Poulin injured in Canada women’s win over Czechia; Oldham wins slopestyle bronze

It's unclear if Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin will play in Tuesday's game against the U.S. after suffering a lower-body injury in Monday's win.

MILAN — Julia Gosling scored twice as Canada defeated Czechia 5-1 in women’s hockey play on Day 3 of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

However, the win came at a cost as captain Marie-Philip Poulin exited in the first period and did not return for the final 40 minutes with an apparent knee injury. Poulin was checked by Kristyna Kaltounkova midway through the opening frame and skated off, favouring her right knee.

She returned to the ice with Canada’s second power-play unit while Kaltounkova served an illegal hit penalty, but then skated out of the offensive zone seconds later in discomfort and headed for the dressing room. Poulin later rejoined her teammates on the bench before the first period ended.

At the end of the period, Poulin proceeded to skate onto the ice with her teammates and took a few circles to test her knee, but did not return to the bench to start the second period. Canada later confirmed she would not return to the game.

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Kristin O’Neill, Sarah Fillier and Laura Stacey also scored for Canada, which will face the United States tomorrow. Poulin’s status is uncertain for the game.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, freestyle skier Megan Oldham survived a nasty crash on her second run to deliver Canada’s second medal at the Games, winning bronze in women’s slopestyle in a gutsy performance.

Oldham, from Parry Sound, Ont., was in visible discomfort after reaching the podium in her event, admitting she was “definitely in some pain” as she made her way gingerly to a requisite post-event doping control check.

She had crashed on the final jump of her second run, but recovered to post the best score of the third round and secure her first Olympic medal.

Speaking after reaching the podium, Oldham said she felt pain and tightness in her quad and back, but added she will be fine after a few days of rest.

Oldham, who finished 13th in the event at the Beijing Games four years ago, had entered the final run in third spot at Livigno Snow Park and solidified her podium position with her best score of 76.46.

“After Beijing, I’ve been seeking redemption. I was fourth in big air in Beijing and then missed slopestyle finals by one spot,” she said. “So this time I was like, ‘I need to put everything into this because I want to be on the podium’. And I’m really proud of my performance today.”

Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland defended her Olympic title, while China’s Eileen Gu settled for silver for a second straight Games.

“It’s so special to share the podium with Eileen and Mathilde. They’re both the best skiers out there, and I look up to them so much,” Oldham said. “They really push me to try and keep progressing. And to stand next to them is such an honour.”

Naomi Urness of Mont-Tremblant, Que., finished seventh in her Olympic debut with a score of 64.73.

In the rhythm event of the ice dance competition in figure skating, Toronto’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., finished third with 86.18 points, clinging to a narrow lead of 0.71 points over Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain.

Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, of St-Hubert, Que., are in ninth (79.66), while Marie-Jade Lauriault of Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., and Romain Le Gac of Laval, Que., were 15th (74.35).

Elsewhere, Canada’s mixed doubles curling team closed out a disappointing performance at the Winter Olympics with an 8-4 victory over Switzerland on Monday morning. Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant finished out of the playoff picture with a 4-5 record.

“It’s tough right now,” Peterman said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of disappointment and a lot of hurt. I hope when that’s not as fresh that we can be proud of how we fought out there.”

Norway remained atop the medal table with three gold medals, but tied with Switzerland by day’s end. Japan and Germany joined the U.S. in a tie with two golds apiece.

The Canadian Press