On Feb. 7, the last game of a four-game slate on Day 3 of the women’s Olympic tournament saw Canada play their first game. They opened the tournament against Switzerland, who just beat Czechia 4-3 in the shootout after coming back from a two-goal deficit.
Related: Guide to the Women’s Olympics Women’s Hockey Tournament
Unfortunately for Switzerland, the results were not the same in this game. After a quiet first period for both teams, Canada scored first with a power-play goal early in the second period. Although they only had one goal going into the third, they shut out Switzerland 4-0 by the end of the game.
Canada Capitalized on the Power Play
Canada managed to capitalize on several of their power-play opportunities, which was a much-needed break for the team.
Six minutes into the second period, Alina Muller took a seat for an illegal hit. Directly after Canada made it to the extra-player advantage, they capitalized. They won the faceoff and kept the puck in the zone, trying to find a scoring opportunity. Sarah Fillier had the puck in the faceoff circle and passed it across the ice for Marie-Philip Poulin. She took a shot, but Saskia Maurer made the initial save. Natalie Spooner picked up the rebound from in front of the net and sent it home for the first goal of the game.
Just a minute into the third period, Ivana Wey took a seat for boarding. Switzerland killed off the penalty, but 17 seconds after Wey left the box, she went back for the same penalty. Canada won the faceoff, and the puck found Daryl Watts at the blue line. She took a shot through traffic, and Spooner collected the rebound. She passed it to Fillier, who sent it into the empty space Maurer allowed for Canada’s second goal of the game.
With just eight minutes left in the game, Nicole Vallario took a seat for tripping. On the first faceoff, Spooner had a good chance at a shot, but Maurer made a strong pad save. Seconds dwindled on the extra-player advantage, and Claire Thompson had the puck by the boards. She dropped it down for Erin Ambrose, and she took a shot through traffic. Her shot deflected off Julia Gosling’s stick and went in for the third goal of the game.
Canada had a strong performance on special teams, killing both penalties and scoring on three of their six power-play opportunities. All three of Canada’s goals were scored on their first power-play unit, which is a testament to their core player strength. Canada’s team is the only one in the Olympics comprised entirely of players from the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). This not only highlights the strength of Team Canada, but also the strength of the players in the PWHL.
Maurer Held Strong
Saskia Maurer had an incredible performance, stopping 51 of 55 shots. She was the only reason Canada’s score wasn’t in the double digits. The majority of the game was a heavily defensive one for Switzerland, as Canada controlled the puck for the majority of the game and kept it in their zone. They held Switzerland to just six shots in the entire 60-minute period.
Maurer played in back-to-back games after she was the netminder for Switzerland against Czechia. Despite a quick turnaround, she had another strong performance to try to keep her team in the game. Unfortunately, Switzerland couldn’t put a goal on the board to get a second straight win.
Maurer is only 24 years old and currently plays hockey in Switzerland for FC Bern Frauen. Her performance these past two games is putting her name on the map of women’s hockey. If she decides she wants to play in the PWHL in the next few seasons, she would be the first goaltender off the board.
Both Teams Back in Action on Monday
Monday will see a four-game slate with both Switzerland and Canada closing out the day. Switzerland will take on the USA at 2:40 PM ET. Canada will close out the day against Czechia at 3:10 PM ET.
