BEIJING, China — The U.S. women's hockey team was denied Olympic gold and glory, falling to archrival Canada 3-2 in the final match of the Beijing Olympics.
Team USA was shut out of the first period with Canadians Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin drawing first blood, giving the team a 2-0 advantage heading into period two.
Poulin returned in period two to land another in the net for Canada, giving her team a 3-0 lead.
Momentum shifted on the back end of the second with a well-earned, shorthanded goal from Hillary Knight off Canada's power play.
It was a race against the clock for Team USA in period three, with the U.S. trailing 3-1.
University of Minnesota alum Amanda Kessel scored with one minute remaining for Team USA, for a 3-2 deficit, but it wasn't enough to deny Canada their latest bout with Olympic gold and glory.
Since the inception of Olympic women's hockey in 1998, the U.S. and Canada have dominated, laying claim to all gold medals awarded since.
In seven Winter Olympic Games, the U.S. has faced archrival Canada a total of six times in the gold medal round, with the lone exception being the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy — where the Swedes knocked Team USA out of contention, bumping them to bronze.
Wednesday's matchup adds to Team USA's tally of hardware, and the women's hockey team now lays claim to a haul of one bronze, four silvers, and two golds - having yet to walk away from a Winter Olympic Game empty handed.
The team boasted nine athletes with ties to Minnesota, among them: Megan Bozek, Maddie Rooney, Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek, Hannah Brandt, Grace Zumwinkle, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel and Abbey Murphy.
They've stocked their state, as well as their nation, with tremendous pride, along with the rest of the U.S. women's hockey team.
