photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
Canada defeated Finland 5-0 this afternoon to claim second place in Group A of the preliminary round. The results means they will face Germany in the quarter-finals while the Finns will take on Switzerland.
This was the first ever penalty-free game in women's hockey at the Olympics.
The team was led by its young stars who brought the team to life with energy and timely scoring when they needed it the most. They were playing without captain Marie-Philp Poulin for the second game in a row but managed to produce enough offence against a determined Finland team.
Emily Clark led the way with two goals and Laura Stacey had two assists. Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 17 shots for her first career shutout. But it was a Jenn Gardiner goal late in the first that propelled the victory and settled the Canadian nerves.
Finland's star defender Jenni Hiirikoski played only 2:04 early in the game and didn't return. It is unknown what led to her departure, but her loss is always a significant blow to Finland's chances.,
Canada entered the game with a fragile state of mind after a crushing loss to the Americans two days ago, and they came out looking just as brittle. They didn’t make any great mistakes and certainly held the edge in play, but their skating and passing weren’t crisp and confident.
"We started slowly but got better and better as the game went on," said Jocelyne Larocque. "In hockey, there are highs and lows, and I think we did a good job of getting out of that low, moving our feet more, having more confidence with the puck. That really helped."
"I think we had some really good stretches," noted Finland's captain Michelle Karvinen. "The result is not what we wanted, but I don't think it reflects the whole game. I think there were parts of the game that were really, really good. We just couldn't score. But we had some good movement in the offensive zone."
In their own end, the Canadians were excellent, but through centre ice they looked tentative, and inside the Finnish blue line they looked a little lost. And then late in the period, one sequence changed everything.
Kristin O’Neill moved into the corner with the puck, and with seemingly few options managed to get it to Julia Gosling. Gosling made a beautiful no-look pass to Gardiner coming into the slot, and the 24-year-old Gardiner buried the shot with that old Canadian confidence at 15:12.
It was her first of the tournament, but it wasn’t just a goal to give the team a 1-0 lead. It was a goal that said, phew. A goal that got the team thinking the right way again.
"The game didn't go the way we wanted the other night, but we still believe," added Daryl Watts. "We never stop believing, and we'll keep working. We know we have a special group, and we have really special leaders. And we have Poulin. We'll keep building and keep believing. We started a bit slow, but we ended the game the way we wanted to. Finland played really well to start the game. Their passing was great, so credit to them."
"Any time you score, it gives you a boost and momentum," Larocque said. "And then you want to carry that momentum, so the next shift after a goal is just as important."
Canada didn't carry over their momentium to start the second. The Finns came out more determined than ever and took the play to the favourites for several minutes. The Canadians got a further scare when Sarah Fillier slid heavily into the end boards, but after a quick walk down the runway she returned to the bench.
Emma Nuutinen made a great play at the Canada blue line, taking a pass and turning to the outside to avoid a Renata Fast check. Nuutinen went in alone but fired a shot high. Soon after, Canada had a wild sequence in the Finland end during which time goalie Sanni Ahola lost her stick. Despite the pressure, though, Canada couldn’t add to its lead.
Two goals midway through the period gave the Canadians some breathing room. Fillier got to a puck behind the net and made a nice pass out front to Watts, 26, and Watts lifted a high shot over Ahola’s glove from close quarters at 11:38 to make it 2-0.
Two minutes later, they added to their total when a Kristin O’Neill shot beat the screened goalie to the short side, and early in the third Emily Clark scored on a quick wraparound that surprised Ahola. She scored again at 13:29 when she roofed a loose puck in the slot to put an accent on the solid victory.
This was the first ever penalty-free game in women's hockey at the Olympics.
The team was led by its young stars who brought the team to life with energy and timely scoring when they needed it the most. They were playing without captain Marie-Philp Poulin for the second game in a row but managed to produce enough offence against a determined Finland team.
Emily Clark led the way with two goals and Laura Stacey had two assists. Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 17 shots for her first career shutout. But it was a Jenn Gardiner goal late in the first that propelled the victory and settled the Canadian nerves.
Finland's star defender Jenni Hiirikoski played only 2:04 early in the game and didn't return. It is unknown what led to her departure, but her loss is always a significant blow to Finland's chances.,
Canada entered the game with a fragile state of mind after a crushing loss to the Americans two days ago, and they came out looking just as brittle. They didn’t make any great mistakes and certainly held the edge in play, but their skating and passing weren’t crisp and confident.
"We started slowly but got better and better as the game went on," said Jocelyne Larocque. "In hockey, there are highs and lows, and I think we did a good job of getting out of that low, moving our feet more, having more confidence with the puck. That really helped."
"I think we had some really good stretches," noted Finland's captain Michelle Karvinen. "The result is not what we wanted, but I don't think it reflects the whole game. I think there were parts of the game that were really, really good. We just couldn't score. But we had some good movement in the offensive zone."
In their own end, the Canadians were excellent, but through centre ice they looked tentative, and inside the Finnish blue line they looked a little lost. And then late in the period, one sequence changed everything.
Kristin O’Neill moved into the corner with the puck, and with seemingly few options managed to get it to Julia Gosling. Gosling made a beautiful no-look pass to Gardiner coming into the slot, and the 24-year-old Gardiner buried the shot with that old Canadian confidence at 15:12.
It was her first of the tournament, but it wasn’t just a goal to give the team a 1-0 lead. It was a goal that said, phew. A goal that got the team thinking the right way again.
"The game didn't go the way we wanted the other night, but we still believe," added Daryl Watts. "We never stop believing, and we'll keep working. We know we have a special group, and we have really special leaders. And we have Poulin. We'll keep building and keep believing. We started a bit slow, but we ended the game the way we wanted to. Finland played really well to start the game. Their passing was great, so credit to them."
"Any time you score, it gives you a boost and momentum," Larocque said. "And then you want to carry that momentum, so the next shift after a goal is just as important."
Canada didn't carry over their momentium to start the second. The Finns came out more determined than ever and took the play to the favourites for several minutes. The Canadians got a further scare when Sarah Fillier slid heavily into the end boards, but after a quick walk down the runway she returned to the bench.
Emma Nuutinen made a great play at the Canada blue line, taking a pass and turning to the outside to avoid a Renata Fast check. Nuutinen went in alone but fired a shot high. Soon after, Canada had a wild sequence in the Finland end during which time goalie Sanni Ahola lost her stick. Despite the pressure, though, Canada couldn’t add to its lead.
Two goals midway through the period gave the Canadians some breathing room. Fillier got to a puck behind the net and made a nice pass out front to Watts, 26, and Watts lifted a high shot over Ahola’s glove from close quarters at 11:38 to make it 2-0.
Two minutes later, they added to their total when a Kristin O’Neill shot beat the screened goalie to the short side, and early in the third Emily Clark scored on a quick wraparound that surprised Ahola. She scored again at 13:29 when she roofed a loose puck in the slot to put an accent on the solid victory.
Finland vs Canada - 2026 Women's Olympic Games
OF