BEIJING — As far as palate-whetting Winter Olympics appetizers go, this one might as well have been a plate of foie gras topped with golden caviar and shaved truffles. Heck, served up nine days from now it would no doubt double as a delectable main course, too. Alas it was only the group stage, and so Canada’s 4-2 victory over the United States on Monday afternoon held little purpose other than to tease our tastebuds for what is all but certain to come.
“Any time we get to play the U.S. it’s always a lot of fun, a lot of pride in the line,” Canadian forward Sarah Nurse said afterwards. “And definitely a lot of hostility there.”
It’s not that both sides played perfect games. Canada spent the first period coughing up turnovers in its defensive zone, relying on the great wall that is goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens to survive. The defending gold medalists, meanwhile, managed a whopping 53 shots on Desbiens but mustered few grade-A scoring chances beyond second-period tallies from forwards Dani Cameranesi and Alex Carpenter. The ice was sloppily choppy. The arena was eerily empty.
