Canada Dominates Finland in Women’s Hockey
In an impressive display during the Milan Cortina Olympics, Canada secured a dominant 5-0 victory over Finland, cementing their position as the second seed in Group A during the women’s hockey preliminary rounds. The match took place on Thursday, with standout performances including two goals from Emily Clark and a solid 17 saves by goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Previous Challenges and Player Absences
This triumph comes after a challenging game against the United States, where Canada endured a 5-0 defeat, marking their first Olympic shutout loss. Notably absent from this match was Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who missed her second straight game due to a lower-body injury sustained in a previous win against Czechia. Although she was able to skate again on Thursday, her return for the knockout stages is expected.
Match Delays and Upcoming Quarterfinals
The match against Finland had been initially delayed due to a stomach virus affecting the Finnish squad. With this victory, the quarterfinal matchups are now confirmed, as the top-seeded American team is set to take on host nation Italy on Friday. Italy earned the last playoff berth in Group B with a record of 2-2.
Looking ahead, Canada is scheduled to face Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday, while Czechia will compete against Sweden, the winners of Group B. Finland, who ended up in fourth place in Group A, will take on fifth-place Switzerland in their next game. Notably, Finland struggled throughout the preliminary rounds, suffering shutouts in all three of their losses and managing only one win against the Swiss, which ended 3-1.
Key Contributions in the Victory
In addition to Clark’s two goals, Canada received contributions from Kristin O’Neill, who scored a goal and provided an assist, along with further points from Jennifer Gardiner and Daryl Watts.
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