Sudbury's Rebecca Johnston celebrates third Olympic gold medal

In her fourth Olympic Games, Sudbury's Rebecca Johnston won her third gold medal Thursday in Beijing. Johnston is pictured with captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored two goals in the team's 3-2 win over the U.S. on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of HHOF-IIHF Images)

In her fourth Olympic Games, Sudbury's Rebecca Johnston won her third gold medal Thursday in Beijing.

Canada's women's hockey team downed archrival U.S. 3-2 in a game that finished early Thursday morning. Canada's win was spurred by two goals from captain Marie-Philip Poulin.

Johnston also had a strong tournament, notching two goals and 10 points in seven games. She also helped Canada win gold at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, as well as a silver at PyeongChang 2018 where she was among the team’s leading scorers.

She told CTV's Brendan Connor last month that even after all this time, the Olympics are a thrill.

"It never gets old," Johnston said. "It's a huge honour and I'm so proud to be able to represent my country. I look forward to this every year. We work towards this moment."

She said her experience on the big stage is something she is sharing with younger players.

"Being a vet and having that experience having been to three Olympics so far, I definitely know what to expect," Johnston said. "There are definitely a lot of rookies that have come up to me to ask questions … I just want to make sure that I help in any way."

With Canada and the U.S. dominant in women's hockey, she said they were focused on facing the Americans in the final.

"It's always the most fun playing against the Americans because they are so fast, they're skilled," Johnston said.

"We have to really be playing our best hockey to win those games."

--With Files from Brendan Connor