USA WINS GOLD MEDAL AT 2008 IIHF WORLD WOMEN’S UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP

A quick start by the USA was too much for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team to overcome, and the Americans were crowned the first-ever IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship gold medalists after a 5-2 win on Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd at Father David Bauer Arena.

The Americans scored two goals in the latter half of the first period and added two more in the first nine minutes of the second as they opened up a 4-0 lead that was enough to put away the pesky Canadians.

Meagan Mangene got the ball rolling for the USA at the 12:12 mark, taking a pass from behind the net by Player of the Game Brooke Ammerman and slamming the puck past Canadian goaltender Delayne Brian (Winnipeg, MB).

Ammerman scored one of her own late in the opening 20 minutes, gathering in a rebound and beating Brian upstairs to give the Americans a two-goal lead heading into the break.

With Canada looking for a quick start to the second period to get back into the game, it was the Americans who struck again, as Kendall Coyne put a rebound up and over Brian’s shoulder for what proved to be the gold medal-winning goal.

Brianna Decker finished off the American offensive onslaught by snapping a wrist shot perfectly into the top corner over the blocker of Brian, the puck clanging off the crossbar before dropping into the net.

Late in the period, Carolyne Prevost (Sarnia, ON) gave the Canadians life when she found a loose puck at the side of the net and beat American netminder Alyssa Grogan, igniting the overflow crowd of more than 2,000 in attendance.

Needing a quick start to the third period, Jess Jones (Picton, ON) – Canada’s Player of the Game – gave her team that quick start, firing a low wrist shot that beat Grogan along the ice to cut the American lead to two.

But that was as close as the Canadians would get, and Amanda Kessel’s powerplay goal with 7:44 remaining was the final nail in the Canadian coffin.

The Americans mobbed Grogan as the final buzzer sounded, giving the USA their first gold medal at an IIHF event since the Under-18 men’s team was victorious at the 2006 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Sweden.

Saturday night’s game featured all three Directorate award winners, as Grogan took home Top Goaltender, Canadian captain Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, QC) was named Top Defenseman and Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, QC) was named Top Forward.