U.S. women win Hockey Canada Cup title

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Natalie Darwitz scored a power-play goal 1:18 into the third period, and Jessie Vetter made 34 saves to lead the United States to the Hockey Canada Cup championship with a 2-1 win over archrival Canada on Sunday night.

With Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser in the penalty box for slashing Vetter after a save, Julie Chu’s one-time blast from the point sailed wide and bounced hard off the end boards to Darwitz, the U.S. captain, at the side of the net, where she quickly chipped the puck over Canadian goalie Kim St. Pierre from a sharp angle.

Monique Lamoureux also scored for the Americans, who also beat their rivals in the round robin of the seven-day, four-team Olympic tune-up tournament. Combined with the earlier 4-2 win, the U.S. has won six of the past eight against Canada, including the past two world championships.