Canada takes gold at the world championship for the first time since 2012.

CALGARY Canada claimed its first women’s hockey world championship in nearly a decade on Tuesday when Marie-Philip Poulin scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 win over the United States.

The Canadians won gold nine years after their last podium finish in 2012, and after failing to reach the final for the first time in tournament history in 2019.

The US had won five world titles in a row and eight of the previous nine.

Poulin scored 3-on-3 overtime at 7:22. Brianne Jenner passed the puck to the captain whose shot went over the crossbar into the net.

The goal was initially disallowed by an official on the ice, but the Canadians soon piled up to celebrate.

“It’s been a while since 2012. It’s been a long time,” Poulin said. “The team showed up tonight and I think we stayed resilient.”

Assistant Captain Blayre Turnbull suffered a leg injury during the celebration.

She was carried off the ice before returning to celebrate from a stretcher with her teammates during the Canadian national anthem.

Jenner had a goal and two assists and Jamie Lee Rattray also scored for Canada. Defender Jocelyne Larocque had two assists. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 23 saves in the win.

Alex Carpenter scored twice for the US Nicole Hensley turned 29 shots away in the loss.

Canada and the US needed extra time to decide the world champion for the gold medal for the fifth time in their last seven games.

“That’s why it’s the biggest rivalry in sport,” said American striker Amanda Kessel.

The US led 2-0 on Carpenter’s two goals after the opening period, but the hosts even tied the score in the second.

Rattray tipped Larocque’s shot from the point between Hensley’s pads for an equalizer at 6:42.

Jenner cut the deficit in half with a 4:13 power play goal. In a scramble, the assistant captain went backhand to forehand to beat Hensley’s gauntlet.

Carpenter spun and stopped the puck under Desbiens for a power play goal at 12:35 of the first period.

Desbiens had gloved Lee Stecklein’s shot from the point, but dropped the puck in front of her. Carpenter shoved her own rebound between Desbiens’ pads at 9:55 AM.

Melodie Daoust of Canada, who was named MVP of the tournament, led the tournament with six goals and six assists in seven games.

Poulin strengthened her reputation as a golden goalkeeper. She scored twice for Canada in a 2-0 win over the Americans to win Olympic gold in 2010.

The 30-year-old from Beauceville, Que., scored a late equalizer and the overtime winner against the US four years later for another Olympic gold.

Poulin did not play in the preliminary round in Calgary in a 5-1 victory over the US. She had taken a hard shot to the upper chest earlier in the tournament.

Her laser over Hensley’s shoulder Tuesday pulled Canada back to the top of the international women’s hockey podium.

“If you see 29 open, put it on her stick and she’ll do the rest,” Jenner said.

Canada went undefeated through the championship in Calgary.

Troy Ryan won his first tournament as Canada’s head coach.

He faces the prospect of Turnbull being sidelined as Canada prepares for the February Winter Olympics in Beijing.

“It looked bad. I was standing next to her when she came off the ice. Obviously a terrible situation,” Ryan said.

The Canadians failed to reach the final for the first time in women’s championship history in 2019, when they lost 4-2 to Finland in a semi-final in Espoo.

The COVID-19 pandemic that is choking international women’s hockey has meant a long wait for another chance at gold.

The 2020 Women’s Championship in Halifax and Truro, NS, has been canceled. Those communities were awarded the tournament again in 2021.

After an April to May postponement, Nova Scotia’s premier pulled the plug on the tournament on the day teams left for the province.

The Men’s Under-18 Championship in Texas in April and the Men’s World Championship in Latvia in May were completed.

Hockey Canada moved and relocated the women’s championship to Calgary in August, less than six months away from the Olympics.

Hockey Canada did not sell tickets in Calgary. Only family members were allowed to enter a special area of ​​WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Center.

Players from other countries watched the final from the other side of the arena on Tuesday.

Players, team personnel and officials were tested for COVID-19 before arrival, during a five-day pre-tournament quarantine and during the event.

They were confined to the tournament hotel and arena and traveled by bus between the two venues.

There were no positive tests for the coronavirus in more than 3,000, and all teams will be able to travel on Wednesday, the International Ice Hockey Federation said Tuesday.

Finland defeated Switzerland for the bronze medal earlier on Tuesday.

Canada, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Russia, Japan and host country China have berths in the 10-nation women’s Olympic hockey field. The remaining three spots will be filled in November through Olympic qualifying tournaments.

The IIHF is expected to approve the addition of the Women’s Championship to the Olympics from 2022 in August in September. A host city has yet to be named.

The women’s tournament would return to the spring in non-Olympic years.

The IIHF is also expected to expand the women’s roster to 25, including three goalkeepers, to match the men’s roster at future world championships.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 31, 2021.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press