The 4 Nations Cup is set to begin its preliminary rounds later on in the day. This women’s hockey league will see four teams: Canada, The United States, Finland and Sweden; all compete for gold in the annual tournament.
This year’s games will be held between November 6 until the 10th, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the Sasktel Centre. The tournament will commence at noon (1p.m. EST), with U.S.A. taking on Finland, followed by team Canada facing Sweden at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. EST).
Team Canada will be facing their neighbours to the south on November 7th, followed by a game against Finland on November 9th.
Leading team Canada is captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who played with her nation’s women’s team at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. The final game saw a U.S. victory over the Canadians, with a score of 3-2; the first American gold medal in women’s hockey since 1998.
The Quebec native stated that it will be her team’s first time wearing a Canada jersey since earning a silver medal for her country. She says the up-and-coming games will be emotional, but she is optimistic, quoting:
“It’s a new group with new faces, with the young coming up. For us playing in Saskatchewan in Canada is going to really fun. It’s a real important tournament and we have to take one game at a time. Any time you have a chance to play in Canada, with the crowd behind you and little girls in the stands watching you with the stars in their eyes, that’s what we want. we know that every time we wear that jersey, it’s something bigger than ourselves.”
Despite her team’s loss to the U.S.A., which ended four consecutive gold medals at the quadrennial winter tournament, Poulin is confident that her team will claim victory at the 4 Nations Cup.
Team Canada played its pre-tournament game against Finland this past Sunday in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The match saw a 6-0 win for the Canucks against the European nation.
The 4 Nations Cup began in 1996- then known as the 3 Nations Cup – with Sweden joining the league in 2000. Canada has won 14 gold medals in the annual tournament, despite three consecutive losses since 2015 to the U.S.A.
