WHOC: CAN 3 USA 2 (OT)

SOCHI, Russia (CP) – Canada captured a historic fourth Olympic gold medal in women's hockey Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win over the United States in a thrilling championship final.

The only other women's team to win more consecutive Olympic gold is the U.S. in women's basketball with five in a row from 1996 to 2012.

Marie-Philip Poulin scored the winner on a power play at 8:10 of overtime for her second of the game. She had tied it up with 55 seconds remaining in regulation.

In overtime, Canadian defender Catherine Ward was serving a cross-checking minor and American forward Jocelyne Lamoureux a slashing minor when Canada's Hayley Wickenheiser took off on a breakaway.

She was "hauled down" by Hilary Knight and Poulin scored on the ensuing four-on-three.

With four straight gold medals in women's hockey Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford and Caroline Ouellette joined Soviet biathlete Alexander Tikhonov and German speedskater Claudia Pechstein as gold medallists in four consecutive Winter Games.

The Swiss defeated Sweden 4-3 earlier for Switzerland's first Olympic medal in women's hockey.