Nicole Hensley competes during the gold-medal game at the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship on Aug. 31, 2021 in Calgary, Canada.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Just like Wednesday night, the U.S. women’s hockey team went into the third period Friday night needing a tying goal.
Again, they got one. And when they needed another one, they got that one too.
But for all that resilience, it was again an overtime goal that went missing as Canada skated off as extra-frame winners at Centene Community Ice Center in the sixth game of the My Why Tour between the rivals. Frequent U.S. tormenter Marie-Philip Poulin got the winner for the second game in a row 3:31 into overtime to spoil another third-period comeback for the United States. Kendall Coyne Schofield and Savannah Harmon scored their first goals of the My Why Tour to draw the U.S. even in another back-and-forth physical game typical of the rivalry.
“I think every time you get the chance to play them it’s going to be like that and it’s going to be intense I think,” said U.S. goalie Nicole Hensley, who saved 28 of 31 shots. “When you first start with this program and you come in you learn pretty quick from the veterans how much it means to win these games, whether it’s in October, November, December and February, we always want to beat them, especially when we’re on home soil. It stings a little bit more today but we had an awesome crowd and it was incredible to play in front of today.”
After a scoreless first period in which the U.S. outshot Canada 13-6, Canada tallied first with a goal in the second period. Sarah Fillier scored just one minute into a second period that Canada dominated, shot-wise. The second period also saw a skirmish following a boarding major assessed to Team USA’s Abbey Murphy that saw an additional minor given to Murphy and two minors to Canada with a lengthy delay to sort out the penalties.
“I thought it was real messy early on, just kind of back and forth but on either side not a lot of crisp passing or receiving,” said U.S. head coach Joel Johnson. “And then as the game kind of went to the second period it felt like the second period lasted the month of December. Just felt like the Twilight Zone for a bit.”
But any sluggishness in the first two periods was gone by the third, which featured back-and-forth action and a goal for Team USA just 1:53 in. On the power play, Coyne Schofield was in perfect position to stuff home a pass from Hilary Knight. Canada would respond just over a minute later, but then came the chance for Harmon that came at the end of a good spell of U.S. pressure. The tough angle shot ricocheted in and out of the goal causing several on the ice to keep playing, but Harmon knew right away.