Members of Canada’s women’s hockey team did not look pleased to receive medals after losing to Team USA Thursday in the Winter Olympics’ gold medal game.
Feb. 22 (UPI) — Members of Canada’s women’s hockey team did not look pleased to receive medals after losing to Team USA Thursday in the Winter Olympics’ gold medal game.
Defender Jocelyne Larocque immediately took hers off after it was placed around her neck. She stood through the presentation ceremony without a medal, unlike the rest of her teammates. Eventually, an official from the International Ice Hockey Federation told Larocque to put the medal on due to « legal » reasons, according to the Globe and Mail.
« Just hard, » she said, according to the Globe and Mail . « We were going for gold. »
This isn’t the first time Larocque has participated in a gold medal game at the Winter Olympics. She was part of Team Canada’s squad when it won gold at the 2014 Games in Sochi.
Another Jocelyne was on the other end of the sporting spectrum Thursday. Team USA’s Jocelyne Lamoureux scored the go-ahead goal in a shootout against the Canadians. The Americans claimed their first women’s hockey gold medal since 1998 with the 3-2 overtime victory.
Larocque, 29, plays for Markham in the CWHL. She is from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada. and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Team USA outshot Canada 41-31 in the victory. Haley Irwin and Marie-Philip Poulin scored in regulation for the Canadians. Canada had a record winning streak of 24 games entering the gold medal matchup.
« Certainly not the result our Canadian athletes worked so hard for. But what a hockey game it was. So proud of our team, you left it all on the ice, » former Canadian hockey player Caroline Ouellette tweeted Thursday.
Team USA’s Hilary Knight said she savored the experience of her past silver medals.
« I wouldn’t take away my experience from the last two silver medals, » Knight said, according to NBC . « Obviously losing isn’t a great feeling, but it’s just something so special about this group and to be able to win a gold at the end of this tournament is incredible. »
