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Silver for Canada after overtime heartbreak at IIHF U18 women's world hockey championship

Jenna Buglioni will return home to Port Moody on Friday with a silver medal in her luggage after Canada lost 2-1 in overtime to the United States at the IIHF U18 women’s world hockey championship Thursday in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Jenna Buglioni
Port Moody's Jenna Buglioni won a silver medal after Canada's national U18 women's hockey team was defeated by the United States 2-1 in overtime in the IIHF U18 women's world championships Thursday in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Jenna Buglioni will return home to Port Moody on Friday with a silver medal in her luggage after Canada lost 2-1 in overtime to the United States at the IIHF U18 women’s world hockey championship Thursday in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Buglioni, a Grade 12 student at Gleneagle secondary school in Coquitlam who will be attending Ohio State University in September on a hockey scholarship, scored four points in the tournament. She almost netted the golden goal midway through the first overtime when she was able to corral a loose puck that had just been rung off Canada’s goalpost and broke in alone on American goaltender Skylar Vetter. But her shot sailed past the goaltender’s shoulder and off the glass behind the U.S. net at Ice Rink Vlado Dzurilla.

In fact, both teams had chances to win the game in the three-on-three extra period that started with Canada on a power play after Eden Lacy had been called for tripping with 40 seconds left to play in regulation time. But it was a miscue at the blueline by Canada’s Anne Cherkowski with just over three minutes left in overtime that led to the game winner.

As Cherkowski struggled to keep the puck onside, she was swarmed by American defender Maggie Nicholson and forward Kiara Zanon who were able to break in alone on Canadian goaltender Eve Gascon. Nicholson fed a little pass across the crease to Zanon who banked it into the open net.

The result was a reversal of the teams’ previous meeting on Dec. 29 when Canada defeated the U.S. 2-1 in the tournament’s preliminary round. It also avenges Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over the Americans in the gold medal game of last year’s championship that ended a run of four straight U18 titles for the U.S.

Since the tournament was first played in 2008, Canada has won the gold medal five time while the U.S. now has eight championships.

Russia won the bronze medal after it defeated Finland 6-1.