Team Canada Bounces Back, Defeats Team USA 3-1

After falling to the Americans, 3-1, on Monday night, Team Canada bounced back and turned the tables on Team USA, beating them by an identical score in an exhibition game in Ottawa on Wednesday. All of Canada’s goals came in the second period.

Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic and Brad Richards each scored for the Canadians, who were unable to crack US goalie Robert Esche in the first period. Ty Conklin was in net for all of Canada’s goals.

Lecavalier opened the scoring on a 2-on-1 with Mario Lemeiux on the power play 5:25 into the game’s middle frame.

Just 2:20 later, Sakic scored on another 2-on-1.

“We just made some mistakes, turnovers, that you make in exhibition games,” said U.S. defenseman Brian Leetch. “Halfway through the game we’d allowed only 12 shots but half of them were 2-on-1s against our goaltender.”

Roberto Luongo, who allowed all three Team USA goals on Monday, didn’t allow a goal on Wednesday night. He was replaced by Jose Theodore midway through the second period. Theodore allowed the American’s lone goal of the night when Chris Drury scored 4:10 in to the third period.