Natalie Spooner Registration opened In a power play 58 seconds into the third period, Canada won for the third straight time to send the rivalry series to a deciding seventh game, beating the United States 3-0 on Friday night.
Emerence Maschmeier made 27 saves, and Emily Clark and Sarah Nurse added goals. Game 7 will be held Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“We have a very special group, from the staff to the players, and I think being able to draw on previous experience is huge for us and our confidence,” Clark said. “Obviously the rosters are different, but there's definitely a core group and core experience that you can rely on and just a belief that this group has done it before.”
Twenty-six seconds after American defender Megan Keller was penalized for a body check, Spooner took a central pass from Marie-Philip Poulin on a rush, cut straight to the slot and fired a wrist shot to the far side past goalkeeper Eren Frankel.
“I saw her, and I saw that she saw me, but I saw two sticks in the way and the way she placed them on top of those sticks, it was beautiful,” Spooner said. “She's the best player in the world, she can come out of nowhere, and that's what she did. She got the puck and made things happen.
Soon after, Canada eliminated the last of the United States' five power plays.
“We had a lot of PKs, which we don't want, but as a goalkeeper, those are some fun moments you can bring to your team,” Maschmeier said. “It feels good. My role is to step up when we lose a player. That's my role. I enjoy the PK.
Clark made it 2-0 With 9:08 remaining. She accelerated the left side of the rotation, cut down the middle and put her rebound past Frankel. The nurse recorded With 4:25 remaining.
The United States had its best chance to beat Maschmeyer early in the second half on a power play when Hayley Scamurra's effort from close range slid across the crease.
“She started at a time when maybe the rest of us didn't and she kept us there…she got that win for us,” Clark said of Maschmeyer. “She is my best friend so I am very happy for her.”
The USA failed to close out the series for the third straight game and the second time in three nights in Saskatchewan. You Wednesday night in SaskatoonCanada won 4-2.
“Tonight was not our night,” USA coach John Froblowski said. “Canada continued to press and were eventually rewarded with a third-place finish. We will regroup and prepare for Game 7 on Sunday.
The Americans opened the series in November with a 3-1 win in Tempe, Arizona, and 5-2 in Los Angeles. In December, they won 3-2 in Kitchener, Ontario, and Canada edged the United States 3-2 in a shootout in Sarnia, Ontario.
There was a 10-minute delay at the start of the second half due to a problem with the scoreboard system. After returning to the ice at the beginning of the period, officials sent the teams back to the locker rooms.
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