Clearly it does work, as they beat one of the world’s best hockey teams 6-1. A five point lead at that level of competitive sports is a clear indicator of a thorough ass-whooping.

When I first read this I thought only the Canadians wore masks and won despite of that. Then I read the article. By no means I am saying ass-whooping did not occur :)

My point is that these women clearly knew that they could perform at an extremely high level while wearing masks.

That I understand. But how that's connected to the outcome of the game, I still don't understand.