Canada beats U.S. 5-3 in Windsor exhibition

The rivalry returned to Windsor on Wednesday night.

The Canada and United States women's national teams played an exhibition match at the WFCU Centre. The contest served as a final tune-up before both nations travel to Denmark for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Canada built a 2-0 lead early in the game. The U.S. team pushed back with a comeback attempt, but Canada held its advantage to secure a 5-3 victory.

The crowd at the WFCU Centre included many local hockey players and young athletes. Alanna Montague, who has crossed the border to watch games in the past, attended this match to see the action close to home. She described the intensity as a defining feature of the rivalry. "I think it’s the rivalry period. It’s the passion that both teams show, how much they hate and love each other and how they play each other so tough," Montague said.

Star players Sarah Fillier of Canada and Hilary Knight of the U.S. took the ice to the cheers of fans waving flags. For Tenley and Tessa Thomson, the game provided a direct source of inspiration. Tessa stated that playing at the same level as the athletes on the ice would be her dream.

Stephanie Wilson, a resident of Maidstone, attended the event with a T-shirt signed by the 1997 Canadian team. Wilson was 11 years old when she watched the women’s championships in Kitchener that year. She noted that the sport lacked visibility at that time. "It’s amazing to see them on TV now. It never was there before; we just didn’t exist. Like I used to change in the trophy room before because no other girls were playing, so I changed in the trophy room when everybody else was changing in the dressing room," Wilson said. She called the increased exposure a confidence booster for young women.

The teams will begin their world championship campaigns on Nov. 6. Canada faces Sweden, while the U.S. plays Switzerland. Local fans can also look forward to the PWHL Detroit expansion team, which starts its inaugural season on Dec. 6.