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Less than five minutes into her return to Olympic hockey, Marie-Philip Poulin picked up speed as German forward Laura Kluge took off with the puck.
A knee injury knocked the captain, Canada’s heart and soul, out of the previous two games.
Her return came after an agonizing few days. One was spent high above the ice, watching her team suffer its worst loss at the Olympics yet at the hands of the U.S., her face a portrait of anguish.
“It’s hard to watch from the stands,” Poulin said.
But on Saturday, as she shut down Kluge’s breakaway — with a bit of help from a high stick that didn’t draw a whistle — Poulin seemed like classic Poulin.
You know her for her clutch ability in the biggest games on the grandest stages. No one has scored more golden goals than the 34-year-old from Beauceville, Que.
But Poulin is also one of the best defensive forwards on the planet. Even when she’s not 100 per cent, she’s a difference maker at both ends of the ice.
Poulin logged 12:41 on ice and added her first goal of the tournament in Canada’s 5-1 win over Germany. With the goal, she tied retired Canadian forward Hayley Wickenheiser for the most Olympic goals in women’s hockey history (18).
Head coach Troy Ryan said before the game that they’d be managing Poulin’s minutes as they eased her back in. It was a taste of game action ahead of the semifinals on Monday. Canada will play the winner of Saturday afternoon’s game between Finland and Switzerland, with the semifinal match-up set for Monday at 3:10 p.m. ET.
“Every time you wear that jersey…it is a privilege,” Poulin told CBC Olympics reporter Claire Hanna after the game. “With this group just being back there, I missed it. It’s hard to watch from the stands. Happy to be back. Obviously we still have work to be done here but it was a good win for us.”
Beyond the win, Poulin’s return was the most positive thing to come out of the game.
Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Que., scored her 18th goal in Canada’s 5-1 quarterfinal win over Germany, tying Hayley Wickenheiser as the women’s all-time Olympic goal scoring leader.
Less positive was the team’s puck management against the German squad. Canada outscored and outshot the opposition, made several mistakes handling the puck.
One of those mistakes landed in the back of Canada’s net. The Germans intercepted a pass from Renata Fast to Daryl Watts on a power play, sending Franziska Feldmeier on a breakaway.
Canadian goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer made 10 saves in the win.
Canada needs to play more physical, captain says
In past years, this game might have been a blowout. But other countries are catching up.
“To score a goal against a team like Canada is always exciting. But not only the goal — we’ve shown against Canada that German ice hockey has developed,” Feldmeier said. “We are still at an early stage but we’ve improved. Canada are a really good team and we are not used to the speed of the game.”
The mistakes Canada made against Germany — a bobbled pass here, a miscommunication there — won’t fly in the later rounds of this tournament, especially if Canada faces a powerhouse American team again.
Poulin said her team needs to start better in its next game.
Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin tied Hayley Wickenheiser with her 18th goal, to join her as the all-time women’s Olympic goal scoring leader, during Canada’s 5-1 quarterfinal win over Germany.
“We have to be better,” she said. “We want to be better. I think from when puck drops happen, we’ve got to show what team Canada is all about and we have to find a way to be more physical and play in your face hockey.”
A new-look first line
Assistant captain Brianne Jenner opened the scoring off a nice saucer pass from Emma Maltais in the first period.
Canada also got goals from defender Claire Thompson, and forwards Sarah Fillier and Blayre Turnbull.
Poulin was slotted in the middle of a new-look line, in between Watts and Fillier. It’s a line packed with skill and hockey IQ. It allows Laura Stacey to move back to a checking line with Turnbull and Emily Clark, where she’s been so successful in the past.
It was a small sample size in Poulin’s return, but no matter who she plays with, she elevates this team — on the ice and off, whether she’s scoring goals or battling behind the net.
“You just see the presence she brings,” assistant captain Renata Fast said. “She plays the right way, no matter the game, no matter the opponent, no matter the situation. She did that tonight.”
Finland and Switzerland will fight for the final quarterfinal spot on Saturday beginning at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Sweden and the United States will compete in the other semifinal.
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