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Those of you who stayed up in to the wee hours of Tuesday morning to watch the IIHF Women's World Championship gold medal game were rewarded with one of the most exhilarating, pulse-pounding hockey games of the year at any level. The US and Canada traded chances for over 60 full-throttle minutes, but neither goalie could be solved in regulation.
Enter Alex Carpenter. The soon-to-be-BC graduate and holder of nearly every Boston College program record stepped up and ended the game in overtime, scoring to deliver the US its 7th gold medal in 9 years at IIHF worlds. Here's the game winner, which was, as OT winners in classic games tend to be, a bit of a greasy goal:
Well done USA RT @CauldronICYMI The winning goal for team USA, gold at the Women's World Hockey Championship pic.twitter.com/JGuqxboG1K
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 5, 2016
The goal was sweet redemption for Carpenter, who had two or three absolutely golden opportunities to score in regulation but couldn't cash in. It was also undoubtedly sweet for the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award winner to end this hockey season on such a positive note after the disappointment of the NCAA final. Carpenter has more than cemented her status as one of the best players in the world, and will continue to be one of the stars of the game even after leaving the college ranks.
The game truly was an all-timer. The Americans had to kill two dangerous Canadian 4 on 3 power plays in OT before earning a man advantage of their own to set up the game winner. Canada came inches away on several occasions from winning the game, but US goalie Alex Rigsby stood tall to keep her team in it.
The partisan Canadian crowd stuck around after the game to give both teams a thunderous, well-deserved ovation.
US-Canada women's hockey should be must-watch TV for all hockey fans at this point. The games truly never disappoint. While it's too bad that pretty much every other game involving these two countries in international competition is anticlimactic and noncompetitive, when the two get together, it's just phenomenal.
Kelli Stack, Haley Skarupa, Emily Pfalzer, Megan Keller and Dana Trivigno joined Carpenter as BC's representatives on the gold medal team. Congrats to all!