By Trevor Stynes and Giulio Piovaccari
MILAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Marie-Philip Poulin made an impressive return from injury on Saturday, equalling the record for most career goals in women's Olympic ice hockey and helping Canada reach the semi-finals, but the captain's focus was all about getting back on the ice and the challenge ahead.
Poulin suffered a knee injury against the Czech Republic in Canada's second game. After she missed the 5-0 loss to rivals the United States and Canada's win over Finland,
the five-times Olympian's return had been in doubt for Saturday's quarter-final with Germany.
To the relief of the fans, and her team, Poulin was there for the puck drop, winning the opening face-off and showing no ill-effects as she tied fellow-Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser's Olympic record of 18 goals with the last score of Canada's 5-1 win.
"Honestly, I don't think that way," Poulin said about the milestone goal.
"I think being... in the stands for the last two put things in perspective for sure," Poulin said. "I missed the U.S. game, I missed the Finland game. You want to be part of that. You never want to be on the sideline due to an injury."
RETURN WAS A LATE DECISION
The final script could not have been written better for Canada, but it was touch and go over Poulin's return, with the 34-year-old determined to play.
"It sounds good on paper for sure, I'll take it," coach Troy Ryan said.
"It's just great to have her back no matter what. We didn't really finally make the decision until our pre-game meeting, it was very late. She probably convinced us more than I was excited to play her," Ryan said.
"I thought maybe another day, but medical has reassured us that there was no risk and we weren't putting her in a bad situation. Poulin, I think, wanted to just get a feel for it all before things get going."
Poulin is looking to win her fourth gold medal, and after the U.S. thumping, having their 'Captain Clutch' is seen as vital if Canada are to have a chance of defending their title.
"She's one of the best players in the world, so it's nice having her in our lineup," said Sarah Fillier, whose pass set up Poulin's goal.
"But just her presence on the bench and in the locker room is really important for us," Fillier said. "I feel like we can kind of take a deep breath when she's around, and she's a great leader."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes in Milan; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
