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Team Canada Opened The Women's World Championships Up With A Big Win Over Team Finland

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S. Harper
August 25, 2022 (11:10 PM)

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The defending champions Team Canada opened up the 2022 Women's World Hockey Championships against Team Finland.

Team Canada start the tournament off right today defeating Team Finland 4-1 in Herning, Denmark.

Team Canada was lead by the goat of women's hockey Marie-Philip Poulin, had two points today in the win. Team Canada's
Ann-Renee Desbiens became the first Canadian goaltender to face, and stop, a penalty shot at the women's world hockey championship in a 4-1 win over Finland to open the tournament Thursday.

The 28-year-old goaltender preserved Canada's 2-1 lead when she stopped Kira Yrjanen on a penalty shot in the last second of the first period.

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"That was huge," defender Meagan Mikkelson said. "I said, right when they called the penalty shot, I turned to Jocelyne Larocque on the bench and said 'she's got this.' She lives for these moments."

Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse each had goal and an assist for Canada, which is the defending champion having won the title a year ago in Calgary.

Mikkelson also scored and Blayre Turnbull added an empty-net goal at Kvik Hockey Arena. Desbiens stopped 16, shots including the penalty shot at a pivotal juncture in the game.

With her right pad, Desbiens repelled Yrjanen who skated in, backed into the Canadian goalie and then spun for a forehand try.

Desbiens was unaware she'd executed a hockey first in her country's history in the tournament.

"It think it was more important for me to just make that top and have that lead after the first period," Desbiens said. "I love penalty shots. I love shootouts in practice. I think the girls know I love those moments, so I was ready for it."

Team Canada will play Team Switzerland Saturday and Team Japan Sunday.

"We're not happy with the way we played at all," said Canadian head coach Troy Ryan. "Our first [period] wasn't great, we were pleased with our second and the third was probably somewhere between the two, but it is the first game."