The public address announcer let the crowd know Canada was penalized for “too many men on the ice,” during the first period Saturday evening at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.

The statement was somewhat quizzical and turned more than a few heads because the U.S. women’s national team was hosting Canada in an exhibition match, which Canada won, 5-3.

It was the first time USA Hockey Arena has ever hosted the U.S. women’s national team. The exhibition was part of the first-ever Team USA Winter Champions Series and was the first of two games in a three-day span as both teams came off a week of training camp. The two national teams play again, 7 p.m. Monday, at Progressive Arena in Sarnia, Ontario.

“Anytime you play Canada, it’s a battle and you always want to come out with a win,” said Megan Keller of Farmington, the only Michigan player on U.S. squad. “So we have to put this behind us and focus on the things we can do better in Monday’s matchup.

“It was an awesome atmosphere out there, to be able to come back to my hometown and play with Team USA, a bunch of good players out there. And the biggest rivalry in women’s hockey, it’s something special to experience here in Plymouth.”

Only Canada and the USA have won women’s Olympic hockey gold. The U.S. won the team medal in 1998 and Canada has won the last four since, twice by beating the Americans in the process.

Canada scored first when Rebecca Johnston scored on a power-play goal, but Team USA took a 2-1 lead after Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker scored back-to-back power-play goals, Decker’s coming on a rebounded shot during a 5-on-3 advantage.

The officials sent six Canada players to the penalty box the first period alone, and for a 10-second span three were squeezed in there at the same time.

“This is never going to be a love affair,” said Team USA coach Robb Stauber. “It’s typically going to be a hard fought game, a lot of penalties. And some of them I didn’t even see so that tells me there’s some stuff going on behind the play. That tells me there’s a little bit if frustration that set in, and quite frankly we can be a frustrating team to play against.”

Each team scored an even-strength goal in the second period – Decker for the U.S. for a 3-1 edge before Jillian Saulnier for Canada.

In the third, Canada took a 4-3 lead on goals just 58 seconds apart. Johnston scored quickly, just 1:02 into the period, before Natalie Spooner gathered the puck behind the U.S. net and made a wrap-around shot behind U.S. goalie Alex Rigsby. The final goal was an empty-netter in the closing minute.

“We learned a lot tonight,” Stauber said. “But I have to say when you’re up 3-1 and you’ve got them on the hook, we’ve got to figure out how to get the job done because we’re right there. We have to take advantage of those opportunities. Against a team like that, they won’t come around very often.”

Large groups of elementary and teenage girls, many donning their own hockey uniforms, were chanting ‘U-S-A’ on several occasions throughout the final period to try motivating their older heroes. But the Americans couldn’t capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play midway through the third.

“It’s great for our players to have that kind of energy in the building,” Stauber said about the 3,308 fans in attendance, the most ever for a hockey game since USA Hockey took over the arena in Plymouth. Seating capacity is just over 3,400.

The USA Hockey Arena and national program will host the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships, March 31 to April 7.