PYEONGCHANG, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- After a historic victory in women's ice hockey tournament of the PyeongChang Games, the United States coach Robb Stauber felt so happy for the team.

The US team ended a 20-year gold medal drought by beating archrival and four-time champion Canada 3-2 in a shootout thriller on Thursday.

"It hasn't set in. But what I do know, what I feel deep in my heart, I am so happy for our players. Ten players were with us (at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games) in 2014 who know what it feels like to be on the other side when (they lost to Canada in the final)," said Stauber.

"I am thrilled not only for those 10 players but the entire team. That was our goal coming into the Olympics, to fight really hard for a different result."

The two powerhouses have traded world titles and Olympic medals since the 1990s. They have also been the only two women's ice hockey teams ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

Asked about the rivalry between the teams, the coach said: "We lost five games coming in before to them. All of them were by one goal and were tough games. It's a very heated rivalry and I expect that it will continue. We are very fortunate that we are on the other end of it.

"And that's when you have a lot of respect for your opponents. It's not just Canada, we respect the other countries. They are working hard, they have a goal too. Our mindset is that we have to come to play every single minute of this tournament. And that's what it took," Stauber added.