Olympic Daily: Some thoughts on USA-Canada, 3-on-3, and Megan Keller's golden goal
Another great game between USA and Canada, I hope you got a chance to watch it.
I’m not a huge fan of 3-on-3 overtime being used to determine a gold medal.
Sure, it makes sense earlier in a condensed tournament and multiple games in a day, but once we’ve reached the championship, the grand finale, we should probably let the sport play out at 5-on-5 for at least 20 minutes, especially since 3-on-3 is a very different game.
Maybe it’s the nostalgia of playoff grinds, watching games late into the next day in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but for me, and others, the USA-Canada women, the best rivalry in hockey, deserved a proper 5-on-5 marathon.
That being said, 5-on-5 overtime is a slog and it’s a battle. The game-winning goal usually isn’t a highlight reel goal, it’s typically something messy or dirty, a defender making a mistake or something wonky that ultimately decides who wins or loses.
In 3-on-3 it’s open and free-flowing, it also creates an opportunity where the game-winning goal better fits into highlight reels, especially the one that Megan Keller scored earlier today to give Team USA a 2-1 win against Canada for the gold medal.
Here’s the video, hopefully it’s still available for you to watch since an IOC rights holder itself put out this clip.
In 5-on-5, with how well Canada had locked down defensively, that play never develops. The Americans, who had battled back to tie this game, likely have to win the game on a low-to-high tip play or ramming home a rebound, plays that as a hockey purist we praise, but don’t really get anyone excited outside of hockey on a “coolness” factor.
And maybe, as I’m arguing with myself here, it was for the best that we had 3-on-3, that we had a sick-looking goal for the gold medal. Because when it comes to Olympic hockey and women’s hockey in particular, I’m hopeful that showcases like this, highlights like that will only push the sport a bit further.
Hockey is a game, games are supposed to be fun, and you need launch points for others to realize how much fun this game can be.
Which brings me back to the person who scored the goal, Megan Keller.
Keller is from the same town I live in, she actually went to the same high school as me, albeit not at the same time. And her No. 5 hangs in the rafters at one of the local rinks here. She also runs a girls hockey camp each summer here in the Metro Detroit area, which fills up rather quickly and is well regarded by many in the local hockey community I’ve spoken to.
She’s also a good example of how it’s still ludicrous that Michigan doesn’t have any Division I women’s hockey programs, despite being the state with one of the largest participation numbers for girls and being the second de facto home for USA Hockey outside of Colorado Springs.
That’s a longer discussion for another day, but it’s one that’s worth bringing up to keep it in the conversation.
Anyways, the gold medal game between USA and Canada delivered, again. It’s truly one of the best spectacles we have in hockey.
Great game! Fun and exciting to watch. Great teams NEED great rivals, to each be their very best. Both teams should be proud of their skill, effort, and competitiveness! Regardless of the result.
I really expected US to leverage their D
to break down Canadas box but they spent almost the entire game settling for shots at distance. Had me pretty frustrated for a bit.