Sims’ first goal helps U.S. team defeat Canada in overtime thriller

The United States remained undefeated at the 2024 World Championship, defeating Canada 1-0 in overtime in a classic rivalry game, securing the top seed heading into the final tournament.

The first nine seconds set the tone. Canada’s Renata Fast hit Kendall Coyne-Schofield, who was chasing the puck in the offensive zone, but the call was called off the ice. The referees let them play, which meant a fast and physical game.

Team USA came out strong early with some great looks. It wasn’t until 6:55 that Canada had its first shot on goal. At this point, America was winning 4-0.

Canada started getting a few more looks, but none were overly dangerous. Meanwhile, the United States continued to create chances, but they weren’t always of high quality. In any case, Canada’s goaltender Henriée Desbiens did a great job keeping the game scoreless.

The first penalty of the game came at 14:24 when Ella Shelton cross-checked Abby Murphy behind the net. But then Haley Skumra punched Shelton and got a rough call, causing both players to head to the box and play remained at 5-on-5.

The Americans had some of their biggest chances of the period with less than five minutes remaining, but Desbiens continued to make great saves.

Canada also showed great defensive play. Near the end of the game, Nicole Gosling accidentally left the puck while skating outside the zone, and Skamura immediately jumped on it. But Canadian defender Ashton Bell caught her before she could take the shot with a nice backcheck.

The first period ended scoreless, with the U.S. doubling Canada’s shot count, 12-6.

But it was Canada who started the second period strong. They had some great chances in the first 30 seconds, including one where Marie-Philippe Poulain, also known as Captain Clutch, almost took a shot at an open net. Fortunately for the Americans, Alex Carpenter hooked his stick to the puck and got it out of harm’s way before Poulin could reach it. The United States did not have a shot on goal until 3:16, at which point Canada was up 4-0.

The United States got its first power play of the game for six minutes when Daniel Serdachny was called for an illegal hit. It was right on the board and a deserved penalty, but you could tell there was some frustration from the Canadians on the call, as they missed a lot of similar open-ice stuff. The U.S. made several attempts on the power play, but could not convert as Canada’s penalty kill was perfect this tournament.

Just 21 seconds after Serdachny left the box, Jocelyn Larocque stepped inside, also resulting in an illegal hit. This power play sparked even more excitement. American forward Taylor Heise took a shot through traffic 23 seconds into the game, and Hanna Birka was waiting for the rebound. However, Desbiance took her away with her incredible glove save.

Fast and Laura Stacy then had a chance to be shorthanded, with Fast Feed Stacy going solo. But Aerin Frankel went for an aggressive poke check and even though he missed, he swallowed the puck with one of the best saves of the game.

Canada continued their momentum after nullifying both penalties and had some great looks, but Frankel was ready.

With three or fewer points remaining, Canada had their first power play, and Kirsten Sims went for the hook. Similar to the first American power play, Canada also didn’t get a shot; Skamura then swept the puck on the glass on the on-edge while attempting a clearance, giving him a 5-on-3 fourth to end the first chance.

Canada’s second power-play opportunity was similar to the first, with no next shot taken until the second period ended scoreless, with the U.S. holding a narrow 18-17 shot advantage.

The United States started Game 3 with 1 minute, 21 seconds remaining. They then turned around for a few minutes and had several quality chances, but were unable to get past Desbian. Both teams then exchanged chances for a while, but both goalkeepers stood firm.

The Canadians got their only power play of the period within five minutes when Hannah Birka took an illegal hit. The call at this stage was interesting, as Birka and Fast seemed to somehow stick together, and if anything, it seemed like they should both have left. Luckily, the US was able to finish it off and also had a huge shorthanded opportunity.

Both teams had big chances in the final minutes, but like all good games between USA and Canada, the game wasn’t decided after 60 minutes. Until extra time, we were in Group A for the first time in the 2024 World Championship.

All extra innings belonged to the USA team. They had some incredible chances in the first minute, but somehow Desbiance blocked them all.

In the end, it was a controversial play that ended the game. Brianne Jenner fell while carrying her puck, and Caroline Harvey appeared to trip. However, Jenner already appeared to be losing his advantage, and even contact with Harvey’s stick did not fully trigger it. That’s probably why the referee, who was right there, let it go. No matter who you look at it, it was a difficult decision to make or let go of at that point in the game, and either way it’s unfortunate that it led to the winning goal.

After Jenner went down, Harvey pounced on the puck and faced Poulin on the opposite end for a 3-on-1. She hands it over to Sims, who notices that Poulin is judging Desbian and doesn’t think the low shot is coming. There she sent the ball between Desbian’s pads, scoring her first goal at the Senior World Championship and securing victory for her USA.

Overall, this game is everything you would expect from a USA vs. Canada matchup. They were fast and physical, and even though they didn’t score until the winner in overtime, it was thrilling. There’s nothing like this rivalry. If these two teams make it through the first two knockout rounds and meet again this weekend for medals, it will definitely be a big deal.

According to USA Hockey’s website, the U.S. will compete in the quarterfinals Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. but, according to the schedule on the IIHF website, the game is not assigned, so keep an eye out for confirmation. The opponent has not yet been determined, but it will be narrowed down to China, Denmark, or Japan. Canada will also be back in action Thursday against Sweden.