Plenty was at stake on the final day of group-stage play at the World Championships on Wednesday. Early in the afternoon, Canada defeated Finland 2-0. For the second day in a row, Germany pulled off an upset, defeating Switzerland 3-1.
The evening games were not as close. Team USA had another blow-out victory, this time an 8-1 win over Czechia. In Group B, Sweden defeated Japan 5-0.
With the win over Finland, Canada locked up the top spot in Group B and maintained an undefeated group-stage record. For Finland, the loss dropped them to third place in Group B, but there is reason for optimism heading into the knockout round.
Canada secures first place in Group B
First period: Finland starts strong, Canada responds
When the puck dropped, Finland looked like the team that had played a game the day before. The Finns started fast, pressuring Canada in the opening minutes.
Canada weathered the storm, and Caitlin Kraemer got Canada on the board after the early Finnish push. Kraemer forced the puck out of her own zone and sped past a Finnish player in the neutral zone. On a 2-on-1, Kraemer ripped a wrist shot past Sanni Ahola in the Finnish net to give the Canadians the lead.
Kraemer was one of Canada’s best forwards against Finland on Wednesday. In her first World Championships, Kraemer scored 2 goals and 5 points in the group stage. Through four games, Kraemer’s 5 points are the second-most among Canadian forwards.
Canada settled into the game after the Kraemer goal. Finland continued to create chances, but Canada outshot the Finns 16-9 in the period. After one, Canada led 1-0.
Second period: Goaltenders shine
The back-and-forth nature of the first period continued in the second. The teams traded chances, but both goalies stood tall.
Finland looked like the better team for portions of the second period. The Finns pressured Canada and controlled the puck in the Canadian zone for stretches of the period. However, they couldn’t find a way past Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Coming into this game, Finland had had an up-and-down tournament. Against Canada, Finland brought their A game.
Elisa Holopainen was especially noticeable against the Canadians. Holopainen utilized her speed to create several offensive chances for Finland. Her four shots were tied with Petra Nieminen for most among Finnish players.
For all of the chances in the second period, Finland still trailed 1-0 heading into the third.
Third period: Canada capitalizes
The third period epitomized the entire game: Both teams had opportunities to score, but Canada capitalized on the chances they created.
Finland went on the power play early in the third period, but they couldn’t beat Desbiens. Minutes later, Sarah Fillier collected a beautiful pass from Jessie Eldridge and beat Sanni Ahola on the blocker side to double Canada’s lead.
The goal was Fillier’s second of the tournament and her third point in two games. Eldridge’s assist was her team-leading fourth assist of the tournament. Eldridge registered 7 points in the group stage, the most among Canadian forwards.
Finland continued to create several high-quality scoring chances after Fillier’s goal, but Desbiens shut the door every time. Finland pulled Ahola late, but they weren’t able to beat the Canadian netminder, who made 25 saves in the shutout victory. Desbiens earned player of the game honors for Canada.
Germany pulls off another upset
One day after defeating Czechia in a shootout, Germany pulled off another upset, this time over Switzerland.
Switzerland took an early lead when Alessia Baechler hammered home a one-timer from the circle. The Swiss led after one period, but Germany responded with 2 goals in the second period: Laura Kluge tied the game early in the second, and under a minute later, Nina Jobst-Smith scored her third goal of the tournament to give Germany the lead.
Emily Nix added an insurance goal for Germany early in the third period, and the Germans held on for a 3-1 win. With the victory, Germany came away with a surprising second-place finish in Group A.
Team USA finishes top of Group A with a dominating win over Czechia
USA dominated throughout the group stage, and Wednesday’s game against Czechia was no different. In the first period, Czechia was lucky to get the puck out of their own zone; the Americans scored twice and outshot Czechia 18-1.
The domination continued in the second and third. Team USA potted the first 8 goals of the game: Hilary Knight scored a hat trick, Abbey Murphy scored 2 goals, and Taylor Fox finished with 3 assists. In total, USA outshot Czechia 54-12 en route to an 8-1 win. Natálie Mlýnková broke the shutout and got Czechia on the board late in the third period.
With the win, the Americans finished as the top overall seed for the knockout round of the tournament. Czechia ended with a disappointing fourth-place finish in Group A, meaning they will face Canada in the quarterfinals.
Sweden takes care of business against Japan
If Germany were the surprise team in Group A, Sweden were the surprise team in Group B. Finland’s loss to Canada earlier in the day meant that Sweden were locked into second place in Group B before they hit the ice against Japan. Even so, Sweden finished off an impressive group-stage effort with a commanding 5-0 win over Japan.
Thea Johansson put Sweden in the lead in the opening minute of the first period. Mira Jungåker and Ebba Hedqvist added first-period goals, giving Sweden a 3-0 lead after one period. A pair of Wilma Sundin goals, one in the second period and another in the third, sealed the win for Sweden.
Sweden will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Japan will try to avoid relegation by beating Austria in the relegation game.
Friday schedule
After a day off on Thursday, the knockout stage and relegation begin on Friday.
Relegation game: Austria vs. Japan, 11 AM local (5 AM EST)
Quarterfinal matchups:
- Germany vs. Finland, 3 PM local (9 AM EST)
- Canada vs. Czechia, 3 PM local (9 AM EST)
- USA vs. Denmark, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
- Sweden vs. Switzerland, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
