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Americans bounce back
Four-goal first seals 4-2 win over tough Finland
USA's Jocelyne Lamoureux leans in for the face off against Finland's Minnamari Tuominen. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/HHOF-IIHF Images)
Monique Lamoureux had two goals for the victors who took advantage of a sub-par Noora Raty in the opening period. She settled down and was stellar over the final two periods.
The Americans (1-1) finish their preliminary-round schedule with a Friday matinee against Switzerland while the Finns (0-2) face Canada in the night game later in the day.
"It was the best thing for us, to get back on the horse," U.S. coach Katey Stone said of the quick turnaround after an emotional loss to Canada last night. "Some times you sit around and think too much about the night before. It's better to put your gear back on and make a different score."
The Americans were up 2-0 before Finland had so much as registered a shot on goal. Jocelyne Lamoureux and Emma Terho collided at the Finnish blue line while chasing a puck, and it fell to Monique Lamoureux who skated in alone and beat Raty with a shot.
Five minutes later, Brianna Decker beat Raty through the pads to make it 2-0. Finland made it a one-goal game on an excellent play. Karoliina Rantamaki controlled the puck behind the U.S. goal and made a great pass out front. Rosa Lindstedt made the pass count with a perfect shot, beating Brianne McLuaghlin cleanly.
It was the first shot on goal for the Finns and came at 12:39 of the period. It also turned out to be their only shot of the first 20 minutes.
The U.S. scored two late goals, though, to pull ahead to stay, Amanda Kessel and Monique Lamoureux doing the scoring.
Continue readingBut anyone expecting a romp was in for a surprise in the second period, as fortunes made a radical turn. To start, the Finns scored at 1:11 when Mira Jalosuo’s point shot was banged home by Michelle Karvinen after two whacks at it. The Finns then outskated their opponents for most of the period, and Raty, who had been shaky to start, was rock solid.
To make matters worse for the Americans, they took several penalties, and although Finland managed only the one goal, the penalty killing thwarted any chance for the Americans to re-gain their momentum.
The third was scoreless, but the Finns skated with their opponents and didn't look out of place. "That was something we talked about," said Sarah Erickson of the letdown over the last 40 minutes. "We don't want to be a one- or two-period team. We want to be a 60-minute team. We've got some work to do, but that's fine. It's early in the tournament."
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