(Beijing) The Americans were shooting everywhere. Tac-a-tac-a-tac-a-tac. Wave after wave. Tirelessly. The Canadians, entrenched in the depths of their territory, suffered the raids. Every two minutes, we said to ourselves: hey boboy, the red light is going to come on. This was to underestimate the last Canadian fortification.
Posted at 9:19 a.m.
The Great Wall of Charlevoix.
Ann-Renee Desbiens.
The La Malbaie goaltender gave us a historic performance on Tuesday at Wukesong Arena. She made 51 saves – a Canadian Olympic record for both men and women. Her brilliance allowed the Canadians to win 4-2, and finish the preliminary round with a perfect record of four wins, no losses.
“She’s amazing,” said forward Sarah Nurse. “The best goalkeeper in the world,” added her teammate Jocelyne Larocque. The statistics back him up. In her first three games in Beijing, Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 95.9% of shots aimed at her. And those of the Americans, Tuesday, were a lot more difficult to repel than Kin-ball balls. On a dozen occasions, Desbiens distinguished herself with heavy, low shots, when it was as bottled up in front of her as in a media shuttle. Hint: it greatly exceeds the recommendations of the health authorities.
After the game, the 27-year-old goaltender was all smiles. I asked her if she remembered having ever faced such an intense bombardment in her career.
“I’ve probably made 51 saves already, but I can’t tell you when was the last time it happened. »
PHOTO RYAN REMIORZ, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ann-Renée Desbiens celebrates after Canada’s victory.
Certainly not at the University of Wisconsin, she said. Indeed, that would be amazing. When the Quebecer protected their net, the Badgers were dominant: 99 wins in 122 games. “Now, whether it’s 51, 12, 14, 16 saves,” she added, “every save is important and gives your team a chance to win. »
OKAY. Except that against the Swedes, the Danes or the Czechs, the score is rarely tight. Her teammates provide her with a cushion of half a dozen goals, and the victory is assured. Whereas against the Americans, it’s always a trench warfare. Since the start of the pandemic, four of the eight duels between the two teams had gone to overtime. The stress level doesn’t have to be quite the same, right?
Desbiens told us a secret: she prefers to receive more shots than not enough. “It’s easier to play games with 50, 60 pitches than a game with 12 pitches in which you have breakaways, shorthandedness and three on one. »
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As much as Ann-Renée Desbiens shone in Canadian territory, Marie-Philip Poulin shone in the opposing zone.
The Quebec dynamo played a remarkable match. Its best in Beijing. His forechecking energy level was staggering, especially considering it was his second game in 24 hours. It was as if the turbo button in a video game had been permanently pressed. No sooner had she returned to the bench than she was already returning to the ice. She finished the meeting with 40 (!) attendance. To give you an idea, that roughly corresponds to the workload of a coach’s son on a spring hockey team.
Poulin was responsible for three of Canada’s four goals. In the first period, she was behind the tic-tac-toe that led to Brianne Jenner’s goal. Halfway through the match, his pressure on an opponent caused a turnover, which Jenner took advantage of to score her second goal of the match. Moments later, Poulin escaped shorthanded, forcing an American to hook her.
Penalty shot.
“When you see the referee make an X, and it’s Marie-Philip, you can start celebrating a lot in advance,” Ann-Renée Desbiens told us with a laugh. “Marie-Philip is Captain Canada for a reason. She’s a leader. She’s the type of player who is at her best in matches like these. We saw it again today. »
Starting on her left side, Poulin drew a large arc to get towards Maddie Rooney. It’s a tactic that allows her to enter the zone at an angle, which forces the keeper to move. Poulin easily found the opening, and scored the insurance goal.
PHOTO RYAN REMIORZ, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Marie-Philip Poulin beat American goalie Maddie Rooney on a penalty shot.
Do you want to know his moods after this spectacular victory? Unfortunately, for some unexplainable and inexplicable reason, Hockey Canada did not make it available to print media reporters. After all, she’s just the sport’s best ambassador, having just had a stellar game, in the biggest rivalry, on the biggest stage women’s hockey has…
Next meeting: Friday or Saturday, for a quarter-final against an opponent to be determined. My prediction? Ann-Renée Desbiens won’t have to make 51 saves this time around.