OTTAWA - If there's a silver lining to sa国际传媒's devastating loss to the U.S. at the women's world hockey championship, it would be Marie-Philip Poulin's success throughout the tournament.
The 22-year-old was not only one of sa国际传媒鈥檚 best players in the 3-2 loss to the Americans in the final Tuesday, but she led all scorers at the tournament with six goals and six assists.
"She was our best player from start to finish, no question," said Canadian head coach Dan Church. "She鈥檚 a player who can make plays and make the players around her better and she can score at the same time. I think she鈥檚 showing a lot of maturity in her game right now and so that鈥檚 promising for us."
Poulin was named the tournament MVP by members of the media and the overall top forward by the directorate, as well as a member of the tournament鈥檚 all-star team, but those accolades held little meaning for the Beauceville, Que., native.
"We just wanted to win the tournament," said Poulin. "It鈥檚 about teamwork and at the end of the day you just want a gold medal so there鈥檚 a lot of work left to do."
The young forward began garnering attention at the 2010 Winter Olympics after scoring both goals in sa国际传媒鈥檚 2-0 win over the U.S. for the gold medal. Poulin will take on an even greater role looking ahead to the 2014 Winter Games in Socchi, Russia.
"We need players like that to step up as we go forward into Socchi," said veteran Hayley Wickenheiser. "She鈥檚 a heads up, smart player who is able to see the ice very well and make the players around her better. That鈥檚 what we want from the next group."
The U.S. relied on speed and youth throughout this tournament and for sa国际传媒 to remain competitive against its arch rival it will need players like Poulin to play integral roles.
One of Poulin鈥檚 best assets is her speed, but she also plays with an edge. Poulin鈥檚 four goals in a 13-0 win over Switzerland tied a Canadian women's hockey team record for the most goals in a single world championship game.
"She鈥檚 such a skilled player and not only skilled, but gritty and hard working," said teammate Jayna Hefford. "She鈥檚 going to be a leader on this team for a long time and had a great tournament and I'm definitely proud of the way she played this week."
Poulin currently attends Boston University and her 19 goals and 36 assists this season was instrumental in leading the team to a 28-6-3 record.
"She鈥檚 a good young player and also has a lot of experience for a young player," added Church. "I think that that鈥檚 a positive as we move out of this."
