Led by an unbelievable performance by their goaltender, Canada defeated the United States in the gold medal game at the 2010 Winter Olympics on Thursday night. The final score was 2-0, and both goals were scored by 18-year-old Dawson College student Marie-Phillip Poulin, who no doubt is having the best night of her young life tonight.
From start to finish, the United States just couldn't generate quality scoring chances. Szabados made several key saves, many of them extremely impressive, but in the end they didn't get enough traffic in front of the red hot goaltender to successfully disrupt her ability to make saves.
Meanwhile, at the other end, it wasn't like Canada dominated the United States. Both goals came in the first period and Canada's chances too were limited beyond them. A lot of time was spent in each offensive zone, but the majority of the play was defensive in nature. Both teams were solid in that regard, and that type of game didn't play into the hands of a USA team that was behind the 8-ball relatively early.
With an early lead and 16,000-plus screaming fans behind them, Canada marched on to gold. It was a wonderful game and a wonderful tournament for the Americans, who take home the silver. For Canada, it's their third straight Olympic gold medal, but they proved that there's no better way to do it than in your home and native land.
More: SB Nation’s full coverage of the Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics Medal Count Tracker.