The Canadian women’s hockey team skated up to the top step of the Olympic podium once again.

The Canadians won their third consecutive gold medal at the Olympics with an efficient 2-0 victory against the rival United States on Thursday.

Teenage whiz Marie-Philip Poulin scored two first-period goals and that was enough because netminder Shannon Szabados shut the door on the Americans with a wonderful 28-save performance.

The 23-year-old Szabados is the same goalie who, earlier in her career, made headlines playing with the boys in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and later in one game with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. She also played minor hockey growing up in Edmonton with Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Wayne and Janet Gretzky, Canadian snowcross gold medallist Maelle Ricker, actor Michael J. Fox, defenceman Scott Niedermayer and most of the men’s team, as well as head coach Mike Babcock and his assistant coach Lindy Ruff, were among the packed and exuberant crowd to take in the women’s victory at Canada Hockey Place.

The Canadian victory avenged losses to the U.S. in the past two world championships. Because of the disappointment at those two tournaments, the Canadian women changed their preparation for the Vancouver Olympics.

They held a 3½-week boot camp in Dawson Creek, B.C. There, each day began with a long-distance run every morning at 7 a.m. and between weight training, yoga sessions, kickboxing workouts and on-ice instruction, their day didn’t finish until 9:30 p.m.

The Canadian women also engaged in an ambitious 31-game schedule, beginning in late September, against Alberta boys midget teams. This was 10 more games than they played against Alberta boys teams in preparation for the 2006 Olympics.

The commitment and dedication obviously paid off. They won five of six exhibition games against the U.S. and extended their Olympic win streak to 15 games. The Canadians outscored the opposition 48-2 in their five games at Vancouver.