Canadian hockey fans will have several early mornings and mid-day puck drops ahead as both the men’s and women’s teams compete in the medal round at the Olympics.
After a nail biting game Wednesday, Canada advanced to the semifinals of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament with a 4-3 overtime win over Czechia.
Trailing 3-2 late in regulation, Canada forced overtime before Mitch Marner scored the winner, picking up the puck at his own blue line and beating Czech goaltender Lukas Dostal on a breakaway.
“I just saw I had a hole there, and luckily enough, I saw that I was able to get into a spot and get the puck off of my stick,” Marner told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after the game.
“I thought it had a chance to go in, and lucky enough, it did.”
Canada will face either Finland or Sweden in the semifinal. If Sweden defeats the United States, Canada will meet the Swedes. If the Americans advance, Canada will play Finland.
The semifinal is scheduled for Friday at either 7 a.m. PST or 12:10 p.m. PST. The bronze medal game will be played Saturday at 11:40 a.m. PST.
The gold medal game is set for Sunday at 5:10 a.m. PST.
On the women’s side, Canada and the United States will meet in the Olympic final for a seventh time and for the fifth consecutive Olympic games.
Canada holds a 4-2 advantage over the Americans in Olympic finals, but the United States enters the game on a seven-game win streak against its rival, including a 5-0 victory over Canada in group play.
Canada will look for strong puck management and net-front presence, while goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens is expected to play a key role. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin has a history of scoring in high-stakes games.
The United States is expected to rely on speed and pressure, with goaltender Aerin Frankel set to face heavy traffic in front of the net. The Americans are also seeking gold in what is expected to be captain Hilary Knight’s final Olympic appearance.
The women’s gold medal game will be played Thursday at 10:10 a.m. PST.
