Slowed by an injury entering the women’s world hockey championships, it seemed only a matter of time for Marie-Philip Poulin — aka, Canada’s Captain Clutch — to make her presence felt.
That moment came on Sunday, with Poulin scoring twice in a breathtaking 6-5 overtime win over the United States that has the gold medal returning to Canada for a tournament-record 13th time.
“I hate to say you’re not trying to rely on it, expect it, but I know I’ve grown to expect it,” Canada coach Troy Ryan said. “Tonight was just a whole other level. I could see in her eyes every time we called her name that she was ready to go. It’s just special.”
In an outing sealed by Danielle Serdachny converting a rebound 5:16 into the extra period for a power-play goal, Poulin was the difference-maker in settling Canada in an outing filled with momentum shifts, three lead changes and with neither team able to build more than a one goal lead.
With the U.S. surging in the second period by scoring twice less than six minutes apart to build a 3-2 lead, Poulin tied the game by roofing a shot off the crossbar with 1:02 left in the period.
“Happy it happened today,” said Poulin, who missed the final three games with her PWHL Montreal team leading up to the world championship break. “You want to win and I’m competitive and that’s part of it.”
The 33-year-old Poulin earned her nickname with gold medal-clinching goals in two Winter Games and the 2021 world championships — each time against the U.S.