Women’s hockey takeaways: Canada’s power play makes Switzerland pay

When it’s important to wait a complete four-year Olympic cycle to begin your title defence, what’s two extra days? After Canada’s first recreation of the match in opposition to Finland was postponed, Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Switzerland was definitely worth the wait.

And in truth, we did have to attend just a bit bit for the offence to settle in — whereas the photographs piled up early, it took a full interval of play for the Canadians to get on the board. The power play proved to be the distinction, with Natalie Spooner, Sarah Fillier and Julia Gosling all scoring PP markers, and Daryl Watts including an even-strength marker late to cap off the victory. Fillier and Watts additionally every had an help within the win. Claire Thompson registered two helpers, whereas Marie-Philip Poulin, Renata Quick, Erin Ambrose and Sarah Nurse every had one. 

Canada outshot Switzerland 55-6, which tells you simply how a lot the Canucks had been in a position to management the tempo. It additionally tells you simply how busy and nice Swiss netminder Saskia Maurer was. Emerance Maschmeyer received the beginning for Canada — a transfer made to maintain issues as scheduled after No. 1 netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens had been slated to go in opposition to Finland on Thursday. Maschmeyer wasn’t examined typically, however appeared robust on a couple of harmful probabilities by the Swiss to earn the shutout. 

Listed here are our takeaways from Group Canada’s efficiency within the 4-0 victory. 

Natalie Spooner’s journey to Milano Cortina has been nothing in need of unbelievable. Within the 4 years since serving to Canada declare gold at Beijing 2022, she’s made two exceptional comebacks — first, after giving delivery to son Rory, she returned to motion in time to open the inaugural PWHL marketing campaign and by season’s finish was topped league MVP; then, after a devastating knee harm in Might 2024 that sidelined her 9 months, she returned to motion final February. 

At 35, the power ahead has developed her recreation many occasions over, and has embraced a net-front function that’s confirmed extremely profitable. That versatility was on full show Saturday in opposition to Switzerland. 

The postponement of Thursday’s tournament-opener in opposition to Finland delayed not solely the motion however head coach Troy Ryan’s first actual alternative to combine and match his strains in actual time. We noticed loads of that on Saturday, and Spooner factored into it closely. After the primary interval yielded 17 photographs (in comparison with simply two by the Swiss) however no objectives, changes wanted to be made to spark some scoring. 

Spooner entered the Olympic match as Canada’s 13^th ahead, her do-it-all skillset making her an ideal wild card for Ryan to fit up and down the lineup. She didn’t take lengthy to hit her stride in that function, getting a grimy objective on the power play — a signature Spooner clean-up — to open up the sport’s scoring early within the second interval. That fast particular groups chemistry with Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey noticed her promoted to the highest line, changing Julia Gosling in that spot within the second interval and sparking some offence from each. The place Ryan begins Spooner on Monday, and the way a lot he adjusts strains for the second recreation, shall be one thing to observe. 

Of Canada’s 4 objectives on Saturday, only one got here at even power, with Daryl Watts taking advantage of her Olympic debut by scoring an absolute stunner. 

With simply over three minutes left within the recreation, Watts obtained a cross from Sarah Nurse simply contained in the Swiss zone with a little bit house. Then, as she approached the faceoff circle with the puck, she began to shift in direction of the center of the zone to throw off one defender earlier than slinging an ideal wrist shot by way of the opposite’s legs. The puck sailed over goalie Saskia Maurer’s glove and into the web for a beautiful objective a few years within the making for Watts.

It was the right solution to cap what was a wonderful first outing for Watts, who’s one in all seven gamers suiting up on Canada’s Olympic group for the primary time. Fellow Olympic rookie Julia Gosling additionally celebrated her debut with a objective.

Canada’s power play makes Switzerland pay

Three power-play objectives on Saturday had Group Canada making an announcement about their particular groups proper out of the gate. Spooner’s got here first, adopted by two extra within the third interval. Sarah Fillier pounced on a puck that bounced off the top board and buried it right into a wide-open web, then Gosling tipped a shot from Erin Ambrose a couple of minutes later to make it 3-0. (There was a little bit confusion about whether or not veteran Brianne Jenner, who’d parked herself net-front and in addition made to tip the puck, truly received a stick on it, nevertheless it was dominated Gosling’s objective.)

Canada went three-for-five with the benefit, sending a transparent message to opponents to enter the penalty field at their very own danger. 

It is a win inside the win for Canada, whose lacklustre performances throughout their current four-game Rivalry Sequence in opposition to Group USA yielded little or no power on particular groups. Sustain this sort of momentum, and the PP unit may show to be one in all Canada’s largest strengths within the match. It’ll be one thing to observe as Canada hits the ice in opposition to Czechia on Monday earlier than its largest check of the match, Tuesday in opposition to Group USA.