Carpenter's OT winner gives USA gold in Women's World Championship

Nothing gets the heart racing more than a throwdown between the United States and Canada.

The Women's World Championship was no different as bitter rivals Canada and the United States took to the ice in the gold medal game in Kamloops, B.C.

The game was a rematch of the tournament opener where the US bested the host Canadians by a score of 3-1. There would be much, much less goal scoring in this game.

The first period saw both teams come out with boundless energy. Yet, it would be the goaltenders, Emerance Maschmeyer for Canada, and Alex Rigsby for United States, who'd anchor their team's end to end play throughout the game.

Rigsby was tested often as the Canadians put 9 shots on net. Meghan Agosta nearly beat the netminder towards the end of the first as Rigsby aggressively played the onrushing forward.

The period ended with the teams tied at zero.

Going into Monday's game, the Americans were the least penalized team with only 8 minors in 4 games. They made up for that in the championship game taking six penalties against a potentially lethal No. 1 ranked Canadian power play.

While USA teammate Brianna Decker sat in the box, Alex Carpenter blasted past Laura Fortino in the neutral zone and was in on a breakaway. Maschmeyer effortlessly drops down to make the save.

Alex Rigsby is called upon to make an incredible save not too long after. Marie-Philip Poulin wins the faceoff and passes back through her legs to a waiting Agosta. The forward blasts it on net, and somehow, through the mass of humanity, Rigsby makes the save.

Carpenter and Haley Skarupa had one of the better chances for the United States late in the period. In a two-on-one rush, the US players get close to the net before setting up to pass. The lone Canadian skater back, Halli Krzyzaniak, times it perfectly and blocks the shot as she dropped down to her belly on the ice.

Second period ends with the teams still knotted at zero.

Just because there is no body checking in women's hockey doesn't mean it can't get nasty out there. In the third period, the women turned up the physicality to 11. The officials let them play, for the most part.

However, Monique Lamoureux gets a little too overzealous with Sarah Davis, giving the Canadians their fourth power play of the game.

Carpenter, once again, gets a shorthanded breakaway while on the PK, and misses the net. Girl cannot buy a goal to save her life.

The Americans kill off the penalty, and slowly take back some of the momentum generated by the opposition.

With eight seconds left in the third, Monique Lamoureux is whistled for her second straight minor penalty. She's in front of the net at the end of the GIF below. Watch her haul down the Canadian defender.

The US gets through those eight second, but recognize they have put themselves in a difficult position as the game heads to overtime.

Per IIHF rules, medal games that are tied after three periods go into a 20 minute overtime played at 4-on-4, and then go to the shootout. (No one wanted this game to end in a shootout.)

With the leftover power play time, the US would play with only 3 skaters for the first 1:52 of the sudden death OT.

Few things are scarier for American hockey fans than hearing Marie-Philip Poulin has the puck. Especially on the power play. In overtime. In a deciding gold medal game. Yet, the founding fathers were smiling on goaltender Rigsby as she stopped a slapper from Canada's 'Golden Girl.'

The US escapes their fifth penalty kill of the game.

As Rigsby had done earlier to her Canadian counterpart, Maschmeyer followed up with an incredible save of her own. In on a 2-on-1, Anne Pankowski passes the puck over to Captain America, Meghan Duggan, who skates it in and fires it on net.

The Canadians and Americans would trade power play opportunities on marginal calls, and escape unscathed.

Play continued on with the United States once again beginning to gather momentum.

Remember how we said earlier Alex Carpenter couldn't score a goal to save her life? Well, it looks like she was just saving up that goal for the best moment possible.

With 7:30 to go in overtime, Megan Bozek blasts the puck towards the net from the point. Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson gets her stick on it so it deflects downward and in front of Maschmeyer. Seeing the rebound at her skates, Carpenter puts the puck behind the goaltender for the win.

Congrats to the gold medal winning United States for defending their World Championship title for three straight competitions.

The silver medal winning Canadians played on heck of a game, too. Maschmeyer earned 'goaltender of the tournament' honors in the post game ceremony.

Note: The bronze medal went to the Russians who beat Finland in a shootout earlier in the day.

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.

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