The Canadian 2010 Winter Olympic women’s hockey team continued tearing apart competitors with the ruthless efficiency of a Chinese gymnastics coach Monday, putting five past Finland in a one-sided affair in which Canada outshot the Finns 50-11.
Cherle Piper was the first scorer on the board for the red-and-whites, taking a perfect pass on the far post from Meghan Agosta after she had circled the goal with defenders trailing.
The second wasn’t quite so glamorous as Haley Irwin threw a stick into a goalmouth scramble and nudged an orphaned puck a few inches past Finnish goalie Noora Raty’s skate.
Canada’s third came midway through the second period, with Jayna Hefford tip-toeing through the Finnish defensive line before laying it off to Tessa Bonhomme on the charge. Her shot was blocked but Meghan Agosta was, as usual, Janey on the spot for her second of the night.
With measured play and strong hockey focusing on puck possession and physical superiority, the Canadians beat Finland in every facet of the game.
In fact, the Finnish team was having trouble just getting the puck out of their half of the ice while the Canadians darted through them like minnows while hitting them like sumos. Jenni Hiirikoski was leveled by Canada’s Gillian Apps in the third with a big shoulder to the chest that left the Finnish player spinning to the ice and winded.
Only the goaltending of Raty kept Finland in the game, but with a 5:1 shooting advantage, it was inevitable that another would slip by before long.
Sure enough, Haley Irwin knocked in a fourth after good work from Rebecca Johnston and Sarah Vaillancourt saw the puck rebound to the right. Irwin centred it in off Raty’s shoulder for goal number four.
The fifth came as Canada absorbed a power play, winning the puck mid-ice, as Marie-Phillip Poulin-Nadeau robbed the Finnish defense blind and fed Caroline Ouellete who tapped it home skating away.
Haley Irwin was Canada’s major threat, with eight shots on goal.
5-0 victory to Canada, and they go to the gold medal game Thursday.
Tags: Team Canada