BOISBRIAND, Que. -- Hayley Wickenheiser and Rebecca Johnston each scored twice to give Canada's women's hockey team a 6-3 victory over the United States in pre-Olympic action on Thursday night.
Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford also scored for Canada, while Charline Labonte allowed three goals on 24 shots.
Brianna Decker, Kendall Coyne, and Jocelyne Lamoureux scored for the Americans. Jessie Vetter, who only played the first period, made 10 saves. She was replaced by Molly Schaus, who stopped seven of 10 shots she faced.
Team U.S.A. outshot Canada 24-23 overall.
The game was the second of six encounters between the teams before the start of the Olympic Games in Sochi in February. The Canadians took the first game -- last Saturday in Burlington, Vt. -- 3-2.
Boisbriand, Que., native Charline Labonte, who won gold with Canada at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, got the start in nets in her hometown.
Johnston opened the high-scoring affair with her first goal of this exhibition series at 8:59 of the first period.
Haley Irwin started the play, patiently holding the puck for several seconds in the American zone before firing on net. Johnston jumped on the rebound.
Wickenheiser doubled the Canadians' lead less than a minute later while playing shorthanded.
Decker got one back for the Americans before the Canadian captain put her second of the game past a helpless Vetter on a 5-on-3 power play.
Johnston and Ouellette added goals for Canada in the second period.
Lamoureux and Coyne scored consolation goals for the U.S., before Hefford's backhanded goal quelled any attempt at a comeback at 15:47 of the third period.
Canada is the three-time defending Olympic champion. Two of those victories, in 2002 and 2010, came against the Americans.
Canada and the U.S. face off again in pre-Olympic action on Dec. 12 in Calgary.
Canadian women top USA in Olympic tune-up game
I happened to luck out and catch this game tonight. Great game by our ladies. Very strong offense and defense. Lots of great scoring opportunities and very good PK ability. Our vets really came through tonight. I swear Hayley channeled The Kid on her first goal - a beauty short-hand goal from her knee to the back of the net off a solid pass across the goal-mouth through traffic from Jenna Hefford.
They do need to clean up the penalties though - can't be giving your opponents that many chances. The US Women were playing w/o their star player - Amanda Kessel tonight and had she been on the ice the outcome could have been very different.
These two teams do not like each other and that fact was very apparent in the first game of this 6-game series between the two. Coming to the defense of their goalie, the Canadian women managed to end up in a game-stopping brawl that saw two players from each team given game ejections. The Canadians had an early lead in that game only to see the US coming fighting back in the 3rd to pull within a point. The Canucks held them off to win that game 3 to 2. Tempers flared again tonight but the gloves stayed on.
The teams will meet again in December when they play their 3rd of the series in Calgary.
Congrats on the win Ladies.
Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford also scored for Canada, while Charline Labonte allowed three goals on 24 shots.
Brianna Decker, Kendall Coyne, and Jocelyne Lamoureux scored for the Americans. Jessie Vetter, who only played the first period, made 10 saves. She was replaced by Molly Schaus, who stopped seven of 10 shots she faced.
Team U.S.A. outshot Canada 24-23 overall.
The game was the second of six encounters between the teams before the start of the Olympic Games in Sochi in February. The Canadians took the first game -- last Saturday in Burlington, Vt. -- 3-2.
Boisbriand, Que., native Charline Labonte, who won gold with Canada at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, got the start in nets in her hometown.
Johnston opened the high-scoring affair with her first goal of this exhibition series at 8:59 of the first period.
Haley Irwin started the play, patiently holding the puck for several seconds in the American zone before firing on net. Johnston jumped on the rebound.
Wickenheiser doubled the Canadians' lead less than a minute later while playing shorthanded.
Decker got one back for the Americans before the Canadian captain put her second of the game past a helpless Vetter on a 5-on-3 power play.
Johnston and Ouellette added goals for Canada in the second period.
Lamoureux and Coyne scored consolation goals for the U.S., before Hefford's backhanded goal quelled any attempt at a comeback at 15:47 of the third period.
Canada is the three-time defending Olympic champion. Two of those victories, in 2002 and 2010, came against the Americans.
Canada and the U.S. face off again in pre-Olympic action on Dec. 12 in Calgary.
Canadian women top USA in Olympic tune-up game
I happened to luck out and catch this game tonight. Great game by our ladies. Very strong offense and defense. Lots of great scoring opportunities and very good PK ability. Our vets really came through tonight. I swear Hayley channeled The Kid on her first goal - a beauty short-hand goal from her knee to the back of the net off a solid pass across the goal-mouth through traffic from Jenna Hefford.
They do need to clean up the penalties though - can't be giving your opponents that many chances. The US Women were playing w/o their star player - Amanda Kessel tonight and had she been on the ice the outcome could have been very different.
These two teams do not like each other and that fact was very apparent in the first game of this 6-game series between the two. Coming to the defense of their goalie, the Canadian women managed to end up in a game-stopping brawl that saw two players from each team given game ejections. The Canadians had an early lead in that game only to see the US coming fighting back in the 3rd to pull within a point. The Canucks held them off to win that game 3 to 2. Tempers flared again tonight but the gloves stayed on.
The teams will meet again in December when they play their 3rd of the series in Calgary.
Congrats on the win Ladies.
