Top-ranked American women's hockey team fuelled by skill, youth heading into Olympics

It’s hard to describe the Americans’ performance at this season’s Rivalry Series as anything other than dominant.

The team outscored the Canadians 24-7 over the four-game sweep, including a 10-4 thumping in the third game.

Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight and University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy each scored five goals. Together, they produced more than the entire Canadian roster.

The Americans’ starting goaltender, Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), finished with a pristine 1.00 goals against average over the two games she started. Meanwhile, Canada’s starter, Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal Victoire), allowed more than five goals on average over two games.

The Americans have now defeated the Canadians in six games in a row, and head into the Olympic women’s hockey tournament as the International Ice Hockey Federation’s top-ranked team.

They’ve been powered by a blend of veterans who remain at the top of their game, and young stars who are poised to shake up the PWHL.

Knight will lead this team into her fifth and final Olympics, and is looking to bring home her second Olympic gold medal.

“We’ve got some crazy amount of creativity and skill that we've been able to develop the last few years,” she said.

Data provided to CBC Sports from Shoreview Sports Analytics gives the Americans a 77.4 per cent chance of winning Olympic gold.

One lopsided Rivalry Series aside, history shows things are always much closer between the Canadians and Americans, with the biggest prizes often decided by just one goal.

The Canadians have won two world championships over the last four years, the same as the Americans. And, of course, it was the Canadians who came out on top in the Olympic final in 2022.

That’s why the Americans aren’t taking anything for granted going into the Olympics.

“Not to say those [Rivalry Series] games aren't important, but what lies ahead is the most important thing, I think, that's been on our minds for the past four years,” defender Megan Keller [Boston Fleet] said.

“So I think as a group, we're just taking in the confidence that we built together over the past four years. We've got a lot of belief in one another and we trust one another. We're prepared for this moment and looking to show the world.”