1 in a shootout in Herning and Germany edged Czechia 3-2.
The 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, played with a ten-team format with two tiered groups of five teams each, starts on Thursday. Japan-USA and Finland-Canada will be the first two games of Group A in Herning while Switzerland will start on Friday against Japan. In Group B in Frederikshavn Germany will play Hungary in the afternoon and host Denmark will take on neighbouring country Sweden in the evening. Czechia will enter the tournament on Friday against Hungary.
Almost exactly half a year since Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals including the game-winner en route to a 3-2 victory in the gold medal game of Beijing 2022, these two teams met again in Herning to renew their rivalry.
Just an exhibition game it was on paper, however, the fierce rivalry and intensity could be seen and heard throughout the Kvik Hockey Arena during each and every shift and gave the local fans a good foretaste of what’s to come in the battle for gold when the tournament starts on Thursday.
Team USA got on the scoreboard first at 5:50. Lacey Eden tried to score from the right into the almost empty net and saw her shot blocked in the last moment but Lee Stecklein capitalized on the rebound.
Canada tied the game 2:28 into the middle frame when Blayre Turnbull got the puck at the blueline, skated towards the American net and beat Nicole Hensley with a high shot and when Abby Roque was sent to the penalty box the Canadians pushed for the second goal but to no avail but a few minutes later they converted another penalty against Savannah Harmon. After a long shot from Kristin O’Neill, Jessie Eldridge was in the slot for the rebound and directed the puck into the net via the skate of U.S. defender Rory Guilday.
Midway the third period Sarah Fillier converted a diagonal pass from Poulin to double the margin and give Canada a 3-1 victory with two days to go until the start of the event.
Tuesday evening’s game was the last of a series of exhibition games. All teams have played at least one game while Finland, the recent bronze medallist at the Women’s Worlds and Olympics, was busiest playing five games during the past four weeks with a 4-1 record.
Earlier today Switzerland beat Sweden 2-1 in a shootout in Herning and Germany edged Czechia 3-2.
The 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, played with a ten-team format with two tiered groups of five teams each, starts on Thursday. Japan-USA and Finland-Canada will be the first two games of Group A in Herning while Switzerland will start on Friday against Japan. In Group B in Frederikshavn Germany will play Hungary in the afternoon and host Denmark will take on neighbouring country Sweden in the evening. Czechia will enter the tournament on Friday against Hungary.
Exhibition Games
| 27 July | Finland vs. Czechia | 2-3 SO |
| 28 July | Finland vs. Czechia | 4-3 |
| 16 Aug. | Finland vs. Japan | 6-1 |
| 18 Aug. | Finland vs. Japan | 7-1 |
| 18 Aug. | Germany vs. Hungary | 1-0 |
| 19 Aug. | Germany vs. Hungary | 2-1 |
| 20 Aug. | Denmark vs. Canada | 1-14 |
| 21 Aug. | Denmark vs. Finland | 0-8 |
| 23 Aug. | Sweden vs. Switzerland | 1-2 SO |
| 23 Aug. | Czechia vs. Germany | 2-3 |
| 23 Aug. | Canada vs. USA | 3-1 |