UTICA, N.Y. — Christine O'Neill's career-high three-point game led Canada to a 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic at the Women's World Hockey Championship on Sunday. She is 26 years old from Mississauga, Ontario.
UTICA, N.Y. — Christine O'Neill's career-high three-point game led Canada to a 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic at the Women's World Hockey Championship on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native scored two goals and had one assist in the first period for Canada, who will face defending champion USA in a 3-0 Group A game Monday night.
O'Neill is a 5-foot-4 defensive forward who is creating scoring opportunities for himself and his Canadian linemates in his fourth World Championship appearance.
She collected a game-high five shots at the net Sunday. O'Neill led Canada in points with two goals and two assists through three games.
“I would say my confidence has grown with every opportunity to play in this uniform,” O'Neal said. “My role has kind of evolved within the Canada Hockey program.
“I've always been a defensive centerman, but I think just finding another way to contribute is my focus and the focus of my line as well.”
O'Neill assisted on Canada's first goal Sunday, scored by linemate Daniel Serdachny. Renata Fast and Laura Stacey each scored their first goals of the tournament.
Sarah Nurse contributed with two assists. Canadian goaltender Henri Desbiens recorded a 13-save shutout and earned his second win of the tournament.
Her opponent, Klara Peslarova, stopped 37 of 42 shots for the Czech, bronze medalist the past two years (1 win, 2 losses).
Canada and the Czech Republic met for the first time at the World Championships last year in Brampton, Ont., with the hosts defeating the Czech Republic 5-1 in the qualifying round.
The Czech Republic had four penalties in the first 10 minutes on Sunday, but it wasn't enough. O'Neill scored his first goal of the game on a delayed penalty with an additional Canadian attacker.
“It's not ideal,” Czech head coach Carla MacLeod said. “This is my second time playing in Canada, so of course I'm a little nervous going into it.
“It was a pretty tough situation with three penalties right after the start. I wasn't too excited. I thought we competed hard to get rid of the penalties, but it stopped our rhythm. ”
Head coach Troy Ryan believes Canada has been on the right track, from a lackluster performance in the opener against Finland, to a struggle against Switzerland and a more tense game against the Czech Republic.
“Finland played really well against us,” he said. “We just didn't play the way we wanted to. It was actually a blessing in disguise because we could be a little more accountable early in the event.
“That kind of wakes people up. We had some difficult conversations with the group. I thought we made some progress against Switzerland. I think we took it to another level today.”
It came just in time for a matchup against arch-rivals the United States, who defeated Canada 6-3 in last year's final in Brampton.
In a seven-game rivalry series between the two countries this winter, Canada came back from a three-game deficit to win four straight and take the series.
“We're going to keep the momentum from that game going,” Canadian forward Jamie Lee Rattray said.
“We've been playing them all year and we want to win every time we play. First place in the group is up for grabs. It's an important game for us.”
The top five seeds in Group A and the top three seeds in Group B of the tournament will advance to Thursday's quarterfinals. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, and the medal games will be played on Sunday.
Poulin's progress
Ryan cut Canadian captain Marie-Philippe Poulain's playing time to just under 15 minutes Sunday.
His on-ice time was limited as he missed PWHL Montreal's final three games heading into the international break due to injury.
“We have tried to follow strict time management,” Ryan said. “She's handled it well. She's not usually someone who wants to be pulled back. She wants to be released.”
Poulin has one assist in three games.
o'neal's breakout
O'Neal is Montreal's second-line center behind teammate Poulin. The 19 games he's played with his PWHL club, combined with near-daily skating since the league began on Jan. 1, has allowed O'Neal to add an extra dimension to his game.
“I've been able to learn from her every day and I've seen that in my own game and just the physicality and the speed of the game has helped me make some strides so far,” O'Neal said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2024.
Donna Spencer, Canadian Press
