November 6, 2009

 Highlights

VIERUMAKI, Finland –Hilary Knight (Hanover, N.H.) tallied a goal and an assist, and Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal late in the second period to lift the U.S. Women's National Team to a 3-2 win over Canada here tonight at the 2009 Women's Four Nations Cup at Vierumaki Arena. Both teams had already secured a place in tomorrow's championship game (6 p.m. local/11 a.m. EST) on Wednesday, however, with the win, Team USA finished first in the preliminary-round standings with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record.

Team USA went up 2-0 early in the first period before Canada came back to tie it at 2-2 by the halfway point in the game. Duggan netted the winner with :14 remaining in the second stanza for the Americans' first win over Canada since the championship game of the 2009 Hockey Canada Cup in early September.

"The ladies stepped up, competed very hard and did the little things we talked about before the game," said Mark Johnson, head coach for Team USA. "This was a friendly match and good competition, now tomorrow we get to play for a championship."

Special teams was a factor in the first period, with each team scoring with the man advantage and the U.S. adding a shorthanded goal to take a 2-1 lead.

While already on the power play in the opening minutes, and with a second call against Canada forthcoming, Natalie Darwitz (Eagan, Minn.) skated onto the ice in favor of U.S. netminder Jessie Vetter (Cottage Grove, Wis.) and was met by a pass from Knight at the right point. Darwitz one-timed a shot past Canadian goaltender Charline Labonte at 1:57. Just over six minutes later, while the U.S. was shorthanded, Knight sped up the left side into Canada's zone and took a slap shot from the faceoff circle that beat Labonte to the far-side top corner at 8:11. Canada's Rebecca Johnston split the U.S. lead at 12:09 while on the power play to close out the period's scoring.

After the score evened at 2-2 at 7:10 of the second period when Marie-Philip Poulin put a wrist shot over Vetter's right shoulder from the right faceoff dot, the Americans regained their advantage for good in the final seconds of the stanza. Off a feed from Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio), Duggan put one in from the goalmouth at 19:46 for a 3-2 score.

Vetter stopped all four shots she faced in the final frame, while Labonte turned aside the six American shots, as the 3-2 score held through 60 minutes.

NOTES:Meghan Duggan was named U.S. Player of the Game ... Team USA was 1-for-5 on the power play, while holding Canada to 1-for-7 ... Canada held the 22-18 shots advantage ... All U.S. games of the tournament will be offered on the web as part of U.S. College Hockey Online's Game of the Week, with Brian Schulz calling the play-by-play. Links to the complimentary live webcasts can be found here... Click here for the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team roster ... Coverage of the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team and the Qwest Tour, including ticket information, can be found on USAHockey.com and QwestTour.com, as well as on the U.S. Women's National Team's Facebook page and on the Qwest Tour Twitter page...Mark Johnson, head women's ice hockey coach at the University of Wisconsin, is leading Team USA through the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. Dave Flint, head women's ice hockey coach at Northeastern University, and Jodi McKenna, head women's ice hockey coach at Wesleyan University, are serving as assistant coaches.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Darwitz (Knight), 1:57 (6x4pp); 2, USA, Knight (unassisted), 8:11 (sh); 3, CAN, Johnston (Mikkelson, Irwin), 12:09. Penalties: CAN, Ouellette (interference), :42; USA, Ruggiero (body checking), 7:50; USA, Potter (slashing), 10:52.

Second Period - Scoring: 4, CAN, Poulin (Wickenheiser, Agosta), 7:10; 5, USA, Duggan (Stack), 19:46. Penalties: USA, Duggan (tripping), :17; CAN, MacLeod (tripping), 10:29.

Third Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: USA, J. Lamoureux (hooking), 2:58; USA, Team (too many players), 5:34; CAN, MacLeod (holding), 8:25; USA, M. Lamoureux (tripping), 11:27; USA, Chesson (hooking), 13:10; CAN, Jenner (slashing), 15:40; CAN, Wickenheiser (slashing), 17:14.