Team U.S.A. holds a 3-2 lead in the seven-game series with Game 6 slated for the Brandt Centre in Regina on Friday.
Still alive.
Still kicking.
Still skating.
Canada is back in the Canada-U.S. Rivalry Series thanks to a much-needed 4-2 victory in Game 5 Wednesday night in Saskatoon before 7,576 fans at SaskTel Centre.
Team U.S.A. holds a 3-2 lead in the seven-game series. Game 6 is slated for the Brandt Centre in Regina on Friday.
“The series is still alive — that’s the key,” said Renata Fast, whose game-winning low shot beat U.S.A. goaltender Nicole Hensley on the glove side with 5:53 left in regulation to give Canada the lead for the first time in the game.
“We’re all pretty excited with the results, and to be able to do it on home soil and come together and get that comeback in the third period is huge.”
With Hensley pulled for an extra attacker for the Americans, Laura Stacey added an empty-net goal to put Canada up for good. Her insurance marker, with 54 seconds left on the clock, capped the third-period comeback that saw the Canadians notch three goals during the final nine minutes of play.
“Our start was not the greatest,” admitted Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin. “But we were able to get back into the game in the third. It was great. It was a great 20 minutes. We were sticks on the ice, played together — from the goalie, defence, the forwards. We stuck to it and played our way until the end and I’m happy we got that win.”
Team Canada forward Emily Clark, who was playing in front of her hometown crowd in Saskatoon, had not one, not two, but three breakaways yet was unable to score on this night. Twice, she was stopped by Hensley; she missed the net with a rising shot on the other chance.
Still, she savoured the hometown support.
“They blew my expectations out of the water, definitely,” said Clark. “I was feeling the love, our team was feeling the love and I’m so proud of our group for getting that win for the crowd.
“We showed a lot of character. We’re just taking it one game at a time and I’m really proud of our team for getting the win today.”
Canada was coming off a 3-2 overtime shootout win back on Dec. 16 in Sarnia, Ont., after three straight losses to start the CAN-U.S. Rivalry Series, two of them on American soil.
“They are (back in the series),” said Team U.S.A. head coach John Wroblewski, whose team was out-shot 28-16 in Saskatoon.
“They deserved to win … If you shop and compare the D corps a little bit, they asserted themselves and it’s an established group back there that moved the puck really well to another group of really experienced forwards, who I thought did a good job of playing downhill for Canada and was playing with a ton of energy and obviously volume shooting.”
Ann-Renée Desbiens made 14 saves in Canada’s net for the win.
“Obviously, the goal is to win the series and I’m glad we’re closer to that,“ said Desbiens.
Grace Zumwinkle, who banged in a loose puck at the 2:44 mark of the first period, had given the Americans an early lead.
Team Canada forward Brianne Jenner, who lifted a backhand shot off a rebound, knotted the score at 1-1 just 47 seconds into the second frame on a power play.
Team U.S.A. regained its lead at the 13:46 mark of the period on a goal by Gabbie Hughes.
Blueliner Ashton Bell blasted a shot through the five-hole, from the top of the faceoff circle off a draw, to tie the game once again at 11:29 of the third period to spark Canada’s third-period comeback.
The first two games were played in the United States with games in Los Angeles and at Tempe in Arizona. The third game, a 1-0 overtime victory by Team U.S.A., was played in Kitchener, Ont.
Game 7 of the series will be played at St. Paul in Minnesota.
“We want that win,” said Team Canada coach Troy Ryan. “We don’t want this series to be over. We’re all aware of the situation, but I think it’s just preparing the same way we prepare for any game. We’ve got to want the win and the girls are hungry for it, so we’ll be pushing really hard for that.”