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As the final match of the tournament approaches, both Team USA and Canada remain undefeated. In the preliminary round, Team USA dominated Switzerland with a 4-0 win, while Canada shut out Latvia with a similar score. In the semifinal, Team USA beat Slovakia 7-2 and Canada narrowly defeated Sweden 5-4.
Team USA has had a storied history in the gold-medal game, winning 11 out of their 16 appearances. Last year in 2023, they claimed victory over Sweden with a thrilling 3-2 win in overtime. They have won back-to-back gold medals on five previous occasions, most recently in 2014 and 2015.
This will be the third time that Team USA and Canada face off in the final match. The United States won their first encounter with a convincing 5-1 victory in 2005, while Canada responded with a hard-fought 3-2 victory in 2013. Their most recent meeting was during the preliminary round in 2022 where Team USA emerged victorious with an impressive 8-3 win.
