When it comes to women's hockey on the international stage, there are really only two powerhouses:Team USAand Team Canada.
For the most part, everyone else shows up thinking there's a good chance they'll be playing for the bronze medal.
The rivalry has become one of the best in all of hockey, bringing the most intense play out of both teams, and we got the latest installment on Thursday in Milan as Team USA looked to winOlympicgold.
READ:USA VS. SWEDEN SET FOR OLYMPIC HOCKEY SEMIFINALS IN MILAN
The two teams met in the group stage, with the Americans waxing the floor with the Canadians and winning 5-0. In fact, coming into the gold medal game, the Americans had won the last seven meetings, dating back to last year's World Championships.
The US also entered the game on a jaw-dropping 331-minute shutout streak, which is an Olympic record for both men and women.
And let me tell you, the stars were out for this one (and so was Seth Meyers)!
In the first period, the story was special teams. The US made some unforced errors — too many men (women?) bench minor and an unnecessary tripping penalty in the offensive zone that had to make the coaching staff squirm — and had to face the Canadians' tournament-leading power play.
Luckily for the US, they were 11/11 on the PK coming into the game and killed off both and even generated some shorthanded scoring chances.
The Canadians took a penalty of their own late in the first, setting up a truncated US power play to start the second frame.
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