On Saturday, Feb. 14, Canada and Germany faced off against one another for the second day of the women’s ice hockey quarterfinals in the Olympic tournament. Just a minute into the game, Canada took an early lead. In the final minutes of the same period, Canada took a two-goal lead. A power-play goal for Canada in the second period gave them a three-goal lead heading into the final frame.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Women’s Hockey Tournament
Canada took a four-goal lead just seconds into the third period, but Germany finally got on the board with a shorthanded goal. Canada scored one more goal in the final minutes of the period to take a 5-1 win. With this win, Canada eliminated Germany from the tournament.
Poulin Returned and Made an Impact
Marie-Philip Poulin is arguably the best player on the Canadian team. However, she was injured in Canada’s game against Czechia on Feb. 9. She missed the final two games of the preliminary matches but returned for the quarterfinals.
Poulin centered the first line alongside Daryl Watts and Sarah Fillier. In the second period, Fillier scored a power-play goal with Watts recording the secondary assist. It was in the third period that Poulin got her name on the score sheet.
With five minutes left in the game, Nina Christof took a seat for boarding. Just 24 seconds later, Poulin scored Canada’s fifth goal of the game.
This goal was a historic one for Poulin because it was her 18th goal at the Olympic level. She is now tied with Hayley Wickenheiser as Canada’s leading goal scorer in Olympic hockey. With their win in this game, Canada now advances to the semifinals. There is a chance that Poulin could become Canada’s leading goal scorer by the end of this tournament.
Poulin made history back in November when she became the first player in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to record 50 points. This could be the greatest women’s hockey season for Poulin yet, both in the PWHL and at the Olympic level.
Germany’s Only Goal Was Shorthanded
Germany only scored one goal in the final frame, but it was a turning point for the team. With just 12 minutes left in the game, Emily Nix took a seat for holding. Twenty-seven seconds later, Franziska Feldmeier scored Germany’s only goal of the game. This was not only Germany’s first goal of the game, but it was also Feldmeier’s first of the tournament.
Although they only scored once, this one goal was a shorthanded opportunity for Germany. They were down a player, yet they still managed to score. This goal gave the German team some more life, but it was too late in the game to be considered a real turning point. Canada was the stronger team in the end, eliminating Germany from the rest of the tournament. However, there is no denying that they still put up a fight until the very end.
Canada Held off Germany
The entire Canadian team kept their chances alive in the 2026 Winter Olympics. It wasn’t just the five goals they scored, although this did help. A large part of it was also the control of the puck. Canada took 43 shots on net compared to Germany’s 11. Canada did a great job of controlling the puck and continued to keep it in their offensive zone.
Canada’s goaltender in this game was Emerance Maschmeyer. Although she didn’t face nearly as many shots as Sandra Abstreiter, she still stopped 10 of the 11 shots she faced. She was close to getting her second shutout of the tournament, but that shorthanded goal Germany scored got the best of her.
Canada Advances
Canada advances to the semifinals, which will take place on Monday, Feb. 16.
