Hilary Knight Scores For Third Consecutive Game In U.S. Overtime Loss To Canada

Hilary Knight plays against Canada in the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship gold medal game on Aug. 31, 2021 in Calgary, Canada.

The Olympic Winter Games are drawing closer, and Hilary Knight is hunting goals. 
It just wasn’t quite enough to secure a win Wednesday night in the fifth game of the My Why Tour against Canada.
Knight didn’t score the game winner as she had in the last two U.S. wins over Canada, but she did help the U.S. force overtime at the Centene Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Knight hammered home a deflected shot from the right side of the goal off of Canada defender Renata Fast 4:18 into the third period. It was Knight’s fourth goal in her last three games.
The U.S. had a frenetic run of chances early in the extra frame, notably on a rush with speedster Brianna Decker skating herself open for a chance and then a weaving drive to goal and backhanded attempt from Abbey Murphy. But all the sustained pressure couldn’t produce a winner. That came from the Canadians through Marie Philip Poulin, who stuffed home the winner under Alex Cavallini with 1:09 left in overtime.
Special teams played a key role in both regulation goals. Poulin scored on the power play in the second period to give Canada the lead. Knight’s goal came at the end of a 5-on-3 for the U.S. Both goalies faced a high volume of shots, with Cavallini making 24 saves and Ann-Renee Desbiens saving 31.
After Team USA tied up the My Why Tour with back-to-back wins in November, Canada moves back in front with their win in the fifth game. The rivals will meet again on the same ice Thursday night before one more game stateside in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Monday. The latter game will be the last chance for U.S. skaters to impress as they seek to make the Olympic roster, due to be announced on New Year’s Day. The My Why Tour concludes in January with two games in Alberta.