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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Team Canada colours fit young Bourbonnais just fine

Jaime Bourbonnais has made a head turning debut with Canada’s senior national women’s team.

    Jaime Bourbonnais still has moments when she wonders if her time playing for Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team has been real this past week.

    The Mississauga, Ont., product has been part of Canada’s national team system since 2014 going to camps and having played for the under-18 women’s team and the national women’s development team. Due to turning just 20-years-old in September, Bourbonnais thought she might still be too young to be placed on the senior national team.

Defender Jaime Bourbonnais plays in all situations for Canada.

    When she received an email from Hockey Canada saying she was going to be on the senior national team for the 4 Nations Cup, the skilled offensive defender believed the email might have been sent to her by mistake at first.

    The moment things really became surreal was when veteran offensive defender Laura Fortino presented Bourbonnais with her Team Canada jersey and said a glowing speech about her before the start of the 4 Nations Cup.

    “I think the biggest moment was having (Laura) Fortino present my jersey to me,” said Bourbonnais. “I’ve played with Team Canada before, but this moment was super special.

    “She was kind of my favourite player growing up, so having her present my jersey to me was very surreal.”

Jaime Bourbonnais stars with Cornell University.

    On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, Bourbonnais, who stands 5-foot-7, played in all situations for Canada in a 3-0 victory over Finland to conclude preliminary round play. 
    Bourbonnais started on the ice for Canada, took a regular spot on the power play and was on the ice defending her own zone in the final minute of the third period, when Finland pulled goalie Noora Raty for an extra attacker looking to chip at Canada’s 2-0 edge.

    Bourbonnais, who plays for the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks, picked up her first point of the tournament drawing an assist on Laura Stacey’s empty-net goal to seal victory for Canada with 34.5 seconds to play in the third.

    With the win, Canada improves to 2-1 and qualifies for Saturday’s gold medal final against the United States (3-0). That contest is slated for 8 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Finland falls to 1-2 at the tournament with the setback and will play Sweden (0-3) in the bronze medal game. That contest is set for 3 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Defender Jaime Bourbonnais is sound in the defensive zone.

    In all three of Canada’s games at the 4 Nations Cup, Bourbonnais has played extensively for Canada and has looked like a poised veteran player in doing so. She credited Team Canada assistant coach Doug Derraugh, who is her head coach at Cornell, and her teammates for helping her get to this point.

    “Having such great players on the ice with me gives me a lot of confidence,” said Bourbonnais, whose grandfather, Roger, played for Canada’s senior national men’s hockey team in the 1960s. “I know that if I make a mistake they are going to be there to have my back.

    “Having my coach from Cornell back there has also really helped me. He believes in me so much, and I know that he trusts me out there. Having his belief and his support back there has really helped me gain some confidence.”

    Team Canada head coach Perry Pearn said Bourbonnais earned the chance to play extensively with the senior national women’s team, and the bench boss was confident the young rearguard would perform well.

Jaime Bourbonnais controls the point in the offensive zone.

    “I think you watch players, and you see what they do in practice,” said Pearn. “We’re not blind to what these players have done on their own club teams before we get here.

    “We’ve done fairly extensive scouting. From that, we have a pretty good idea what the player is. If Jaime (Bourbonnais) is going to be successful at this level, we’ve got to use her as an offensive player.

    “We’ve got to be able to play her in key situations. What better time than at a tournament like this is there to give her that opportunity and to show that kind of faith in her.”

    Pearn said Bourbonnais has graded out very high with her performance along with a number of other young players, who are playing on Canada’s senior national team for the first time.

    “I think she (Bourbonnais) has been very, very good,” said Pearn. “I think we’re really happy, and not just with Jaime (Bourbonnais), but I think with a lot of our young players who are experiencing the international game for the first time.

Team Canada celebrates an empty-net goal from Laura Stacey (#7)

    “One of the things we’ll come away from this irregardless of the result tomorrow is that we’ve found out that we’ve got more depth than we knew going into the tournament. I think that is a really important find.”

    For Bourbonnais, she hopes her time with the senior national team extends far into the future.

    “It is a huge honour to be selected to this team,” said Bourbonnais, who had three goals and 21 assists in 31 games with Cornell last season. “Growing up watching these players your whole life, you idolize them.

    “You want to be like them, and then you play alongside of them. It is like a dream, honestly. They are all super nice.

    “They all took me under their wing right away, so it has been a lot of fun.”

    In Friday’s game, Canada got the jump early on Finland scoring 85 seconds into the contest on a goal from Melodie Daoust.

Laura Stacey scored an empty-net goal for Canada.

    At the 4:55 mark of the opening frame, left-winger Rebecca Johnston made the score 2-0 in Canada’s favour scoring off a rebound chance.

    “We wanted to have a really good first five minutes,” said Pearn. “Getting in the early goal I think made a big difference that way and for the most part I think led to us controlling the game from there on.”

    For the rest of the contest, Canada had a number of big chances to increase its lead. Raty kept her side in the game turning away 45-of-47 shots sent her way.

    Emerance Maschmeyer turned away 14 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for Canada.

Stacey’s empty-net tally inside of the final minute of the third erased any lingering doubts about what the final outcome may have been.

Melodie Daoust scored Canada’s first goal on Friday.

    Now, Bourbonnais will suit up for Canada’s senior national women’s team in a tournament final against the United States, which will be shown live on TSN. The U.S. downed Canada 2-1 in a preliminary round game on Wednesday thanks to a late third period goal.

    Bourbonnais said that first encounter with the U.S. was everything she expected it to be. She gets chills thinking about what it will be like to take part in one of the greatest rivalries in sports in a gold medal game.

    “I’m nervous I will be honest,” said Bourbonnais. “Playing the U.S., they are the best team I have ever played against.

    “They are fast and strong. They are all good. There is not a single weakness in their game I don’t think.

The Team Canada players salute the SaskTel Centre crowd.

    “I think just going out there with confidence and trusting my teammates and believing in our team, (and) I think playing our game we will be able to do some fun stuff tomorrow.”

    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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Canada smashes Sweden to open 4 Nations Cup

Marie-Philip Poulin (#29) checks Swede Hanna Olsson.

    The tune-up went as good as it could for Canada before the road gets tougher at the 4 Nations Cup.

    On Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre, Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team opened play at the annual tourney with a 6-1 romp over Sweden, while holding a 52-18 edge in shots on goal. The Canadian side had too much depth for the Swedish side to handle.

    “I think we did play well,” said Canadian right-winger Melodie Daoust. “We do still have things to tighten up.

    “Especially in our D-zone, we just need to be more honest with ourselves and stay D-side a little bit more. I think that is going to come throughout the tournament as we go and learn to play together.

Melodie Daoust (#15) had two goals and an assist for Canada.

    “I think we did a very good job to start the tournament, but obviously, we still need to improve, and that is what Canada is all about. We need to improve every time we are on the ice.”

    Daoust had a pair of goals and an assist for Canada on Tuesday, while linemate Rebecca Johnston had four assists. Daoust netted an absolute beauty at the 6:37 mark of the third period.

    Working in the offensive zone, the Valleyfield, Que., product collected the puck behind Sweden’s net and quickly went backhand to forehand to net her second tally of the game into the open right side of the goal. That marker put Canada up 6-0.

    “I saw the little hole there,” said Daoust about her third-period goal. “I thought I was going to try it, and it worked. It was good.”

Canada celebrates a first period goal from Melodie Daoust.

    Canada methodically built a 3-0 lead in the first period. At the 8:56 mark of the opening frame, Canadian right-winger Laura Stacey banked home a beauty setup pass from defender Renata Fast on a two-on-one short-handed break to give Canada a 1-0 lead.

    Daoust netted her first of the game, and 18-year-old centre Sarah Fillier netted a single to give Canada a 3-0 edge heading into the first intermission. Canada head coach Perry Pearn said the Swedes did make things challenging for his side through the first 30 minutes.

    “We’ve watch Sweden practice, but we haven’t seen them play,” said Pearn. “We weren’t sure exactly what to expect from them.

    “Their first period, I think they impressed me with some of the things they did. They played a very good trap. It took us a little while to adjust to that, but I thought after a while, we handled the trap fairly well.

    “As we did that, we put more pressure on them in their end. I thought our third period was our best period, so I thought we adapted fairly well.”

    Pearn was pleased to get solid efforts from younger players like Fillier, 20-year-old defender Jaime Bourbonnais, 21-year-old winger Loren Gabel and 22-year-old centre Victoria Bach.

Rebecca Johnston had four assists for Canada.

    Due to the flu bug, Pearn said the Canadian side sent some players back to the hotel before Tuesday’s game started.  

    “The lineup went from having one extra forward dressed, having 13 forwards, to finishing off the game playing with 10,” said Pearn. “Certainly, the youngsters handled themselves well.”

    Canada’s lead expanded to 4-0 in the second period on a goal from Laura Fortino. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored at the 3:48 mark of the third to increase Canada’s edge to 5-0 and set the stage for Daoust’s second goal.

    Sweden finally broke through on the scoreboard with 3:09 to play in the third with a power-play goal from Emma Nordin, who tipped home a point shot from defender Emmy Alasalmi.

    Shannon Szabados turned away 17 shots to pick up the win in goal for Canada. Lovisa Selander turned away 46 shots taking the setback in goal for Sweden.

    Sweden returns to action on Wednesday, when they face Finland at 3 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    With the tournament opener out of the way, Canada turns its focus to the anticipated heavyweight match with the United States set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. 

Sarah Filler, an 18-year-old centre, scored for Canada on Tuesday.

    That encounter will mark the first time Canada and the U.S. have faced each other since the States claimed a 3-2 victory after a tiebreaking shootout in the goal medal final at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, last February.

    Daoust said the Canadian side kept their focus on the opener against Sweden and tried not to get ahead of themselves in thinking about the U.S.

    “We try to stay in the present,” said Daoust. “We just finished our game, so obviously, we’re focusing on the U.S. now.

    “I think recovery tonight is going to be really important for us to play a big game tomorrow. We need to be ready. I think we have the group to play against them.”

Clark issues statement on missing 4 Nations Cup due to injury

Emily Clark seen at the SaskTel Centre last Thursday.

    Saskatoon product Emily Clark issued a statement through Hockey Canada on Tuesday night regarding her disappointment in not being able to participate in the 4 Nations Cup.

    The 22-year-old forward on Canada’s senior national women’s team injured her left leg while playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Her injury occurred in the opening minutes of a Badgers 4-2 home win on Oct. 13 against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

    “Although I am disappointed I am unable to play in the 4 Nations Cup, I am far more excited for my hometown and my teammates,” said Clark in the statement. “I could not be more proud to be from Saskatoon, and I’m thrilled that our journey to the 2022 Olympics is starting here.

    “I’ve told me teammates to expect great support from the fans, and I will be cheering along with the rest of Canada and following every step of the way.”

    Clark helped Canada win a silver medal at the Winter Olympics held last February in PyeongChang, South Korea. She is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team.

    Before the 4 Nations Cup started, Clark made a public appearance at the home game of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades last Thursday. Last Saturday, she made a public appearance and was on hand for pre-game ceremonies as the Stars played their first Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season contest at Merlis Belsher Place.

    “Our focus and priority is Emily’s health, and in working with Emily and her team, we feel that it is in her best interest to return to school for treatment and to stay on top of her studies,” said Canada’s director for women’s national teams Gina Kingsbury in the statement. “We are disappointed she will not have the opportunity to play in her hometown, but we know she is excited for the experience that is in front of our team.

    “It is always special to put on the Team Canada jersey, play on Canadian soil, and we look forward to the tournament this week.”

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.