“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark…” If you’re playing Team USA or Canada, that is. Monday was a slower day at the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, with only two games on the slate. However, both matches put the world’s two best teams against two countries recently promoted from Division IA. The resulting bloodbath was hardly a surprise.
To start, it was the first-ever meeting in international women’s hockey between the USA and Austria. Both teams made some adjustments to their lineup ahead of the game. For the Americans, Jesse Compher and Rory Guilday drew in for Grace Zumwinkle and Emma Peschel as head coach John Wroblewski tinkered with the lineup ahead of the quarterfinals. On the Austrian side, it was Mercyhurst starter Magdalena Luggin in net. She took over for her older sister Selma, who made 90 saves across Austria’s first two games.
First period: Once Team USA gets rolling…
From puck drop, the US was in control of this match. They penned Austria in their defensive zone, with barely any momentum going the other way. The Austrians didn’t put a single shot on Aerin Frankel for several minutes.
Still, the Americans had to warm up. There was an early near miss, but the supposed goal was called off for a high stick. Caroline Harvey had the actual first goal about ten minutes in, and from there, the floodgates were open.
Before the end of the first period, Hilary Knight increased her record-setting goal total, and Harvey had another tally. Tessa Janecke even snuck one in before the buzzer sounded.
Second period: …they don’t stop
When I say the floodgates opened, I mean Austria was suddenly overwhelmed by tsunami-level waves of goals. In the next 20 minutes, Team USA scored four more goals. Janecke had her second of the game early, followed by Joy Dunne, Lacey Eden, and Megan Keller on the scoreboard. Midway through the period, the Americans swapped goalies, with Gwyneth Philips coming in to let Frankel rest. Third-string netminder Callie Shanahan did not dress for this game, even though it would have been a good opportunity to get her international ice time.
Third period: Are you sick of “Free Bird” yet?
The third frame was surprisingly quiet through the first several minutes. The US never let off the gas pedal, even when they were up 8-0, but Austria had a few attempts. Knight scored again eight minutes into the period, followed shortly by Rory Guilday to put the lead in double digits. Not content with only two goals and an assist, Harvey put the puck in the back of the net one more time to secure her hat trick. The broadcast even showed one lonely cap that landed on the ice.
Perhaps the best moment of the game came in the 54th minute. A strong forecheck from Theresa Schafzahl and some inattention from the US set up a sequence of events for Austria to score their first goal of the game and only their second of the tournament. It was Annika Fazokas, the top scorer from the Division IA championships last year, who put the puck in the top corner and past Philips, assisted by Lena Dauböck. Despite the score, it was all smiles for the Austrian players and fans in Esbjerg. The goal ended Team USA’s 174:35 shutout streak at Worlds. It was only the second-ever goal allowed by Philips at the senior international level.
That was all she wrote for either team, though, and the game ended with a final score of 11-1. The shots were wildly lopsided, with the US putting up 66 compared to Austria’s 5. Luggin still made 55 saves. On the other end, Aerin Frankel, as the starting goaltender, earned the win. It was her 17th total, the most wins ever for a US goaltender at Worlds. In other records, Harvey officially beat Hockey Hall of Famer Angela Ruggiero for most goals scored at Worlds by an American defender.
Denmark 0, Canada 10
Over in Herning, the home country was similarly walloped by one of the world’s best. Canada gave Kayle Osborne her first start, while it was Caroline Bjergstad, who plays for Clarkson in the NCAA, in goal for Denmark. Similar to the US-Austria game, Canada controlled the game from the jump, but it took them a little while to get on the board. Around the 15-minute mark, Renata Fast and Rosalie Tremblay scored two goals in less than a minute, and that was pretty much it. By the end of the first frame, Emma Maltais had also scored to bring it to 3-0, while Denmark didn’t even have a single shot.
In the second period, the Canadians tallied three more, courtesy of Kristin O’Neill, Sarah Fillier, Maltais again, and Kendall Cooper. Fillier made her 2026 Worlds debut in this game after recovering from an injury sustained in a pre-tournament tune-up against the US, but her power-play goal proved that she is back and ready to go.
After the second Maltais goal, Denmark made a goalie swap, bringing in Aya Peterson for Bjergstad. Canada continued to shell her just as much as they had the previous netminder. After one more brutal period for the Danes, the final score was 10-0, with 74 shots faced by the two Danish goalies. Osborne, meanwhile, only saw six. Canada’s three third-period goals were a wrist shot from the slot for Jessie Eldridge, Sara Manness’ first Worlds goal, and a closer for team captain Laura Stacey.
After 60 minutes, the destruction in both games, which were played concurrently, came to an end. Even though Canada and the US demolished teams they were expected to handily rout, these games still matter. Both Austria and Denmark are back in action on Tuesday for their last games of the group stage after enduring these brutal ordeals. As for Canada and the USA, goal differential is a tiebreaker in establishing the top overall seed going into the quarterfinals. If the Americans and the Canadians have the same number of wins at the end of the group stage, as they likely will, it will come down to who scored more goals than their opponents.
Tuesday’s schedule
Czechia vs. Germany – 3 PM (Local) / 9 AM (EST)
Finland vs. Japan – 3 PM (Local) / 9 AM (EST)
Switzerland vs. Austria – 7 PM (Local) / 1 PM (EST)
Sweden vs. Denmark – 7 PM (Local) / 1 PM (EST)
