US women back in gold medal game with 5-0 win over Finland

GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) Dani Cameranesi scored two goals and added an assist, and the United States will play for the gold medal that has eluded them for nearly two decades after shutting out Finland 5-0 Monday.

The Americans are back in the gold medal game for a third straight Olympics, and they will play the winner of the other semifinal between Canada and the ”Olympic Athletes from Russia” on Thursday, looking to win their first gold since 1998 when women’s hockey debuted in the Olympics.

Gigi Marvin started the scoring with a goal. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Hilary Knight had a goal apiece as they turned a 5-on-3 into two goals 34 seconds apart in the second. Maddie Rooney made 14 saves for the shutout.

Finland remains winless now in eight games against the Americans at the Olympics. The Finns, ranked third in the world last year, will try to take home the bronze medal for the first time since 2010.

The Americans opened these games a 2-1 loss to Canada wrapping up pool play.

The Americans wasted no time getting on the board. Captain Meghan Duggan found Marvin alone in the slot, and she beat goalie Noora Raty stick-side for the easy goal just 2:25 into the game.

Finland lost defenseman Ronja Savolainen when she had to be helped off the ice and to the locker room after a knee-on-knee collision with Duggan. They collided in the right circle in the U.S. offensive zone, sending Savolainen off balance before crashing face-first into the boards and snapping her head back.

Savolainen stayed on the ice for a couple minutes before being helped up and off the ice. When play resumed without a penalty, some fans booed. But Savolainen returned in the second period.

Cameranesi put the United States up 2-0 with 1:22 left in the period, taking the puck away from Susanna Tapani and skating into the left circle before beating Raty’s blocker with a wrister top shelf.

The Americans dominated play in the second without beating Raty until getting a 5-on-3. Lamoureux-Davidson’s slap shot from the left circle came with 2 seconds left on the 5-on-3 at 13:21 of the period, and Knight got her first goal of this tournament by redirecting a shot from Sidney Morin with 5 seconds left on the man advantage for the 4-0 lead.

Cameranesi padded the lead as she scored from the slot over Raty’s glove off a pass from Hannah Brandt.

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