United States beats Canada for first women's hockey gold since 1998

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February 22, 2018 8:50 AM

In a thrilling end to a battle between the sport’s superpowers, the United States beat Canada by a score of 3-2 in a shootout to win the gold medal in women’s ice hockey Thursday. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson’s goal in the sixth round of the shootout sealed the victory for the Americans, giving the team its first gold in the event since 1998.

After going up 1-0 early, the United States quickly fell behind 2-1 and appeared on their way to yet another defeat.

They trailed entering the third period but found a different gear of aggressiveness and repeatedly pressed until they tied the score at 2-2 on Monique Lamoureux-Morando’s goal with 6:21 left to play in the third.

In the 20-minute sudden death overtime, both teams showed the expected desperation, but even a Canadian power play over the last 95 seconds did not lead to a goal.

In the shootout, the teams were tied with two goals after five rounds, setting up Lamoureaux-Davidson’s go-ahead goal. Maddie Rooney then stopped a shot by Canada’s Meghan Agosta to end the game.

No team other than the United States and Canada has won gold in this event. The United States won at the 1998 Nagano Games and Canada won the next four golds, with the United States taking silver each year except for 2006.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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