A recap of the action from January 7, 2025, Day 3 of the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa, Finland.

Switzerland 5, Slovakia 3


This was a fun and fast-paced game that was all about placement for these two teams. Loser placed last in their group and would likely face the US in the quarterfinals - which also likely means a trip to the relegation game. Winner places third and faces Sweden or Finland.

Switzerland was in penalty trouble early and often in this game. Slovakia's first goal came 90 seconds into the second period when Gabriela Lačná tapped in a pass from Ema Tóthová on a 5-on-3 power play. But the Swiss were very good on the penalty kill, particularly in generating short-handed chances.

Norina Müller put Switzerland on the board just as the second penalty expired, dancing through the slot with some nice stickhandling and beating Slovak goalie Mariana Sumegová with a deke to make it 1-1. A minute after that, Müller once again stickhandled through traffic, this time going top shelf to make it 2-1.

Swiss goalie Amaya Iseli was strong, denying some odd-player rushes and stifling Slovakia. As the period wound down, Laure Mériguet let do of a shot from the blue line that deflected in traffic and found the back of the net and made it 3-1 Switzerland.

Early in the third Slovakia cut into the lead when Nela Lopušanová chased down a defender, won the puck and hit Lačná for an easy tap in to cut the lead to 3-2. But once again the Swiss quickly responded on an awkward play where Sumegová and Elissa Dalessi got tangled at one post. Dalessi still managed to pass the puck behind the net and while Sumegová was still getting up, Hannah Estermann tucked the puck around the other post to make it 4-2. They added one more last on a wrister from Livia Tschannen.

Slovakia called a late timeout and on the final play, Lačná completed her first-ever international hat trick as she tapped in a pass from Lopušanová, who has had a hand in every Slovak goal this tournament.

What We Learned:

  • Sometimes you just have to shoot – I had hoped to ask Swiss coach Melanie Häfliger about her team's approach and the scouting reports, but she left immediately after the game and wasn't available to media. It's disappointing because to me this was a throughline to the game for this team and something I think they'll have to look at as they progress in the tournament. I'm not trying to harsh on the Swiss after a big win, but honestly they could have had twice as many goals. There's a hesitation to their play still - or maybe better said, there's a lack of urgency such that they missed opportunities on an open net several times because they didn't just one-time the puck back at the net. At least one of them wouldn't have even needed to be a shot, that's how open the net was - a redirect would have sufficed. It looked as though the scouting report said to shoot high on Sumegová and thus every time a player got the puck, she tried to settle it and set herself up to place the shot and that often gave either the goalie or a defender a chance to get back in position. This is a product of the players' age and development and something they'll get better at as they go, but I always think it's interesting to note the fine line between coaching and molding the players and also giving them some freedom to be very good hockey players. At some point, it's detrimental to have them thinking about every step and it leads to overthinking. Hockey instincts would have had the players one-timing the plays I'm referring to, but instead they were so in their head about scouting reports and what the coaches said that they actively made a worse play.
  • Slovak special teams – Switzerland took nine penalties in this game, including three in a row starting with about 15 minutes left in the game and Slovakia scored just one extra-attacker goal. In the third, they never managed to be threatening with the game on the line. They made other mistakes, but were still in this game. Switzerland basically handed them the opportunity to make this a game and they simply did not come close to taking advantage. Slovakia has done so many good things during this tournament and I think they're going to be so frustrated with themselves when they watch film after its all said and done. They're likely going to play in the relegation game and they have no one to blame but themselves.
  • Undercard fun – Liz will probably tell me I'm using that wrong, but this morning's game reaffirmed something I've been saying on and off for a few years - the most entertaining games are often the early games between lower ranked teams.

Standout Performances:

  • Switzerland F Elissa Dalessi  – One of the IIHF writers on press row said that Dalessi looked like she hit the ice today determined that her team wasn't going to lose. She was focused and determined, with an eye on the goal and ready to pounce on opportunities. Her assist came on a play where it looked like the goalie gave her a little extra shove, but Dalessi had the wherewithal to get the puck to her teammate while the goalie struggled to get back up. It was just a really good encapsulation of how she played today.
  • Slovakia F Gabriela Lačná – Slovakia might have the biggest talent disparity between their top line and bottom one and there are times where it's clear Nela Lopušanová and Ema Tóthová are in need of some help. Today, Lačná showed she can provide it. Opponents are always going to focus on Lopušanová, but Lačná's scoring touch opens the ice up even more for Slovakia. Coaches moved her up to the top power play unit and while the team wasn't much successful with the extra attacker, it was clear that Lačná changed the dynamic. I'm excited to watch what she can do in the future.

Quotable:

"I don't know. We have to pass the puck a little bit more. We are just losing time on the puck. There is no movement. It's easy to defend if the puck is not moving, so we have to work on that for sure." - Slovakia coach Michal Kobezda, on what didn't work on the power play

"I am happy for (Gabriela Lačná). We moved her to the power play with our best two players and it worked out. I hope it's going to work in the next few games." - Kobezda

"We have to face the truth. We are the last seed in the group. We have one more chance in the quarterfinals. We're going to try and get through the USA and if not we'll play for relegation. That's how it is. We have to deal with it. We have to get our heads together. We just have to fight." - Kobezda

"These huge mistakes cost us the game. It's simple stuff on the ice. Just get it out of the zone so we can change lines and we're not doing it and that's why we're spending so much time in our defensive zone. We have to work on it." - Kobezda

"I think this game I did a good job stickhandling." - Swiss F Norina Müller, about her two goals

"We want to keep fighting as a team and have fun and we'll see what happens." - Müller

"Of course she's a great player. She's one of the best in the world. I think every girl looks up to her." - Müller on if she feels an affinity to Swiss senior team player Alina Müller

"This game was really important. This victory made us not go to the relegation game. We had more focus. I think it was just that we really wanted to go forward and not go to relegation, so that really pushed us." - Switzerland F Elisa Dalessi

"I was at the back door but when I was trying to deflect the puck the goalie fell on my skate so I fell to the ice and then I made the pass from the floor to my teammate and she scored. I'm pretty happy with what I did, that I didn't give up in that moment and I kept going." - Dalessi

"I was standing in the right spot and Ema and Nela found me and I scored the goals. I was very happy to play with those players because they can feed me the puck and it is easy to play with them." - Slovakia F Gabriela Lačná

"We still have a chance to win and we have to push hard and try to win in the quarterfinals." - Lačná

"I was sad in the locker room but the girls told me that you have to be patient and you will have another chance and you'll score goals and they were right." - Lačná

Sweden 5, Japan 4 OT

This was the second straight game where I felt bad asking a Japanese player to talk post game. There is no team playing with more heart than Japan and they've come up just short. As the newly promoted team from D1A they knew they had a tough road ahead of them. It was their inexperience, not their skill, that led two these two losses. No team at this tournament needs to be in this top group more than Japan and it's been so heartbreaking to watch them come so close. Their palpable joy and surprise every time they score has been a highlight of the week so far.

Sweden looked like they were going to get a fast start, but an early goal was overturned for a high stick. Ten minutes later, on a similar play, the review showed a good goal and Edit Danielsson's redirect game them a 1-0 lead. Japan replied before the end of the first, taking advantage of their first power play. The Japanese were active on the player advantage, with several players getting involved in the middle of the ice. They moved the puck well and scored when Koko Ruike's shot from distance found twine.

The second was chaotic, with five goals and four penalties. Japan continued to scramble the Swedes, who looked flat and a little stunned at times. They took the lead 29 seconds into the second when Reina Kakuta put back a soft rebound to make it 2-1. Four minutes later, Nanaho Yamagutchi took advantage of another rebound, this time on the power play, to make it 3-1 Japan.

Those goals seemed to rouse Sweden a bit, as they scored twice in just over a minute on a nice shot from the circles by Matilda Osterman and a put back by Linn Mattson, but overall the Swedes were reactionary and out of sorts.

Despite having quickly lost the lead, Japan still battled back as Nana Akimoto showed off some skating just as their power play expired, eventually placing a shot in the corner to make it 4-3 Japan.

Unsurprisingly, the leader of this Swedish team, Edit Danielsson, stepped up as the clock wound down to score the equalizer and force overtime. The game looked destined for penalties, but Japan's inexperience in these situations came through again and Sweden scored the game-winner with just 10.3 seconds left on the clock. Ebba Westerlind, the hero of Sweden's OT win over Finland, drove the net but hit the post. And then the Swede's youngest player, Ebba Hesselvall, put back the rebound to salvage the game for Sweden.

What We Learned:

  • The game is won before it starts? – That's what Sweden coach Andreas Karlsson said after a frankly flat and lackluster game from his team. He felt like they didn't have their heads on straight before they even took the ice and that meant that everything in this game was hard work. It's definitely a "coachism" but the first three days have really highlighted how important attitude and preparation are for getting a players' head right before puck drop. Japan went into this game believing they could win. Karlsson wasn't sure if his players took the outcome of this game for granted but he was almost without words in frustration and disbelief even though his team eventually won.
  • Time to expand – I'm a well-known sucker for an underdog and certainly this argument has been on the table each of the past few years, but honestly, it's detrimental to the growth of this sport as a whole for one of these teams to be relegated. Yes, there's still obvious strata and separation between some of the teams here, but that's not going to get any better by taking top tier competition away from a team - particularly if that team is Japan, who is so isolated from the rest of the top tier teams and does not regularly get to play games at a high level. With two incredibly close overtime losses, bar a massive upset in the quarterfinals, Japan looks destined to play in the relegation game and that's just such a shame.

Standout Performances:

  • Sweden D Ebba Westerlind – She scored the OT game-winner against Finland and had the primary assist on this overtime winner because her shot went off the post and left a rebound. Particularly in a game where things weren't clicking and going well for Sweden, opening up the zone and adding offense from the blue line was so important. She leads all defenders in the tournament with a goal and two assists.
  • Japan F Umeka Odaira – She has been the heart and soul of this team on the ice through the opening rounds. She's a talented skater and puck handler, has been taking the bulk of the faceoffs and lead the team with more than 30 minutes of ice time. She's the best Japanese player and she leads by example.

Quotable:

"When we lead the game, we should keep the lead and play harder. We need better passing and we need to score. Of course we scored four, but we needed five.

We practice in a small area and work on our speed and we try to use that to beat these teams.

"We are not used to playing with the lead. Now we have lead two games and we lost both games. We have to learn how to play with and keep the lead. We have to get better on defense. There are lessons to be learned." - Japan coach Yujiro Kasahara

"She's one of our key players. She leads the team and the other players work to be at her level." - Kasahara, on Umeka Odaira

“We don't get to play against European teams often, we only made one trip to Europe in November, so we play against high school and university teams at home." - Kasahara

"We really want to stay in the top division. When we go down the competition isn't as strong. The players don't get better. If they're playing in the top division then they can get better and make it to the senior team." - Kasahara

"It feels good to win even if we didn't play our best game. We have to be ready from the start. We were a little relaxed." - Sweden F Edit Danielsson

"We stood a little still. I thought we had to get some movement, so I took the puck and then I saw that they were kind of close so it was just for me to shoot and I'm lucky it went in." - Danielsson

"She's really a really offensive defender. She's a really good player and can always score goals." - Danielsson, on Ebba Westerlind

"I'm really glad for her. She has fought for this. She has shown that she can play in these games and in overtime. She has so much talent." - Danielsson, on Hesselvall

“This wasn't good enough, I’m really disappointed. We just weren’t there, we didn’t skate." - Sweden coach Andreas Karlsson

USA 5, Finland 0

The US closed out a perfect opening round of the tournament with a third-straight shutout that made Morgan Stickney the first ever goaltender to record three shutouts at one U18 Women's World Championship. She also set an IIHF U18 record with a 180 minute (and counting) shutout sequence. The previous record was 179:47 by Sidney Peters in 2014 (of note, that was not completed in consecutive games). Stickney has faced just 32 total shots over those three games. As a team, the US are just a few minutes more than a full game away from a team consecutive shutout streak that dates back to the gold medal game in Zug last year.

Evelyn Doyle got the scoring started on a power play about nine minutes in as she put back a rebound from a Bella Fanale shot to make it 1-0 USA.

Things began to unravel for Finland in the second as the Americans settled into their game, possessing the puck and holding the zone. The Finns managed just two shots on goal in the second and none in the third frame as the US really honed their passing and zone time.

Ella Johnson caught Finland goalie Kerttu Kuja-Halkola moving across her crease and slipped the puck through her five-hold to make it 2-0 a few minutes into the second. Five minutes later, Sloane Hartmetz let loose with a shot from the blue line that made it through traffic to the back of the net. Katie Amelkovich's goal in the waning seconds of the frame made it 4-0 and really put the game out of reach.

Finland looked better in the third, forcing the US to the perimeter. They were never really able to break up possession, but did keep the Americans from getting in on net. Bella Fanale closed out the scoring with a quick dash up the boards. Her first shot was stopped, but the rebound came right into her path as she finished her rush and she was able to tuck it back in to make it 5-0 USA.

What We Learned:

  • Steady on – The Americans haven't much been tested in their opening round games, which may make the upcoming knockout games hit a bit harder. But for now, they've been able to work on things and build through each game and there's not much more a coach can ask for. There will always been room for improvement, but the Americans looked much more smooth and disciplined today. They held the puck for long stretches and made Finland play their game the whole way.
  •  Highs and lows – Playing at home always brings an added level of stress and emotion that has to be managed during the course of the tournament. The emotions and mentality of team Finland have been a primary focus of their coaching staff. The Finnish people, as a whole (and a generalization), aren't a very emotive people. They're reserved and they'd say respectful. I remember a few years ago asking a Finnish player why she wasn't more excited about a big win and she told me, "I'm a Finn, we don't do that." No matter how much a team practices, there's no preparing for the feeling of being on the ice in the World Championship and feeling the pride and excitement and also figuring out what to do with all those emotions while playing elite hockey. Navigating all of that with teenagers is way more of the job than a typical hockey coach faces and threading that needle has been a challenge for Finland this week, I think.

Standout Performances:

  • USA D Sloane Hartmetz – She was second on the team with 10 shots behind only Bella Fanale. Her shot from the blue line that found the back of the net through traffic was a beauty. The US defense hasn't much been tested but Hartmetz is riding the line between holding the zone and getting involved in offensive play.
  • Finland D Oona Hamalainen – The home team's defense has had to do some work this tournament and while I think a few other players have been flashier at points, Hamalainen has just been putting in solid, strong minutes. She's holding space in front of the net and helping to clear out loose pucks. It wasn't a great showing all around from Finland, but I think honoring the sort of yeoman's work the defense has been doing makes sense here.

Quotable:

"The first period was good and they did the things we talked about before the game but then the second period was not so good after the USA scored a couple of goals. The third was ok. Even though the USA was playing with the puck a lot, we were defending well." - Finland coach Mira Kuisma

"We have talked a lot the last two days about emotions and controlling your emotions. That was our key today. This is a good place to learn. It's only a short time, but we'll do what we can do." - Kuisma

"I think we really need to move forward and maybe not completely forget - we need to learn everything we can from this game - but it helps we have an off day tomorrow where mentally we can take some time off from thinking about hockey." - Finland G Kerttu Kuja-Halkola

"I haven't gotten tested much. My defense and my forwards have been really helpful. I've made the saves I've had to but my teammates have helped." - USA G Morgan Stickney

"Having a solid goalie when there's a shot on net or a breakaway you don't have to hold your breath because you're confident that she's going to save it. I know that she'll stay strong and she'll continue with this record." - USA F Bella Fanale

"Each period we got better. The second and third we hemmed them in the zone, got some shots on net, played the way we play. It was a good game to build off of. It's all coming together as a team. Each day we're getting better and I think that's all that matters. I'm excited to see where this takes us." - Fanale

"I think today was another day where we got better every period. We let the puck do some work. We were gritty, winning the battles that we should, playing the line game and keeping things simple was really effective for us." - USA coach Liz Keady Norton

"She is very calming in there. It allows our team to play in front of her the way we really can because they believe in her and I believe in her and hopefully she believes in herself." - Keady Norton

"I'd like to work on our special teams and tighten up a few details there and just stay the course otherwise." - Keady Norton on what she wants to work on heading into the quarterfinals

Canada 5, Czechia 0

Chloe Primerano continued to be a generational talent. With the primary assist on Stryker Zablocki's second goal, Primerano set a new record for most career points by a defender at U18 Women's World Championship with 19.

The absence of the fast, creative top line that had led Czechia through the past few tournaments was most glaring during this game where the struggled to do much of anything offensively. That being said, the Czech defense was disciplined and steady. They clogged up the middle, took away passing lanes and sold out again and again to block shots.

Czechia goalie Daniela Nováková made 39 saves and Canada had just one goal in each of the first two periods. The Canadians scored early, which didn't help Czechia's confidence. Stryker Zablocki tipped a shot from distance by Sydney Sawyer to redirect it into the net.

In the second, Rosalie Tremblay carried the puck down the near boards and sent it into the crease. It remained loose and Alex Therien dug at it until it crossed the line to make it 2-0 Canada.

Things started to unravel to start the third as Zablocki was poised to pounce on the loose puck from a rebound and then 19 seconds later Sydney Sawyer's recycled, elevated put back puck cleared the three Czech players crashed out in the crease to make it 4-0 three minutes into the frame. Anaïs Lephron closed out the scoring with a wrister to give Canada the 5-0 win.

What We Learned:

  • Be willing to try – Czechia played this game a bit like they felt going in they weren't good enough to beat Canada. It was a bit of weird self-judgement after they defeated Canada in last year's semifinal, but Czechia played this game timid and too defensively. And they were stellar on the defensive end of the ice, but any time they gained possession it was like a game of hot potato in which they couldn't get rid of the puck fast enough. There was no building from the back, no attempts at creating plays. They skated into the zone, all-but-passed the puck to Canada goalie Marilou Grenier and then peeled off to the bench for a line change and to drop back into defending. Coach Dušan Andrašovský said (in more colorful language than this) that his team looked like they were slogging through the game. You have to score goals to win a game, so while defense was a focus, Czechia played way too conservatively. They were so afraid of giving up anything on defense that they never came close to thinking about offense. Mentally, the players have to find a balance where they'd doing their job and executing the defensive plan, but not to the exclusion of taking some chances to generate offense. They also have to have the confidence to hold the puck in the zone while their teammates change and then get set up. I'm not sure if that's something this team can do because no one even tried.
  • Slow and steady – Can I admit that this was one of the more boring games so far? Especially after all the back and forth of the morning games? Canada is doing what Canada does. It's about habits and playing in system and even the players sound like carbon copies, saying all the right things. Coach Vicky Sunohara said in post game that creativity comes when everyone is playing within the team structure and I'm not sure I believe that because those two words usually mean opposite things, but I also don't think Hockey Canada actually wants much personality and creativity from its teenagers. They're learning the Hockey Canada way and that's usually more straitlaced and stringent. I thought they played well tonight in the face of a tough defense. We watched Canada endlessly cycle the puck on Sunday, so it was good to see them have a better reaction tonight to the blocked shots and tight middle of the ice. They regrouped and adjusted, which is a good lesson for them to have learned. Listen, I'm not doubting Sunohara, who is an actual legend. And whether or not I love the style, it certainly works for Hockey Canada.

Standout Performances:

  • Czechia D Adéla Fromová – I honestly thought about giving this to the entire Czechia defense. Overall, they were so strong and disciplined. They clearly had a plan on how to try and slow down Canada and they did it very well, holding them to a single goal in each of the first two periods.
  • Canada D Alex Therien – After not really catching my eye at all in earlier games, she stood out here and not just because she scored. I thought the defenders not named Chloe Primerano overall were more involved, doing more than being a part of the puck cycle. Today's game was a little grittier for Canada and they were doing work in front of the net and along the boards. At 5'10" Therien is an asset in those situations. She's strong and able to claim a bit of ice as her own. There's some refinement and maturity yet to be done, but you can see a lot of what is going to make her a very good defender going forward.

Quotable:

“We played a great team game. We stuck to our habits. It was a great performance by us." - Canada F Stryker Zablocki

"Both my goals were great shots from my teammates. We had net-front presence and it was pretty easy to just tap it in. Our defenders are amazing.” - Zablocki

"Maybe put a few more pucks in the net." - Zablocki on what her team can do better

"I'm really proud of our group sticking to some small details and habits. Our game plan was not to do too much, but be consistent with our habits." - Canada coach Vicky Sunohara

"At times we try to do a little bit too much. Make one too many passes." - Sunohara

"Sometimes some individual play comes in, but I think that they're all understanding that we have a structure and the more we are all on board and playing within the structure will allow them to be creative and be themselves because they'll all know what each other are doing. We're trying to be predictable to each other and when we are we're able to be more creative in the offensive zone." - Sunohara

“It’s hard to create chances. Canada played great, they didn’t give us many chances to be aggressive in the offensive zone. We have to learn to be braver." - Czechia coach Dušan Andrašovský

“We have to be aggressive in front of the net, but we’ll learn. This was a much better game than our games against Switzerland or Slovakia. I'm happy with that and proud of how they battled today.” - Andrašovský

Quarterfinals set for Friday, January 9

Sweden vs Switzerland - 10 AM local, 3 AM ET

USA vs Slovakia - 1:30 PM local, 6:30 AM ET
Broadcast on TSN 1/5 and NHL Network. A free stream in Finnish should also be available here.

Czechia vs Finland - 5 PM local, 10 AM ET

Canada vs Japan - 8:30 PM local, 1:30 PM ET
Broadcast on TSN 1/5

(Photo: Nicole Haase)