Photo @ Ellen Bond
It’s a story as old as time. At the first World Championships in 1990, Canada and USA faced off for gold. In fact, the teams have faced each other in 23 of the 24 World Championship gold medal games in history.
Last year in Utica, New York, Canada and USA played to an epic 6-5 overtime finale, which saw Canada’s Danielle Serdachny score the overtime winner for gold.
The year prior, it was USA triumphing for gold in Brampton, Ontario.
2025 will mark yet another instalment of the best rivalry in sports, with gold on the line. But who will get gold this time? It’s almost impossible to predict, but here’s a look at some of the factors.
Goaltending Will Matter
In 2023 and 2024, the winning team at the IIHF World Championships scored six goals in the gold medal game. That’s nearly an unthinkable total in a Canada versus USA game, but it also shows the importance of goaltending. Each team will get a dozen high quality scoring chances in the game. That’s a given. The difference between gold and silver could be one big save that looked like a surefire goal. Ann-Renee Desbiens still might not be 100%, but got a little more work against Finland making 19 stops. Aerin Frankel remains the top goaltender in the world in the eyes of many, and Canada will need to find ways to get in Frankel’s space as she can be laser focused in big games.
Watts The News On Watts
Despite their success, Canada has been a bit of a one-line team. They’ll need more to beat USA. Canada’s can’t rely on Marie-Philip Poulin to step to the plate and hit a home run every gold medal game. Last year, there was an infamous moment where Marie-Philip Poulin starred down USA and on her next shift, took over. She’s been dominant in this tournament playing alongside Jennifer Gardiner and Laura Stacey.
To win it all, Canada will hope Daryl Watts continues to dazzle. More than that, they’ll hope Watts is eligible to play after being ejected from the semi-finals for a hit on Michelle Karvinen. She’s been Canada’s most potent player outside their top line, and they’ll need the depth attack to produce. If not Watts, Canada will need an unsung hero to step forward.
Keeping The Kids Grounded
USA has seen a rejuvenated performance from their veteran core. Players like Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, and Kelly Pannek look better for their PWHL time. But when USA is really hot, they’re being driven by their NCAA players. Canada will need to look the other way when Abbey Murphy is on the ice and force her to strictly play, rather than giving her any opportunity to get under their skin for a call or, as she’s so capable of doing, creating a call where none existed. She’s not the only one however. Caroline Harvey brings a similar edge combined with all-world talent. Tessa Janecke is a strong skating player driver. And if they do draw Canada into a penalty, no player in the world has the power play shot that Laila Edwards possesses. Canada and USA always bring a physical game, but to keep the kids grounded, Canada needs to behave.
Never Count Out Captain Clutch
It seems impossible, but Marie-Philip Poulin might be playing the best hockey of her career. She’s a wrecking ball on skates, and despite being the player everyone is honing in on, she often finds herself lost in coverage finding loose pucks and earning good looks. There’s a reason she’s known as Captain Clutch. She’s scored three Olympic gold medal winning goals. Last year, Poulin had two goals for Canada in the gold medal game. She also scored in the gold medal game in 2023. She scored the overtime gold meal winning goal in 2021, and the list goes on.
There’s not a player on the planet more capable of turning a game in her favour than Poulin, and when gold is on the line, she’s in another stratosphere.
