Three Golds In January?

The two most dominant under-18 women's hockey teams will square off in Calgary, Alberta tonight at Father David Bauer Arena to determine who is the world's best. Canada meets the US in the finals of the 2008 IIHF World Women's Under-18 Hockey Championship, and this game should be a good one. Both teams feature great goaltending, solid defence, and some dynamic offensive abilities.

Team Canada's offence has been led by a trio of women. Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Quebec and Camille Dumais of Beaconsfield, Quebec lead the tournament in scoring with 14 points each in four games. Natalie Spooner of Scarborough, Ontario is third in scoring with 11 points in four games.

The Americans have received big tournaments from Ashley Cottrell and Amanda Kessel, both of whom have scored 10 points in four games. And if you're wondering, yes, Amanda is the sister of Boston Bruins star Phil Kessel and the USHL's Blake Kessel. The youngest Kessel has been impressive thus far in the tournament, and the 16 year-old looks to lead her team to a gold medal Saturday night. She even had a shot for her older brothers, Phil and Blake, regarding their success against Canada.

"I’m excited to play Team Canada," she said. "I’ve watched my brothers play against them and they haven’t succeeded very much, so I’d like to beat them."

In looking at the teams, though, it is clear to see just how dominant these nations are when it comes to women's hockey. Statistically, they rank first and second in most of the Women's U18 Championship categories.

In terms of scoring efficiency, Canada ranks first, having scored on 22.73% of its shots, or 45 goals on 198 shots. The USA ranks third, having scored on 16.36% of its shots, or 36 goals on 220 shots.

Canada has the best powerplay, scoring on 52% of their powerplay chances. They've gone 13 of 25 thus far in the four games they've played. The US is right behind them, having scored on 40% of their powerplay chances. They've scored 8 powerplay goals on 20 chances.

Canada ranks first on the penalty kill at 100%, not having allowed a powerplay goal against in 12 shorthanded situations. The US ranks third at 85.71%. They've allowed two powerplay goals against in 14 shorthanded situations.

The US boasts the best goaltending of the tournament thus far. The American save percentage is 93.94% while sporting a 0.50 GAA, only having been scored on twice on 33 shots-on-goal. The Canadians are second with a save percentage of 90.70% and a 1.00 GAA, only having been scored on four times in 43 shots. To give you an idea of how defensively dominant these two nations are, the Swedes ended up third in save percentage and goals-against average. The numbers? 88.43% (14 goals on 121 shots) and a 3.50 GAA.

The Canadians and Americans were also the least penalized teams in the tournament, making it easier to keep their high-powered offences on the ice. The Americans have only recorded 32 PIMs through four games, while the Canadians have only recorded 34 PIMs through four games. These two teams also lead the way in shorthanded goals as they both had two in the tournament. Clearly, they are still dangerous when down a skater as well.

The roster of the Canadians can be found here, while the roster for the American women can be found here. Both are in Adobe Acrobat form.

I expect that Alyssa Grogan will start in net for the Americans tonight. The Canadians, I would guess, will stick with Winnipeg's Delayne Brian in between the pipes for them. Marie-Philip Poulin and Brianne Jenner will be relied on for goals for the Canadians, and the Americans will look to Ashley Cottrell and Brooke Ammerman.

All in all, if the Canadians can win, they'll bring home the third gold medal in three weeks for the Canadians. The Americans will undoubtedly try to do everything in their power to stop the Canadians from succeeding.

The game is unfortunately not being televised, but it will be webcast. You can log on to Telus' website where Telus and Hockey Canada have teamed up to bring you the event live. They also have archives there if you'd like to see any of the other games in the tournament. The game starts at 7:45 MT tonight, or 9:45 ET.

Canada looks to strike gold for a third time! Cheer the women on! GO CANADA GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!