BEIJING — There is a saying within the U.S. women's hockey program that they play 3 ½ years for two months, two months for two weeks, and two weeks for two hours – the final timestamp representing the Olympic gold-medal game.
For the fourth straight Olympic cycle, they have followed that plan. The Americans will face Canada once again (Wednesday, 11:10 p.m. ET) with gold on the line, nine days after a 4-2 loss to their rival in group play.
The journey to reach this point has not been without tribulations brought on by the pandemic and other circumstances.