Winter Olympics: USA women to face Canada in gold-medal match

The United States will face Canada in Thursday's women's ice hockey final as they look to win their first Olympic gold medal in the event for 20 years.

The American team thumped Finland 5-0 in the semi-finals, before Canada matched that result against the Olympic athletes from Russia.

It will be the fourth successive time the North American neighbours have contested the gold-medal match.

"It's honestly a dream come true," said USA forward Hilary Knight.

"It's the world's biggest stage. It's the game you've been dreaming of. You have to keep working and do the things you do well."

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The superpowers of women's ice hockey have also dominated in the World Championships, meeting in every final since the competition began in 1990.

Canada will be looking to win their fifth successive Olympic gold after beating the Americans in overtime in Sochi four years ago, while USA have had the better of the past three world finals.

"We're confident. We'll stick with what has got us success the last three years," added American forward Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson.

"We'll enjoy this. It's what we came here and worked hard for, to put ourselves in position for a gold medal."

Dani Camarensi scored twice for the USA against Finland

Dani Cameranesi scored twice for the USA against Finland, with Gigi Marvin, Lamoureux-Davidson and Knight also finding the net.

Canada's Jennifer Wakefield netted twice in their victory, with Marie-Philip Poulin, Emily Clark and Rebecca Johnston completing the rout.

"It's spectacular to see our team come out and perform that well because there was a lot of pressure," said USA coach Robb Stauber.

"This was really a gold-medal preparation for us. We had to be ready."

Canada are looking for a fifth successive Olympic title

How the American media reacted:

CBS: "The women of Team USA will have a great shot at Olympic redemption when they take the ice for the final time in Pyeongchang."

Chicago Tribune: "The United States will play for the gold medal that has eluded them for nearly two decades."

What they said in Canada:

Sporting News: "Was there ever a doubt that Canada and the United States would meet in the women's hockey gold-medal game in Pyeongchang?"

CTV News: "Canada's women's hockey team will play for Olympic gold again - only the US women's basketball team has a longer streak of consecutive Olympic gold medals at six."

Globe and Mail: "It never gets old. Even though this match-up could have been predicted months ago, the rebooting of one of the game's most electrifying rivalries means it's likely worth the wait."

Norovirus hits 238 people at Games

USA men's hockey player James Wisniewski's father Jim will not be attending the team's game against Slovakia on Tuesday after contracting norovirus.

The 62-year-old American vomited while waiting for a taxi and has been in isolation in one of two apartments his family rented for the Games.

Officials said on Monday the norovirus outbreak has hit 283 people at the Pyeongchang Games, including two athletes.

Most of the norovirus cases are workers who have since recovered, but Swiss freestyle skiers Fabian Bosch and Elias Ambuehl also fell sick with the highly contagious bug.

Gold medals won on Monday

• Norway's Lorentzen edges to 500m speed skating gold

• Canada and Germany share gold in two-man bobsleigh

• Norway win maiden ski jumping team gold

Other news from day 10

• An anti-doping case has been opened against Russian medal-winning curler Alexander Krushelnitsky, says the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

• French alpine skier Mathieu Faivre, the boyfriend of Olympic giant slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin, has been sent home following angry comments made after his giant slalom race on Sunday.

• American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn says her family were denied access to watch her downhill training runs. "Beyond disappointing that my family flew 6,000 miles to watch me ski and they aren't even allowed to watch," she tweeted.