Death, taxes and the United States facing Canada for Olympic gold in women’s hockey.
The U.S. beat Finland, 4-1, on Monday while Canada beat Switzerland, 10-3, as both advanced to the gold medal game in Beijing. It will mark the sixth time in seven Olympics that the two teams face off for the gold medal.
The U.S. better be razor-sharp for the rematch with Canada on Wednesday (11:10 p.m. EST, NBC).
Canada, which skated to a 4-2 victory over the U.S. in a preliminary round game, has outscored opponents by a ridiculous 54-8 margin — and put 311 shots on net — in China.
While Canada was yawning its way past Switzerland, the U.S. team coached by Joel Johnson found itself in a semifinal battle with Finland, which has won the bronze medal three times.
Despite a huge advantage in shots on goal, the U.S. only led 2-0 after two periods and the second goal didn’t come until near the end of the middle period before the Americans clinched a three-goal victory.
Players with New England ties played major roles in the victory over Finland.
Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.) set up Abby Roque’s empty-net goal with 4.7 seconds left.
Hayley Scamurra, a former Northeastern University star, gave the U.S. a 3-0 lead with 4:40 remaining in the third. Scamurra, with her back to the net and a Finland player checking her, deftly redirected a shot past goaltender Anni Keisala.
But here were the top four American players in the win over Finland.
Alex Cavallini
The U.S. has three quality netminders in Cavallini, Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney.
But Cavallini made a strong case to start Wednesday’s gold medal game with an impressive 25-save effort. U.S. goaltenders often don’t see many pucks due to the dominant puck possession of their teammates.
But Cavallini, who has only allowed two goals in three starts in Beijing, was terrific. Her best stops came at a critical time. With the game scoreless in the final minute of the opening period, Susanna Tapani and Michelle Karvinen broke in two-on-one.
Tapani passed to her right to Karvinen, who ripped a quality forehand bid. Cavallini rejected it with her left pad. She also used the same pad to deny Karvinen on a rebound near the right post.
Cavallini’s shutout bid ended with 26 seconds left when Tapani backhanded a shot inside the left post.
“I thought it was overall an awesome team effort,” Cavallini said after the game. “I tried to take it save by save and be ready for anything that came my way.”
Cayla Barnes
The shortest player on the U.S. team (she shares that distinction with Kendall Coyne Schofield), the 5-foot-2 defenseman played a solid two-way game.
A former star at Boston College, Barnes scored the all-important first goal and also added an assist.
Her first Olympic goal came after she snuck down from the right point to the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Hannah Brandt spotted her with a cross-ice pass and Barnes wasted no time one-timing it home for the power-play tally at the 3:39 mark of the second period.
Barnes also fired in the third American goal when she kept in a puck at the right point and blasted a shot which Scamurra tipped into the Finland goal.
Prep school fans remember Barnes as a dominant player at the New Hampton School. She racked up 155 points in 112 games at New Hampton.
Hilary Knight
The 32-year-old Knight added to her Olympic legend by scoring a goal and adding an assist.
The four-time Olympian, a 5-11 power forward with a quick release, now has 26 Olympic points. Only Jenny Potter, with 32, has scored more points for the Americans.
Knight netted her 11th career Olympic goal, and the fifth of the 2022 Games, in typical fashion, snapping a loose puck that deflected to her inside the left post late in the second period. A powerful right winger, she is a threat to score on the rush or on broken plays.
She played prep hockey in New England at Choate Rosemary Hall from 2003-07 and was a member of the Boston Blades and Boston Pride women's pro teams (2012-17) after graduating from the University of Wisconsin.
Knight’s experience and talent will be key for the U.S. in the Canadian showdown.
Megan Keller
Overall, it was a strong day for the U.S. defense and leading that effort was the 5-foot-11 Keller, another former Boston College Eagle.
Utilizing her long reach and strong skating ability, Keller’s play will be crucial against the Canadians.
Against Finland, Keller broke in two-on-one shorthanded but was denied by Keisala. It was on the defensive end, however, that Keller made the biggest difference, whether it was during 5-on-5 play or the penalty kill. Keller used her strength to keep Finland players away from the U.S. net.
Keller & Co. will have to try and neutralize the likes of Canada star Marie-Philip Poulin, the former Boston University star who had two goals against Switzerland and now has 14 points in this Olympics.
Wednesday’s U.S.-Canada battle figures to be a classic.
Cavallini, Barnes, Knight and Keller led the way against Finland. To defeat Canada and repeat as Olympic champions, the American squad will need every player at her best Wednesday night.
After all, the Finland team the U.S. beat, 4-1, was a team that Canada skated circles around in an 11-1 romp.
