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(CAPTION: Labonte jumps to avoid teammate Catherine Ward. Photo courtesy of HHoF/IIHF Images)

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H脛MEENLINNA, Finland 鈥� 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 Charline Labont茅 was named as the tournament鈥檚 best goaltender but Jessie Vetter, her American counterpart, made 39 saves and skated away with gold as the United States defeated Canada 4-1 to capture their second straight IIHF world hockey championship before 3,046 at Patria Arena in Finland, Sunday.

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Defenceman Caitlin Cahow tallied a pair of goals and singles went to Meghan Duggan and Hilary Knight, who added an empty-net goal to round out the scoring. Winnipeg's Jennifer Botterill replied for Canada.

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The Americans, which won gold for only the third time in 12 trips to the 鈥渨orlds鈥�, pounced on their first shift of the game as Cahow snuck in from the blueline, took a pass from Jenny Potter on the edge of Canada's crease and backhanded the puck over Labont茅's pad 24 seconds after the opening face-off. It was the fastest-ever goal in an IIHF gold medal game.

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鈥淚f you just look at our faces, it's pretty obvious what happened here,鈥� said a disappointed Labont茅 to the media. "I don't think that we came out the way we should have. The U.S. played very well and it just kind of showed that they wanted it more. This is not the game we wanted to play and I don't think we proved anything here tonight."

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Canada regrouped after opening goal and held the U.S. scoreless for the rest of the period听and the game settled into a typical USA-Canada game with speed, skill and scoring chances. Botterill evened the score in the middle period but the U.S. put the game out of reach with a pair of third-period markers.

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The Canucks had a 40-29 edge in shots but could muster many good scoring opportunities against Vetter, a 5-foot-8 senior who helped the University of Wisconsin win the NCAA championship last month and won the Patty Kazmaier memorial award as the top player in NCAA women's hockey.

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Labont茅, the Boisbriand, Que., native who guided 9I制作厂免费 to a CIS national title last month and is a finalist for the BLG Award as the top athlete in the CIS, made 25 saves, many of them key ones, in what was her first start in a world championship final. She received the IIHF Directorate Award as the tourney鈥檚 top netminder, posting a 2-1 record in three starts, with a 1.68 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.

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GAME NOTES: 9I制作厂免费 teammate Catherine Ward, from Town of Mt. Royal, Que., finished fourth among all rearguards in points during her first-ever appearance at the Worlds. The 22-year-old management major 鈥� who earned tournament MVP honours at the CIS Nationals last month 鈥� registered four assists in five games. She also logged significant ice time and was third among Team Canada blueliners in the plus-minus statistics with a plus-6 rating鈥� Kim St-Pierre, the 9I制作厂免费 grad from Chateauguay, Que., posted a pair of shutouts in her two starts, turning aside all 33 shots faced... The Canadian coaching staff, which includes 9I制作厂免费 head coach Peter Smith, has their work cut out for them as the focus will now shift to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C... Smith is scheduled to return to Montreal Monday on Air Canada (AC875) at 12:25 pm, along with Ward, Labont茅 and St-Pierre, plus Caroline Ouellette and Marie-Philip Poulin.

IIHF Directorate Awards:
Best Goaltender: Charline Labont茅 (CAN)
Best Defenceman: Jenni Hiirikoski (FIN)
Best Forward: Hayley Wickenheiser (CAN)

Media All-Star Team
Goal: Jessie Vetter (USA)
Defence: Carla Mac Leod (CAN); Angela Ruggiero (USA)
Forward: Michelle Karvinen (FIN); Julie Chu (USA); Natalie Darwitz (USA)
Tournament MVP: Carla Mac Leod (CAN)

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SOURCE: Earl Zukerman Communications Officer Athletics & Recreation 9I制作厂免费 475 Pine Avenue W., Montreal, QC听 H2W 1S4 CANADA 514-398-7012 (Tel.) 514-398-1956 (Fax) www.mcgill.ca/athletics

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