Team USA Takes Dominant 2-0 Lead in Rivalry Series
Courtesy of Team USA
Earlier this month, the first two games of the 2025 Rivalry Series were played in Cleveland, Ohio and Buffalo, New York. Both contests were exciting for fans and served as an evaluation for which players would make the Olympic rosters. Before the final two games are played in mid-December, let’s get you caught up in what’s already happened in the sixth rendition of the Rivalry Series.
Game 1- Cleveland, Ohio
The 2025 Rivalry series might’ve started on home ice for Team USA, but the first game being hosted in Cleveland was a homecoming for two players on the United States’ roster. Goaltender Gwyneth Philips and defender Laila Edwards are both Ohio natives and Philips is from Athens, Ohio and Edwards is from Cleveland Heights. Philips didn’t get to start this game as it was Aerin Frankel’s net, but Edwards would play a huge role in this contest for Team USA.
With Frankel on one side of the ice and Eve Gascon at the other for Canada, the puck dropped and the Rivalry Series was officially underway once again. Sarah Fillier scored on the power play to open the scoring at 10:33 into the first period. Natalie Spooner and Julia Gosling both collected helpers on Fillier’s tally. But 16 seconds later, Taylor Heise answered back to tie the game at 1-1 and Edwards picked up an assist on the goal.
The rest of the game was all Team USA. Just over halfway into the middle frame, Abbey Murphy, the University of Wisconsin star, scored her first of the game to regain the lead for Team USA. Heise and Tessa Janecke recorded the assists. Then, Murphy scored again towards the end of the period to make the score 3-1 and she was on the verge of recording a hat trick.
That hatty eventually happened as Murphy notched her third goal of the contest early in the third to secure the 4-1 win for Team USA. Heise recorded four points (1G, 3A) and Frankel made 25 saves on 26 shots faced. It was also the sixth straight time that the U.S. won the first game of the Rivalry Series.
Game 2- Buffalo, New York
Game 2 of the 2025 Rivalry Series held more homecoming for a few of Team USA’s players. Hayley Scamurra grew up in Getzville, New York, suburb of Buffalo, while Haley Winn s=is from Rochester, New York. This time, Philip did get the start, and she would be facing Kayle Osborne at the other end of the rink.
The first period was surprisingly scoreless as neither team was able to find the back of thet net, However, unlike Game 1, Team USA opened the scoring in the second period thanks to a power play goal from the captain Hilary Knight. Megan Keller and Edwards collected assists on the opening goal. Not even a minute later, Kelly Pannek added to the United States’ lead with a goal of her own. Team Canada didn’t let the shutout last for long though as captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored on the power play to make the score 2-1 at the end of the second.
Once again, from there it was all Team USA. Edwards picked up her first goal of the tournament almost halfway through the final 20 minutes. Knight scored another power play goal to make it 4-1. Scamurra recorded a tally in her homecoming game and then Knight finished off the hat trick with an empty netter with just 1:27 left to go. The final score was 6-1 USA, giving them a two-game lead in the tournament.
Next Up
The final two games of the 2025 Rivalry Series will be held on Wednesday, December 10 and Saturday, December 13 in Edmonton, Alberta. Team Canada has won all but one edition of the Rivalry Series so it’ll be interesting to see if Canada evens the series or if the U.S. takes the victory.