VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – They ambled back onto the ice an hour after the medal ceremony, swigging champagne and beer and smoking cigars. While Meghan Agosta and Marie-Philip Poulin posed for pictures with goofy grins, Rebecca Johnston tried to drive the ice-resurfacing machine.
Life is sweet when there’s a gold medal hanging from your neck in your home rink.
Poulin scored two goals, Shannon Szabados made 28 saves, and Canada rolled through its American rivals, 2-0, to win the gold medal in women’s hockey for the third straight Olympics Thursday night in front of a raucous Vancouver crowd ringing cowbells and frantically waving thousands of maple leaf flags.
After Poulin’s two first-period scores, the Canadians dominated every aspect of the biggest game in this young sport, earning their 15th straight Olympic victory. When time expired and the Canadians skated into a massive pile-up near their goal, several cheering fans threw flags over the glass to the players, who wrapped them around their shoulders like superheroes’ capes.
“I looked up in the stands and saw a sign that said, ‘Proud to be Canadian,’ and that’s what I am today,” Szabados said. “My teammates were unbelievable today. We played a great game, and this is an incredible moment.”