US-Canada meet for Olympic women's hockey gold: How to watch, Butler County’s Ava McNaughton’s medal chance
MILAN — Marie-Philip Poulin won’t dispute how good the Americans have looked in romping through the women’s hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Games. And Canada’s captain will readily acknowledge her team has yet to come close to playing its best.
What matters to Poulin, who continues building upon her “Captain Clutch” reputation in her fifth Olympic Games, is having the opportunity to play in a one-game showdown with the gold medal on the line Thursday.
“Obviously, we know they’re a talented team, a skilled team. They’ve had a lot of success this year, obviously against us, and we’re all aware of that,” Poulin said. “For us as a group, it’s going to be all about us, all about our heart and everything we’re going to put on that ice.”
The U.S. and Canada will face off for Olympic gold for a seventh time since women’s hockey debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games in a rivalry between the sport's two global powers that never gets old.
And this time, the Americans are the favorites. And there’s a Butler County resident who could come home with a gold medal.
Seven Fields’ Ava McNaughton, who grew playing hockey on Robert Morris University’s and now starts for the University of Wisconsin, is the third-string goalie for Team USA and has played a little over one minute so far during her first Olympics.
The U.S. clinched its berth with a 5-0 win over Sweden in semifinal play on Monday. And the defending champion Canadians followed with Poulin scoring twice to set the Olympic career goal record in a too-close-for-comfort 2-1 victory over Switzerland.
For the Americans, it didn’t matter who they faced in a tournament they’ve dominated by going 6-0 and outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 31-1.
“We’ve played them quite a few times, so obviously, won’t be surprised,” defender Lee Stecklein said. “Whoever we face, we’ve got to be ready for that challenge.”
The U.S. has yet to trail or be tied after 0-0, and is in position to become the third women’s team to do so over the entire tournament, joining Canada in 2006 and 2010. The Americans also extended their shutout streak to 331 minutes, 23 seconds, going back to Czechia’s Barbora Jurickova beating Frankel on a breakaway in the second period of a tournament-opening 5-1 win.
“I think we’re looking incredible. The whole tournament we’ve really been consistent,” Scamurra said. “I don’t even think we’re at the peak, but I think our peak is getting that gold medal in hand for sure.”
The Canadians’ performance has been left open to questions and concerns.
Aside from eking out a win over Switzerland, the defending Olympic champions dropped a 5-0 decision to the U.S. in the preliminary round — an outing Poulin missed due to a right knee injury.
Poulin is back on the ice and now has 20 career goals and broke the record of 18 held by former teammate and Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser.
Now it’s on to the gold medal game with U.S. seeking its third title after winning in 1998 and 2018, and the Canadians their sixth.
And it could very well be the last meeting between the two teams’ long-time stars: Poulin, nicknamed “Captain Clutch,” and U.S. captain Hilary Knight, who has already announced these will be her fifth and final Olympics.
The game starts at 1:10 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 19. It will be aired on USA Network and streamed on Peacock.
Sweden and Switzerland will play for bronze in a rematch of their meeting at the 2014 Sochi Games. Switzerland won 4-3 to win its first and only women’s hockey medal.
The Swedes are seeking to win their third Olympic medal, and first since winning silver at the 2006 Turin Games after upsetting the U.S. in the semifinals.
