The 17th World Women’s Hockey Championship final will be a U.S.-Canada affair, just as it was the previous 16 times.
The rivals advanced to Monday’s gold-medal game (NHL Network, 10:30 p.m. ET) via semifinal wins Sunday night. The U.S. blanked Russia 9-0, while Canada held off Finland 5-3 in Kamloops, British Columbia.
“This is maybe the best game of the tournament we’ve played,” said U.S. coach Ken Klee, a retired, 14-year NHL defenseman.
The U.S. outscored its four opponents in Kamloops 22-2, including a 3-1 win over Canada last Monday. Canada has gone 3-0 with a 19-5 goal margin in its three games since the opening-night loss to the Americans.