U.S.A. roars to fourth straight 4 Nations Cup title

Wheels fall off for Canada in 5-2 loss

The United States celebrates a fourth straight 4 Nations Cup title.

    The United States senior national women’s hockey team were too much for Canada to handle in this round of their storied rivalry.

    On Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, the U.S. romped to a 5-2 victory in finesse type fashion over Canada in the gold medal final of the 4 Nations Cup hockey tournament. The win marked the fourth consecutive year the United States has won the 4 Nations Cup.

    “Any time you can represent your country on a world stage, it is an amazing feeling,” said U.S. right-winger Hilary Knight, who scored twice in the gold medal final. “It is a great rivalry.

    “When you are in Canada, there is a lot more pressure. It is good to gain that experience. It is good to gain that momentum going into the next tournament and the next game.

U.S. RW Dani Cameranesi (#24) is stopped by Canada G Shannon Szabados.

    “There is lots to work on, but I am extremely happy with our squad.”

    The U.S. has been dominate in recent years on the women’s stage. They have taken the last four world championship tournaments and captured gold over Canada at the last Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, held this past February.

    Canada’s last win at a major tournament final against the U.S. was at the 4 Nations Cup in 2014 held in Kamloops, B.C.

    At this year’s 4 Nations Cup, the U.S. finished at 4-0. Canada had a 2-2 record with both losses coming to the U.S.

    The United States took the preliminary round encounter 2-1 on Wednesday with a late third period goal.

Hilary Knight celebrates her second of two goals for the U.S.

    Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin said it feels like it has been a long time since Canada beat the U.S. in a major tournament final. She believes that will be something that keeps getting the players on her squad motivated during training.

    Following the loss on Saturday, Poulin said the players on the Canadian team need to do more self-reflection.

    “I think we just have to take a look in the mirror,” said Poulin. “I think for us we all go back to our individual teams now, and I think for us we have to move forward.

    “Obviously, it is disappointing. You never want to lose on home soil. We are going to have a hard look in the mirror and really look at what we have to do to move forward and take more pride in wearing that jersey.”

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin breaks into the offensive zone for Canada.

    The United States went ahead 1-0 just 88 seconds into Saturday’s game, when Knight wrapped home a goal on Canadian star netminder Shannon Szabados.

    Canada responded just over two minutes later, when defender Laura Fortino drove home a point shot to tie things up at 1-1.

    With 3:29 remaining in the first, the U.S. went ahead 2-1 on a perfectly executed 2-on-1 rush. States centre Kelly Pannek drove down the right wing and fed a perfect pass across the front of the Canadian goal to linemate Melissa Samoskevich, who fired home the go-ahead tally.

    “I thought we played really well,” said U.S. left-winger Dani Cameranesi, who had two assists in Saturday’s win. “We came at them hard and fast, which is what we wanted to do.

    “We made a few adjustments to our game from the previous games and especially the last game against Canada. I thought it turned out in our favour.”

Sidney Morin starts a rush up ice for the U.S.

    The U.S. continued to take it to Canada going ahead 4-1 in the second frame scoring a pair of goals in a span of 24 seconds coming off the sticks of captain Brianna Decker and the second of the night from Knight.

    Decker scored her goal off a beauty setup pass from right-winger Sydney Brodt and Knight tipped home a point shot taken by defender Sydney Morin.

    “Once you get behind 4-1 and you’ve been struggling to score goals, it is a big mountain to climb,” said Canadian head coach Perry Pearn. “I didn’t think that we gave up.

    “What happens is now you think you have to make the perfect shot. You pass up the things that I think you have to do to beat the U.S.

    “You have to take shots, create rebounds, beat them to the loose pucks and get second and third chances. We didn’t do enough of that.”

Jaime Bourbonnais scored for Canada in the third period.

    The U.S. surge didn’t stop there. Just 41 seconds into the third, Kendall Coyne Schofield scored for the States to increase their edge to 5-1.

    Canada pulled Szabados after that tally. She stopped 18 of 23 shots fired her way. Emerance Maschmeyer turned away two shots playing the rest of the way for Canada in relief.

    The SaskTel Centre crowd that has been relatively quiet since the first period did come to life one more time, when 20-year-old Canadian defender Jaime Bourbonnais blasted home a power-play goal just past the midway point of the third period.
    The goal wasn’t enough to spark a miracle comeback.

Alex Rigsby makes one of her 23 saves in goal for the U.S.

    Alex Rigsby stopped 23 shots in the United States net.

    Bourbonnais, who was playing her first games ever with Canada’s senior national women’s team over the past week, admitted Saturday’s final wasn’t the ending her side envisioned for the tournament.

    “I learned that hockey is a very tough game,” said Bourbonnais. “Obviously, the Americans are a very good team.

    “You can’t take a shift off at all. I think (it is about) just moving forward and learning from this and excelling in the future. It is definitely frustrating.

    “I don’t think we had a bad game at all. I thought we put a lot of pressure on them. We just have to learn from our experiences and keep going.”

    For the moment, the U.S. gets to enjoy the distinction of being the dominant side in the rivalry.

Members of the U.S. team get pictured with the 4 Nations Cup trophy.

    While Knight said her team always has to be mindful that they need to keep improving, she will never turn away from a positive result on the scoreboard.

    “It is nice to win,” said Knight. “I won’t complain about that.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Decker finds groove in Calgary and leading U.S.A.

Brianna Decker leads the U.S. and stars for the Inferno.

    Brianna Decker went into her great Canadian adventure with an open mind.

    The veteran 27-year-old centre with the United States senior women’s national hockey team along with defender Kacey Bellamy decided over summer they wanted to try living in Canada, which is U.S.’s has a storied rivalry with on the international stage. On July 24, the pair signed on to play for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

    Decker said there has been no looking back since that day.

    “It is a big move,” said Decker, who has four goals and three assists in six games with the Inferno. “Like any move, you are a little bit nervous at times.

    “All the girls on the Inferno, they did a great job of welcoming us in. I had a couple of team dinners, and that kind of loosens things up. You get to know people outside of hockey.

    “The Canadian girls were really welcoming as well like (Brianne) Jenner and (Rebecca) Johnston. I’m glad I moved up there.”

The U.S. celebrates Brianna Decker’s goal on Friday night.

    On Friday afternoon, Decker had a goal as the U.S. downed Sweden 5-1 at the 4 Nations Cup tournament being held at the SaskTel Centre.

    Decker, Bellamy and Alex Rigsby make up the three members of the U.S. squad at the 4 Nations Cup who are members of the Inferno. All three helped the States win gold at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea last February.

    The Inferno, who are a professional women’s team, are well represented at the 4 Nations Cup. Inferno members Blayre Turnbull, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Katelyn Gosling and Halli Krzyzaniak are playing for Canada, and Venla Hovi is skating for Finland.

    “Obviously, a pro league is a bit different from international, but it is fun to be able to play with some of the Canadian girls on the Inferno along with obviously Kacey (Bellamy) and Alex (Rigsby),” said Decker, who is the U.S. captain at 4 Nations Cup. “It is a good turnout.

Brianna Decker sets to fire a shot on goal for the U.S.

    “I am glad I made the move and went to Calgary and were having a lot of fun up there. Then you come here and it is all business. It is all about U.S., and if you are on Canada, it is all about them.”

Decker, who is from Dousman, Wisconsin, is living full time in Calgary during the Inferno’s season. She said life is busy, but it isn’t too strenuous.

    “We have practice in the mornings and lift after usually,” said Decker. “I do take advantage of the afternoons and have a little bit of a nap sometimes.

    “Honestly, I don’t really work right now. I’m taking some time off in the afternoons and focusing on some other things and doing some online stuff. I am not too busy, but also it gets busy as the year goes on.”

Brianna Decker, left, battles for a draw for the U.S.

    She said a number of her teammates don’t have the same pace of life that she does. A number of Inferno players are involved in post-secondary school studies on top of playing, while others have full-time jobs on top of playing hockey.

     “I think it is insane,” said Decker. “I give those girls a lot of credit.

     “Whether they are doing school on top of the pro league or if they are working outside of the pro league, I give them a lot of credit. It is a lot of dedication obviously working throughout the day and practising at night or in the morning.

    “It is hard to do, but I appreciate those teammates a lot.”

U.S.A. defender Kacey Bellamy joined the Inferno over the summer.

     Decker has enjoyed reuniting with the U.S. national team for the 4 Nations Cup. For the most part, she was pleased with her team’s performance on Friday.

    “I think today was about just kind of creating good habits,” said Decker. “Obviously, we are getting prepared for tomorrow now.

    “When we went into this game, it was about create good habits and do the little things right and focus on things we wanted to get better at learning from things on Wednesday and Tuesday.”

    The States stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. At the 4:25 mark, right-winger Sydney Brodt potted the rebound of a shot taken by linemate Kendall Coyne Schofield for the first U.S. goal.

    Left-winger Melissa Samoskevich tallied a short-handed goal and Hannah Brandt scored with 39.6 seconds to play in the opening frame to give the States their three-goal edge.

Sweden goalie Emma Soderberg pounces on a loose puck.

    Decker wired home a power-play goal to give the U.S. a 4-0 edge.

    Sweden got on the board at the 6:49 mark of the second, when centre Sabina Kuller fired home a mid-range shot to cut the U.S. lead to 4-1.

    Dani Cameranesi rounded out the scoring for the U.S. in the third.

    Emma Polusny turned away 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the States. Emma Soderberg stopped 35 shots to take the setback in goal for Sweden.

    Decker is centring a line with Coyne Schofield, who is a U.S. team veteran, at left wing and Brodt, who is playing her first games with the U.S. senior team at 4 Nations Cup, at right wing. 

Sydney Brodt scored the U.S.’s first goal on Friday.

    The U.S. side has some younger player like Brodt, who is a 20-year-old that plays for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks, on its roster.
    Decker has enjoyed playing on a line with Brodt and said it was important to help the newcomers out.

    “I think Coyner and I look back on us coming on the national team a while ago, (and) you just have to make those people feel comfortable,” said Decker. “We had players make us feel comfortable, when we joined the team.

    “That is what we are doing this week with Syd. We are just bringing her under our wing. She is doing great, stepping up in the right spots.”

    The 4 Nations Cup wraps up at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday. The States (3-0) will play in the gold medal game at 8 p.m. Sweden (0-3) hits the ice for the bronze medal game at 3 p.m.

Brianna Decker leads the U.S. team in a post-game cheer.

    Guided by new head coach in Bob Corkum, Decker believes her side is ready for the title game.

    “We are just worrying about ourselves and focusing in on our game,” said Decker. “We’ve learned a lot in the last couple of weeks here.

    “We have obviously a different coaching staff and a new team. It is just continue to grow every game, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow’s game and being able to bring our best yet.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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U.S.A. stuns Canada on Brodt’s tally at 4 Nations Cup

Sydney Brodt celebrates scoring the winning goal for the United States against Canada.

    The glow radiating from the smile on Sydney Brodt’s face gave away how much it means to players on the United States senior women’s hockey team to win rivalry games against Canada.

    One of the greatest rivalries in sports took centre stage at the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament on Wednesday night as Canada battled the U.S.A. in a compelling encounter at the SaskTel Centre. 

    With 1:48 remaining in the third period and the two sides locked in a 1-1 draw, Brodt drove hard down the left wing towards the Canadian net and the rebound from a shot taken by linemate Brianna Decker deflected off her chest into the Canadian goal.

Shannon Szabados makes one of her 31 saves in goal for Canada.

    That tally gave the States a 2-1 victory. For the 20-year-old Brodt, who is making her debut with the U.S. senior national women’s hockey during the 4 Nations Cup, the goal provided a big highlight moment.

    “It was awesome,” said Brodt. “I was just in the right place at the right time.

    “My linemate Kendall Coyne (Schofield) kind of retrieved the puck high in the zone and gave it to Decker, who got a nice shot. I was just there on the backdoor.

    “It went right off me and went into the net, so it was fun to get it.”

    Brodt’s goal helped the U.S. improve to 2-0 at the tournament and clinch a berth in Saturday’s gold medal game. The U.S. closes preliminary round play with a 3 p.m. match on Friday against Sweden (0-2).

Hannah Brandt scored the first goal for the U.S. on Wednesday night.

    Canada concludes preliminary round play on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Finland in a battle of 1-1 teams, where the winner advances to play the U.S. for gold. All games at the 4 Nations Cup are behind held at the SaskTel Centre.

    Canada head coach Perry Pearn said Brodt’s third period goal was a tough one to take, but it didn’t make the difference in the game.

    “It is frustrating,” said Pearn. “I just told the group in the dressing room I didn’t think we lost the game on the last goal.

    “We lost the game on the first goal. We knew we had to have a good start. We talked about having a good first five minutes, and we didn’t.

Loren Gabel scored for Canada in the third period on Wednesday.

    “We kind of gave the U.S. the momentum. When they have the momentum, they play really well. We were on our heels for the first 20 minutes.”

    The States drew first blood just 78 seconds into the contest. During a flurry of action around the Canadian net, U.S. centre Hannah Brandt banged home a rebound to give her side a 1-0 edge.

    Canada was outshot 16-4 over the first 20 minutes and could have been down by a greater margin, but thanks to the stellar work of star netminder Shannon Szabados, the States lead stayed at one goal.

    “They came out early and threw a few pucks on net,” said Szabados. “As the game went on, we looked a lot more comfortable especially in their end.

    “I think we generated quite a bit in the second and a lot in the third there. We just kind of learn from it and carry that moving forward.”

    After an evenly played second period, Canada tied things up at 1-1 at the 3:30 mark of the third, when winger Loren Gabel buried a shot from the front of the U.S. net after receiving a nice centring pass from linemate Kristin O’Neill.

Hilary Knight breaks into the offensive zone for the U.S.

    That set the stage for Brodt’s winner near the end of the frame. U.S. head coach Bob Corkum was pleased to see Brodt get the deciding goal for his side.

   “It was great,” said Corkum. “She has been playing fantastic.

    “She brings a nice speed element along with skill. She is very courageous and competes well on the puck. She is going to be a nice player for us.”

    Szabados made 31 stops in goal for Canada. Alex Rigsby turned away 23 shots in goal for the States.

    Brodt said she enjoyed taking part in Wednesday’s rivalry clash with Canada and is looking forward to the U.S.’s final two games at the 4 Nations Cup.

    “I think we learned a lot of things playing against them just kind of the way they play their systems,” said Brodt. “It was the first time for me playing senior national team, so it was nice to get a feel for the pace and everything and just get better every day as the week goes on.”

    If the highly predicted showdown between Canada and the U.S. materializes in Saturday’s gold medal match, Pearn would like to see his side do a better job at getting pucks deep in the U.S. zone.

The Canadian players contemplate their setback to the U.S. on Wednesday.

    “Against a good defence, I don’t care what level of hockey you are playing you have to put pucks behind them,” said Pearn. “I thought early on we tried to make plays, and now you turn the puck over.

    “Now, you are back on your heels again. The first five minutes, assuming we get a chance to play them again, we have to get pucks behind them and give ourselves a chance to get on the forecheck a little bit and make them go back and find some pucks. I think, when we did that, they looked vulnerable too.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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