The 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship ended Monday night in Kamloops, Canada in agonizing fashion for the host nation.
In the 18th-consecutive meeting in the championship game between the U.S. and Canada, the two squared off for 72 minutes before Alex Carpenter netted the game winner and gave the U.S. team a 1-0 win. Now with its seventh title, the U.S. is closing in on Canada’s 10 IIHF titles — with the help of one current and five former Badgers.
Annie Pankowski, who narrowly missed a spot on the 2014 USA Olympic roster, got her first taste of international play as a member of the gold-medal team. The Wisconsin sophomore saw action in all five of the United States’ games, recording a goal against Russia and three assists.
She was joined by former Wisconsin standouts Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker, Jessie Vetter and Alex Rigsby.
Knight ended the tournament as leader in points (nine) and goals (seven), three ahead of second place Christine Hueni (four) of Switzerland. Decker tallied two goals and four assists for a ninth-place finish in points, as part of the United States’ first line.
Both Knight and Decker played vital roles in the United States’ preliminary-round game against Canada, a 3-1 comeback win.
Canada struck first with an early third-period goal, but Knight tied the score seven minutes later and Decker scored a power-play goal six minutes after that. An empty-net goal by Knight sealed the game and gave the United States an important win that handed them a first-place seeding and the chance to play Russia in the first elimination game, a 9-0 win.
Rigsby was solid between the pipes throughout the tournament, allowing just a single goal on 73 shots, a 0.31 goals against average. Vetter saw action in only one game, posting a 2-1 win over Finland while facing seven shots.
But they were not the only Badgers to represent their country at the tournament.
Emily Clark, along with Meaghan Mikkelson and Blayre Turnbull, helped Canada reach the title game.
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Clark tallied a single goal and no assists, while Turnbull had one goal and two assists and Mikkelson had two goals.
The stellar performances of Wisconsin’s current and former players during the tournament backed up its standing as one of the top collegiate programs in the nation. Coming off a Frozen Four loss was tough, but if there’s one bright spot, the tournament served as a reminder of how talented its players are.
