MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The U.S. under 18 ice hockey team will go for their seventh world championship in the past eight years when they face off with the rival Canadian squad Monday night in Madison.
Unfortunately, the players from up north have their own extra motivation besides claiming the U18 crown, eh. They will be looking to defend a crushing 7-0 blowout by the Americans when the team takes the ice at LaBahn Arena at 7:30 p.m.
That game marked the first time the U.S. shut out Canada, as well as the most goals and biggest wins in the history of the border rivalry. That game may have been lopsided, but Team USA coach Katie Lachapelle is not expecting a repeat.
“We know that it won’t be that,” she said. “I expect just a hard-fought game. Both teams are going to probably have to face a little adversity throughout the game. I know it’s going to be a fantastic game.”
The Americans are definitely not strangers to playing Canada in the title showdown. This is the 13th time in the past 14 years the final game of the season came down to those two teams. So far in that run, the U.S. has skated off with the trophy seven times, compared with five defeats.
The only championship game loss in the past eight years was in 2019, and that was to Canada.
“I know Canada’s gonna come out hard, so we’re going to come out hard too,” defender Sydney Morrow said. “This is a gold medal game we’re gonna play like it’s a gold medal game. And we’re going to do everything right in order to play our game, play the right way in order to win.”
The U.S. squad reached the championship game with a 3-2 win over Finland in the semi-finals.
The game will be shown on the NHL Network.
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