Canada strikes early, often to even Rivalry Series 3-3 against U.S. in Trois-Rivières

Circle Wednesday on the calendar if you enjoy do-or-die showdowns between acrimonious rivals.

After dropping the first three games of the seven-game national women's Rivalry Series to the United States, Canada has bounced back with three consecutive wins, including Monday night's 5-1 victory at the sold-out Colisee Videotron in Trois-Rivières, Que.

The seventh and deciding game will be played Wednesday at Place Bell in Laval, Que.

Sarah Nurse opened the scoring for Canada on Family Day with a goal at 3:06 of the first period, with Brianne Jenner and Rebecca Johnston drawing assists.

Eighteen seconds later Laura Stacey scored to give Canada a 2-0 lead. Emily Clark earned an assist.

In the third period Claire Thompson put Canada up 3-0 at 10:21, then Brianne Jenner (16:28) and Marie-Philip Poulin (18:55) scored empty-net goals to seal the deal for Canada.

With the late goal, Poulin became the fifth player to record 200 Team Canada points, joining Haley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Caroline Ouellette and Danielle Goyette. She just needs three more goals to become the fourth player to score 100 times.

2⃣0⃣0⃣‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/pou29?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pou29</a> has become the 5th player in