Hilary Knight’s OT goal wins U.S. gold over Canada at Women’s Worlds (Video)

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PLYMOUTH, MI – APRIL 07: The United States celebrates with the championship trophy after a 3-2 overtime win against Canada at the 2017 IIHF Woman’s World Championships at USA Hockey Arena on April 7, 2017 in Plymouth, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) What the United States Women’s National Team has done in the past three weeks is nothing short of remarkable.
It’s only fitting they’d close out the 2017 Women’s World Championship against blood rival Canada by defeating them 3-2 in overtime for the US’s first gold on home soil.
In front of a standing room only crowd in Plymouth, Michigan the US got off to a somewhat sluggish start.
Just over a minute into the first period, the United States experienced only their second deficit of the tournament when Jennifer Wakefield and Meghan Agosta get in on the rush.
Wakefield sends a pass to Agosta who snipes it to give the Canadians a 1-0 lead.

Meghan Agosta gets Canada on the board first with this wicked shot #WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/CspwcOEbRI
— Women’s Hockey Gifs (@CWHLHighlights) April 7, 2017
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The US’s tournament ranked No. 1 penalty kill successfully kept Canada off the board in their first shorthanded chance of the game.
Defenseman Kacey Bellamy tied it for the Americans.
Goaltender Shannon Szabados had her eyesight blocked by Brianna Decker. Bellamy releases a bomb that appears to change course and go in the net.

Bellamy, rocket. All tied up. #2017WWC pic.twitter.com/74CDEBmn6L
— Blinn Manuel Miranda (@NHLBlinn) April 7, 2017
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Canada and the US are tied at 1-1.
The game was physical throughout. The refs appeared to be calling it tight when Jocelyn Lamoreux-Davidson was sent off for roughing.
Video showed Lamoreux-Davidson and Canada’s captain Marie-Philip Poulin getting into a physical battle along the boards. Poulin appears to give Lamoreux-Davidson the chicken wing and the American retaliates.
The retaliation was called, but the American power play came up big again and stopped the Canadians.
As the period went on, the US started to get their skating legs underneath them and unleashed their trademark speed.
Laura Fortino was sent off for high sticking midway through the first period giving the US’s power play a chance to take the lead.
Head coach Rob Stauber sent out his first unit with the line of Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker and Kendall Coyne. Coming into the game, the line had combined for 26 points. However the second line, headlined by Amanda Kessel, gets the best chance.
With a wide open net staring at her, Kessel winds up to shoot. Miraculously, Lauriane Rougeau gets a touch of the puck with her stick causing Kessel to fan.
As penalty ends, Fortino comes out of the box and takes rush to other end. The US defender holds Fortino to her backhand side and she’s only able to send a weak shot on goaltender Nicole Hensley.
Hensley’s next serious test came from Natalie Spooner.
Spooner, the purest power forward in the women’s game, charges up the ice and rings a shot off the post.

Natalie Spooner has a great chance but rings it off the post #WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/CIXoqrWe2O
— Women’s Hockey Gifs (@CWHLHighlights) April 8, 2017
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The first period ends with the two sides tied at one. The United States skates off with the advantage in shots, 11-9.
The Canadian women emerged from the locker room with a different and incredibly effective strategy against the United States.
Wave after wave of Canadian offense floods the American zone. The speed that the US has shown throughout the tournament was stifled by the Canadians.
On the United States’ first real dangerous chance of the second period, Szabados somehow finds the puck in scrum as Haley Skarupa, Kelli Stack and Lamoureux-Davidson dig at it.

Team USA: feeling it.
Shannon Szabados: also feeling it #2017WWC pic.twitter.com/R4gZcihoOe
— Blinn Manuel Miranda (@NHLBlinn) April 8, 2017
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Lamoureux-Davidson gets sent off for her second then third period of the game. Both the US successfully kills.
Alex Carpenter nearly had a shorthanded goal when she gets in behind the power players. Poulin catches up to the speedy Carpenter and disrupts her puckhandling at the perfect moment for Carpenter to send the shot wide.

Alex Carpenter gets a great chance on the PK #WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/Avw6mcVLXT
— Women’s Hockey Gifs (@CWHLHighlights) April 8, 2017
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Canada’s Bailey Bram in on a one-on-three somehow gets a shot off on the US net. Hensley, playing in her first World Championships gold medal game, snares Bram’s shot with her glove.

Nicole Hensley, oh my goodness???? pic.twitter.com/lzsj6k3504
— Blinn Manuel Miranda (@NHLBlinn) April 8, 2017
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As the two teams traded chances, dueling chants of ‘Go Canada Go’ and ‘USA! USA!’ grew louder.
The second period ended with the score still tied at 1-1. Canada overtook the US in shots, 20-17.
The Americans were a completely different team when they hit the ice in the third period. The speed was back and pushing the Canadians hard.
Just 42 seconds into the third, Kacey Bellamy pots her second goal of the game on one hell of a pass by Knight.
Coyne races into the Canadian zone and passes to Knight who quickly gets it to Decker. Decker takes the shot, Knight grabs the rebound and with her back turned, passes the puck through her legs and right to a pinching Bellamy.

Kacey Bellamy with her second of the game after a between-the-legs pass from Knight. 2-1 USA. #WWC2017 pic.twitter.com/KpI0SUZ8Vx
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) April 8, 2017
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The United States takes a 2-1 lead.
Decker is sent to the box for hooking Laura Fortino. The US penalty kill is tested yet again.
Brianne Jenner things she’s scored a power play goal, but the officials wave it off.* Upon review, the overhead look shows the puck crossing the redline next to Hensley’s pad.

Clearly as goal for Canada pic.twitter.com/XVxktUWoqb
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 8, 2017
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Game tied 2-2 with 10:16 to go.
The US power play gets two chances to take the lead in the waning minutes of the game. Despite a flurry of activity, they’re unable to score.
For the fourth time in eight years, the US and Canada are deciding the gold medal in overtime.
Under IIHF rules, there is a 20 minute overtime played at five on five, and then a shootout, if necessary.
OT starts with both teams going end to end a lifespan reducing rate.
The Canadians have two near misses before Wakefield is sent off for a clothesline to* Carpenter.
The US gets set up on the power play. Coyne attempts to get the puck to a wide open (for miles) Knight. If it wasn’t for Megan Mikkelson, Knight would have scored. The Canadian defenseman breaks up the pass.
At the end of the penalty kill, Poulin gets in on a break. American fans saw the 2014 Olympic games flash before their eyes. Lucky for them, she fans on the shot.
The US continued to pour it on, hemming the Canadians in their zone for what feels like an hour. The Canadian players are exhausted. A US shot goes on goal and the rebound squirts through Szabados’s pads. It’s trajectory is into the open net. At the last second, Halli Krzyzaniak swipes it out of the crease.

WOW. #WWC2017 pic.twitter.com/YYOsMRiuyG
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) April 8, 2017
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Not too long after, Knight blocks a shot, takes it to the other end of the ice and snipes a top shelf goal for the gold medal.

HILARY KNIGHT ENDS IT! USA WINS THE GOLD! #WWC2017 pic.twitter.com/pZ1oUraSO9
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) April 8, 2017
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The US wins their seventh gold medal (in eight tries) at Worlds since 2008.
It’s incredible to think that this time two weeks ago, we didn’t even know if they’d be playing in the tournament at all.
The USWNT put their careers on the line to challenge USA Hockey and their inequitable treatment of the women’s team. Their
“I think that negotiation created a bond in this group that is unbreakable,” said Knight after the game.
Not only are they World Champions, the US Women will forever be icons and heroes for a whole other reason. They took on the status quo an won.
As Captain America Meghan Duggan said when the negotiations with USA Hockey began, “This isn’t just about the money … This is about women and girls in this country receiving equitable treatment from their employers.”
The US women put their money where their mouth is, and it tastes like gold.

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.