WESLEY CHAPEL, Florida — Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.) scored twice as the U.S. Women’s National Team topped Sweden, 5-0, here today in Wesley Chapel, Florida, in game three of the 2017 Four Nations Cup.
“I am very happy with our movement tonight,” said Robb Stauber, U.S. Women’s National Team head coach. “It was probably the best movement we have had in the tournament. We are excited to get back on the ice Sunday and compete for the championship.”
Team USA got off to a strong start with a great chance from Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) firing a shot from the point that rang the post just over three minutes into play. Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass.) then capitalized on the power play when she banged home a rebound off a Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.) shot, putting Team USA on the board 4:23 into the first frame. With just under two minutes remaining in the period, U.S. goaltender Nicole Hensley (Lakewood, Colo.) made a save off a Swedish breakaway, maintaining the Team USA 1-0 lead entering intermission.
Just 1:35 into the second period, Cayla Barnes (Eastvale, Calif.) skated the puck down the right side and let loose a shot that was tipped in by Coyne. Just over five minutes into the frame, Coyne scored her second goal of the night, skating the puck through the slot and firing it past Swedish goaltender Sara Grahn. With 10:09 left in the second, Brandt sent a wrist shot home from the slot, giving the U.S. a four-goal lead entering the final period of play.
Gigi Marvin (Warroad, Minn.) opened the scoring in the third frame, skating behind the net for a wraparound goal just over four minutes in, accounting for the 5-0 final. Hensley made 9 saves in the shutout victory.
Team USA (3-0-0-0, W-OTW-OTL-L) advances to the Four Nations Cup championship game against Canada, which will be held Sunday (Nov. 12) at AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Florida. Puck drop is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and tickets are available here . The contest will be streamed live on HockeyTV.com.
NOTES: The U.S. outshot Sweden 44 to 9 … The U.S. Player of the Game was Kendall Coyne… For complete game statistics, click here … The 2017 Four Nations Cup is part of The Time is Now Tour, presented by Toyota, which features the 2017-18 U.S. Women’s National Team as it prepares for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. For more information, including the full schedule and ticket information, visit TheTimeisNowTour.com … For full coverage of the U.S. Women’s National Team, click here. Follow along on social media @USAHockey on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook.com/uswomenshockey.
