U.S. win gold in overtime

The Canadian Press
Donna Spencer

KAMLOOPS, B.C.—Alex Carpenter dashed Canada’s hopes of reclaiming women’s world hockey championship gold on home ice.
The daughter of former NHL player Bobby Carpenter scored the overtime winner for the U.S. in a 1-0 win over the host country last night in Kamloops, B.C.
The U.S. went undefeated in the tournament en route to a third-straight world title.
Coached by former NHL defenceman Ken Klee, the Americans outscored their opponents 23-2 in the tournament.
Canada and the U.S. have met in every final of the 17 women’s world championship.
Canada won the first eight, but momentum has swung south of the border with their archrivals taking seven of the last nine.
“For sure this one stings a lot more, especially playing in Canada,” said Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
“Every time you work so hard for something and you get silver, that’s hard.”
In contrast to last year’s 7-5 finale, the 2016 championship game at the Sandman Centre was a goaltending showcase.
Emerance Maschmeyer of Bruderheim, Alta. made 33 saves in her first start in a world championship final.
The 21-year-old dressed for two games but did not play in Malmo, Sweden last year.
Alex Rigsby posted a 32-save shutout. The 24-year-old finished out last year’s final playing just over a period in relief of Jessie Vetter.
Rigsby said that experience set the table for her in Kamloops.
“It definitely helped getting that gold-medal victory,” she remarked.
“Same thing,” she noted. “It was going out there and making sure I was trusting my talent, and making sure I was doing the things I could do to help our team be successful.”
Canada’s power-play went 0-for-6, including a pair of chances in overtime.
“I thought we were all over them and we just had an unlucky bounce,” said forward Meghan Agosta.
“We had power play after power play and couldn’t put it in.
“It’s a tough one,” Agosta admitted. “I feel this is the first time we had something really, really special in that dressing room.
“We really wanted to get it done.”
The U.S. power play was 0-for-3, but Carpenter scored shortly after time expired on a U.S. 4-on-3 in overtime.
She got her stick behind a sprawling Maschmeyer to bat the puck in at 12:30.
“It got pretty quiet so I wasn’t really sure if it went in,” Carpenter noted.
“I’ve had some chances throughout the tournament and I guess this was just the right place at the right time,” she added.
“I would have given up any other goal at any other point for this one.”
Canada led 21-14 in shots after two periods, but were outshot 20-11 in the third period and in overtime.
Rigsby’s spectacular pad save on a deking Laura Fortino, and Maschmeyer stoning Carpenter on a short-handed breakaway, had the sellout of 5,850 buzzing in the second period.
Maschmeyer stopped 35 shots in Canada’s 3-1 loss to the U.S. to open the preliminary round.
The IIHF directorate named her the tournament’s top goaltender.
Canada may be the reigning Olympic champs after beating the U.S. in a 3-2 overtime thriller in 2014, but the Americans are winning more world championship skirmishes between Winter Games.
And performing on demand more consistently.
Hilary Knight, widely-considered the best power forward in women’s hockey, and U.S. captain Meghan Duggan have played on U.S. teams that have won six of the last seven world titles
“It’s always exciting to win a world championship, but to win it against your archrivals in their building makes it that much sweeter,” Duggan said.
The U.S. is the host country of the 2017 world championship in Plymouth, Mich.
Russia downed Finland 1-0 in shootout for the bronze medal earlier yesterday.