Canada and the USA ready to face off as the Rivalry Series returns

The GIST: The PWHL is on international break, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your women’s hockey fix. The Rivalry Series — aka the spicy, icy five-game showdown between the Canadian and American national teams — is back on the ice. Drop that puck.

Team USA eyeing comeback after dropping games two and three: The last two editions of the Rivalry Series saw Canada complete the reverse sweep to steal the series from the red, white, and blue. Down 2-1 this year, it’s the Americans’ turn to flip the script, with ageless forward Hilary Knight leading the charge in tomorrow’s 6 p.m. ET game four.

Zooming out: It’s no secret that women’s hockey’s recent growth has been exponential — look no further than the PWHL Takeover Tour’s sold-out arenas. But it didn’t happen overnight: Many trailblazing women in the sport paved the way for what’s happening now and the bright future that lies ahead.

• From Team USA boycotting the 2017 women’s hockey worlds because of inequitable treatment to the trials and tribulations of forming a sustainable women’s professional hockey league in North America, today’s women’s hockey product has truly been a labor of love.