from Canadian Press
HARBIN, China - There was poetic justice in the United States beating Canada 4-3 to win the women's world hockey championship.
In the final of the 2004 event in Halifax, the Americans scored a goal the referee didn't see because the puck rebounded hard off the back crossbar and out. Canada won the gold 2-0.
Video replay was implemented in every game of the 2008 women's world championship for the first time. Two of the Americans' four goals in Saturday's gold-medal game were awarded in that manner.
"I'm glad the IIHF implemented video replay," U.S. captain Natalie Darwitz said. "Obviously it worked out in our favour this time. We got two goals off of video replay and they were the right calls."
But it wasn't video that won the game for the Americans. They outplayed Canada for the second straight game at the tournament to win their second world title.
Their first was in 2005. Canada has won the other nine.
Canada hadn't lost two games in a row to the U.S. since 2002, prior to the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
The Canadians stood sombre-faced on the blue-line after the game and watched the U.S. kiss their gold medals and pump their fists.
"It hurts every time you watch them celebrate," Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser said. "We beat ourselves tonight."
The women were the first Canadian hockey team to wear black jerseys in a world or Olympic final and they didn't look good in that colour.
Had the Canadians beaten the U.S. in Thursday's playoff game, they would have knocked the Americans down to the bronze-medal game and faced Finland for gold.
But Canada's lack of desperation in that encounter opened the door for the U.S. to carry momentum from the 4-2 win into Saturday's final.
"For us, that was the first time we'd beat Canada in a long time on Thursday night," Darwitz said. "To finally get it off our backs and say, `We can do this now, let's believe,' I think was a big factor in the tournament, especially after losing to Finland in overtime.
"To beat Canada on Thursday afternoon was really key to tonight's win because it set the tone for our locker-room, our mentality and our energy on the ice."
Darwitz, named the top forward of the tournament, had a pair of goals. Jenny Potter and Angela Ruggiero also scored for the U.S., who led 2-1 and 4-1 at the period breaks.
Goaltender Jessie Vetter outplayed Canadian counterpart Kim St. Pierre by stopping 22 of 24 shots. St. Pierre allowed the four goals on 20 shots and was replaced by Charline Labonte to start the third period.
Jennifer Botterill and Katie Weatherston scored in the third period to pull Canada within a goal. Sarah Vaillancourt put Canada up 1-0 temporarily in the first period.
The Americans were faster and controlled the puck better than the Canadians, who bobbled passes, lost the puck in their skates and didn't get clean shots on net away when they had the chance.
"I'm really hesitant to say it, but geez, I can't believe how many bad bounces we had and pucks bobbling off our sticks," Canadian head coach Peter Smith said. "We had some glorious opportunities to bury it. The puck never got through to the net or it went over."
Darwitz scored a goal that went right through Canada's net and out the back late in the second period to make it 4-1.
At the subsequent whistle, American players and personnel on the scorekeeper's bench gesticulated at German referee Nicole Hertrich until she consulted video review and ruled it a goal.
"I was like, `How did I miss the net?"' Darwitz said. "I got back to the bench and (my teammates) said the back of the net moved and there was no possible way I could have banked it off the back boards."
On the Americans' third goal, the puck did rebound off the back boards, St. Pierre dove to cover the puck and it deflected off her, crossing the goal-line at the same time the whistle sounded to call the play dead.
Another video review and it was 3-1 for the U.S.
Canada killed their third-period momentum by killing penalties.
"There were so many penalties," Smith said. "We want to play a flow-type game and we couldn't do that."
Hertrich refereed both Canada-U.S. games and gave her whistle a workout in both. For the second straight game, the U.S. power play was better with two power-play goals to Canada's one Thursday and Saturday.
"That game on Thursday gave them some momentum and they built off that momentum," Smith said. "Unfortunately we got trapped in the same style of game. There were so many penalties and a lack of flow."
The Canadian women's hockey team is accustomed to winning, so silver stung.
"Our expectations for this group are so high," Smith said. "They just feel so responsible when it doesn't happen the way everybody expects it to happen."
Earlier, Finland beat Switzerland 4-1 for bronze and Finnish goaltender Noora Ray was named top goaltender and tournament MVP.