CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The epicenter of the women’s hockey world is in suburban Pittsburgh this week.

The U.S. and Canada were left with holes on their calendar when the 2019 Four Nations Tournament, originally scheduled to be played this month in Sweden, was canceled.

“Unfortunately, the Four Nations was canceled, so in a really quick timeline we put this together,” said Katie Million, director of women’s national team programs for USA Hockey. “Pittsburgh reached out with any opportunity to host the women’s team, and we jumped on that immediately and they’ve been great hosts. Canada is one of our greatest competitors, so it’s always awesome to be able to play them. For them to come here and train side-by-side with us is pretty cool, too. We’re really excited to be together the whole week and then to play the games on Friday and Sunday.”

This week’s exhibition will serve as a preview for the five-game Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canada, which begins next month. A full schedule and ticket information can be found here.

The culminating event this year is the 2020 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which takes place in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia.

“Every time the U.S. and Canada face off, you can expect the best from both teams,” goaltender Maddie Rooney said. “I think the series against Canada will be a great test for us, and I think the fans will be happy with what they see because they’re going to get a great performance out of both teams.”

Rooney backstopped Team USA to arguably the greatest game in U.S. women’s hockey history with 29 saves in the 2018 Olympic gold-medal game, including stops on Canada’s last two attempts in a shootout to help the U.S. win its first Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey since 1998.

The U.S. and Canada have battled in the gold-medal game of every Olympic Winter Games and World Championships with the exception of the 2019 World Championship and 2006 Olympics. The U.S. is the reigning Olympic champion and has captured gold in eight of the last nine World Championships, including a record five straight.

This week’s games are exhibitions, but the U.S. is treating it like a championship.

“Obviously we want to win,” Million said. “We always want to win, but we don’t have the opportunity to get together as a team that often throughout the year, so when we have these opportunities, these times are special, and we want to take advantage and make the most of them.”

Throughout the week, the U.S. players will be visible in the community, holding youth clinics, practices and autographs sessions.

Exhibition games on Nov. 8 and 10 streamed on HockeyTV.