USA vs. Canada in women's hockey final: How to watch 2022 Worlds championship between rivals
The scarcity of the rivalry makes the United States-Canada women's hockey one spicier than most.
Nobody is complaining with more chances to watch the two superpowers of the sport face off with high stakes on the line.
That is what is at stake Sunday in Denmark, where the USA and Canada will play in the 2022 Women's World Championship final. It was only a little more than six months ago, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, that Canada dominated the United States in both of their matchups -- once in the preliminary round and again in the gold-medal game.
The Americans entered 2022 Worlds – the first women's world championship scheduled in the same year as an Olympics – seeking revenge. Winning their first major international tournament since 2019 would go a long way in that regard.
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How to watch USA vs. Canada women's world championship
The game will air at 1:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time) on NHL Network. Cheryl Pounder, Kenzie Lalonde and Julia Tocher will be on the call.
Streaming is available on any platform that supports NHL Network.
Rivalry renewed: History vs. Canada
This marks the 21st consecutive time the U.S. has advanced to the women's worlds final. The opponent for all of those gold-medal games but one (Finland, 2019) has been Canada. Every Olympic final has included the U.S. and Canada.
The picture is clear: when it comes to deciding the champion in this sport, the sides are Canada and the U.S. And Canada currently has the upper-hand, winning gold at the 2021 World Championships and in Beijing.
In China, the Canadians proved a frustrating foil for Team USA. The U.S. outshot Canada a combined 93-48 but lost 4-2 in the preliminary round and were squarely beat in the Olympic final despite a score of 3-2.
Both teams brought 18 of the 23 players that were with them in Beijing to Denmark. But it's the American side that has reinvented itself.
How they got here
The issue for the U.S. at the Olympics, under former coach Joel Johnson, wasn't creating chances. There were plenty of scoring opportunities. Converting them proved to be a hardship.
That hasn't been the case in Denmark. Coach John Wroblewski has opened up the offense and unlocked personnel pairings that have lit up the scoreboard.
In the preliminary round, the Americans defeated:
Japan, 10-0
Finland, 6-1
Switzerland, 9-0
Canada, 5-2
The U.S. fell behind 2-0 against Canada but stormed back with five unanswered goals. Gumption like that was missing at the Olympics.
From there, the U.S. steamrolled in the knockout round, with a 12-1 victory over Hungary in the quarterfinals and a 10-1 win against the Czech Republic in the semifinals. The 52 goals are the most by a U.S. team.
Hilary Knight setting more records
Even at 33 years old, Hilary Knight is showing no signs of vacating her place at the top of the game.
Knight is playing in her 12th World Championship the most in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) history. With a third-period goal against Hungary, she passed Canada's Hayley Wickenheiser for most all-time points in tournament history and enters the final with 89 (53 goals).
The further she writes herself into the record books, the more she is contributing for Team USA.
HILARY KNIGHT breaking US women's hockey records in Beijing. What makes her great?
“It was this weird feeling where time slowed down. Everyone was super passionate about it and to be able to score another goal in this jersey is always an honor.” 🇺🇸@HilaryKnight | #WomensWorlds
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) September 4, 2022
Youth movement
While Knight and other veterans – like captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and defender Lee Stecklein – remain leaders on and off the ice, the U.S. is finding success thanks to its greener members.
It's been a breakout tournament from Taylor Heise, a 22-year-old from the University of Minnesota. Heise leads the tournament in goals (seven) and assists (11) – and to think a COVID-19 bout caused her to miss training camp and delayed her arrival until the day before the tournament started.
Defender Caroline Harvey, who was benched for much of Beijing as the team's youngest player, has shined alongside Stecklein as the top pair in their own zone. And Boston College's Hannah Bilka, 21, has 12 points (five goals)
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA vs. Canada women's hockey final: How to watch world championship
