Blue-liner Micah Zandee-Hart of Saanicton is guaranteed a medal in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. No surprise there. It will be sa国际传媒’s seventh consecutive trip to the Olympic final in women’s hockey
“This national team has crafted a culture that is really special and where it is expected to bring home a medal,” said Zandee-Hart, among 10 Olympic rookies on the Canadian team, and the lone sa国际传媒 player.
Mission accomplished. But neither she nor her Canadian teammates are celebrating, yet. When it comes to Canadian women’s hockey, colour matters. And the only colour that matters is gold. That will be decided Wednesday at 8:10 p.m. PT when sa国际传媒 plays the U.S. in the final with Zandee-Hart looking to extend the Island’s Winter Olympics gold-medal streak to three consecutive Games following Dallas Stars captain and Central Saanich-product Jamie Benn’s gold in men’s hockey at Sochi 2014 and Comox freestyle-skier Cassie Sharpe’s gold in women’s halfpipe at Pyeongchang 2018.
sa国际传媒 has four gold medals and two silvers from the six previous times women’s hockey has been played in the Olympics. Zandee-Hart was a four-year-old Peninsula Association initiation-level hockey player in 2002 when she watched sa国际传媒 capture the gold medal in the Salt Lake City Games. The moment never left her and has fuelled her ambitions since. Two decades later, she looks to realize that golden dream.
“It’s at moments like this when you think back to that four-year-old girl and how proud she would be that she stuck it out to reach this goal,” said Zandee-Hart.
“I fell in love with the Olympics before I even fell in love with hockey and this is what I have aspired to my entire life.”
sa国际传媒 defeated Switzerland 10-3 in the semifinals and the U.S. beat Finland 4-1.
Despite the Canadian goal-fest, with captain Marie-Philip Poulin leading the way with two goals, head coach Troy Ryan pointed to Zandee-Hart and the rest of the blue line with its serious yet breezy approach to the game.
“We all can move our feet and that is one of our biggest strengths as a defensive corps,” said Ryan, in a statement.
“As ‘D’ pairings, we really complement each other and, at the root of it, I honestly believe we’re having so much success because we’re all so easy going. We have so much fun when we play and support one another. Everyone goes out each shift and plays free and knows that the girls on the bench are supporting them.”
In men’s hockey, forward and Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association and Saanich Braves Junior B product Adam Cracknell and his Canadian mates play China this morning in a play-in game with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals. There is also a unique Island connection to the Chinese team with the speedy former Victoria Grizzlies forward Eddie Yan and former Cowichan Valley Capitals defenceman Zimeng (Simon) Chen skating for the host team in the Beijing Olympics.
Meanwhile, Darcy Sharpe of Comox qualified for Monday night’s late-finishing final in men’s Olympic snowboarding big air at Shougang, joining fellow Canadians Max Parrot and Mark McMorris in the 12-man final following the qualifying runs Sunday.
The men’s Olympic skiing slopestyle qualifying runs, scheduled for Sunday and featuring Teal Harle of Campbell River, were postponed to Monday night due to inclement weather. The 25-year-old Islander should feature after coming so close in the event in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and placing fifth, just 2.40 points off the podium.
“In our sport, four years is a long time,” said a guarded Harle.
“Things change quickly and the sport has progressed so much since then.”
The final, originally set for Monday, will be held today.
Cassie Sharpe of Comox, who also grew up swooshing down Mount Washington, will look to defend her Olympic title in women’s ski half-pipe beginning with the qualifying rounds Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. PT with the final scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. PT at the Genting Snow Park.
