GANGNEUNG, South Korea — The U.S. women’s hockey team will attempt to end Canada’s 16-year hold on the Olympic gold medal when the two teams meet Thursday in the championship game (8:10 p.m. Wednesday on NBC Sports Network).
Since USA won the first Olympic women’s tournament in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, Canada hs won four consecutive gold medals.
Here is what the Americans must do to win:
Score ugly: The U.S. team averages almost 44 shots a game but have scored 14 goals. No puck luck. Coach Robb Stauber has been stressing that the Americans need to concentrate on “screens, tips and deflections” to push the puck through defenders who are packed in front of the net.
Memorable Knight: Usually high performing U.S. forward Hilary Knight has one goal and Brianna Decker doesn’t have any. No better time to have an offensive explosion by two premium players.
Targeted defense: Four players — Meghan Agosta, Rebecca Johnston, Marie-Phillip Poulin and Melanie Daoust — have combined for 10 of Canada’s 16 goals. The Americans know who they must shut down.
Net presence: This is the one game in the tournament when U.S. No. 1 goalie Maddie Rooney has to be among USA’s best players. She will need a handful of key saves for the Americans to win.
Play with confidence: Forget about 2014 when the Americans squandered a two-goal lead and lost in overtime. The remarkable aspect of USA’s disappointing Olympic history is that the Americans have won seven of the past eight World Championships. They know what must be done to beat Canada.
