The U.S. and Canadian women’s teams renewed hostilities Sunday in the 4 Nations Cup final. The longstanding rivals battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation, but superstar sniper Hilary Knight won the tournament for Team USA with a breakaway tally.
When it comes to the Olympics, Canada has been dominant, winning four of the five gold medals in the tournament's history. But in major competitions outside of the Olympic games, Team USA has been incredibly successful,earning their fair share of gold medals along the way and often giving the Canadians their toughest test. Sunday’s final of the Four Nations Cup in Sweden was no different, as USA and Canada renewed their rivalry.
Throughout the tournament, which began Nov. 4, the American squad had been the strongest in the tournament, which pits arguably the four powerhouse nations in women’s hockey — USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland — against each other over the course of a week. Out of the gate, the American side showed their dominance, defeating Sweden 6-2 to open the tournament.
The first marquee matchup of the tournament came on the tournament’s second day, when the American squad downed Canada 3-0 in what would be a preview of the eventual final. And when it came time for the championship game, Team USA doubled up on their victories over their arch rival, winning a 3-2 overtime thriller off the stick of Hilary Knight.
(Video via Reddit user /u/connormcnally)
It’s fitting that Team USA’s Knight, arguably the greatest player in women’s hockey today, scored the game-winner. She had been playing incredibly well throughout the tournament, yet wasn’t able to find the net when USA took on Canada in their round-robin meeting.
The gold medal for the U.S. squad was the women’s national team’s first gold medal at the 4 Nations Cup since 2012, when the tournament was played in Finland. At the 2014 4 Nations Cup final, Canada downed USA 3-2.