2025 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship: Day 4 - Quarterfinals Part 1

A recap of the action from January 9, 2025, Day 4 of the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa, Finland.

Sweden 4, Switzerland 1

Barring two big upsets in the other quarterfinals, this was Switzerland's final game. It wasn't how they wanted to end but the team made massive strides this tournament.

The ice was tilted in Sweden's favor for much of the first, but goaltender Amaya Iseli continued her stellar showing in this tournament, stopping a breakaway from Edit Danielsson and clearing chaos in front of her net.

A penalty 26 seconds into the 2nd period gave Sweden the first power play and they took swift advantage. Danielsson took aim from the top of the near circle. The first shot was blocked but Sweden circled it back to her and Danielsson put this shot through the defender's legs and into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Sweden continued to put pressure on the the Swiss and their second goal came when the strong forecheck caused a turnover behind the net. Miranda Lindström picked up the puck and found Linn Mattsson, who tapped it in to make it a 2-0 lead.

Switzerland couldn't stay out of the box and Sweden took advantage of the next power play as Ebba Hesselvall's shot from the far faceoff dot slipped past Iseli to make it 3-0. It's been a bit of a breakout tournament for Hesselvall, the youngest player on the team, who's tied for the team lead with four points.

In the third, an unlucky deflection off a Swiss defender was tapped in by Moa Johannesson to put Sweden up 4-0. Switzerland immediately responded six seconds later with a great hustle play by Laelia Huwyler. Sweden goalie Maja Helge was far from her net to clear the puck, but Huwyler blocked it and immediately found the back of the empty net to make it 4-1.

The two goals set a new record for fastest two goals by both teams. The previous record was seven seconds, set in 2011 by USA's Haley Skarupa and Czechia's Denisa Křížová.

What We Learned:

• Big moments – This tournament has featured some growing pains for teams finding themselves in new territory. Switzerland has played in the relegation game in all but one of the tournaments since they were promoted to the top division in 2014. This year, they didn't place in the bottom of their group and the way they'd played in the opening rounds showed they should be able to fight Sweden for a win in the quarterfinal. It appeared the moment might have been too big for them and much like Japan playing with a lead, they weren't confident enough to carry it off. Once Sweden scored a few goals, Switzerland started to play like the team we'd seen push Czechia to overtime and defeat Slovakia. Suddenly they had nothing to lose and they began playing more freely.
• Sin bin – Switzerland has been the most penalized team throughout the tournament and while their penalty kill has been very good, it's simply difficult to win games playing short-handed. Sweden took immediate advantage of their first power play, scoring 37 seconds later. Ebba Hesselvall's power play goal midway through the second felt like a backbreaker after the Swiss had just missed scoring. Laelia Huwyler scored six seconds after that extra-attacker tally, but the hole Switzerland had to try and dig out of was too big. Playing clean, smart hockey is part of developing young players and it's one of the places Switzerland has to put a lot of focus so that the team can take the next step.
• Moving as one – While Edit Danielsson has stood out with her play away from the net (though she also has four goals and an assist), overall what sticks out about this Sweden team is how well they play as a unit. At any given moment, any player can be at the point or at the post. There isn't one single player pushing this team forward - or holding them back. From one end of the ice to the other, they are selling out for pucks, staking out space, putting the puck on net and supporting one another. If they are going to medal, this will be the reason.

Standout Performances:

• Sweden D Ebba Westerlind – Her strong and steady presence on the blue line opens up the Swedish offensive game. When coach Andreas Karlsson talks about his team all being in one picture, he is referring to the shape the players hold and how there's always support for whoever has the puck. That starts with how the defense reads what's developing on the ice. I like her shot - she's second on the team in total shots and she's not just flinging the puck and hoping for the best. She's as likely to dish the puck as tee one up. You can tell she's looking for lanes, not just to the back of the net, but where her teammates can skate, as well. She's still just 16 and with some refinement she can become one of the best offensive defenders in the game.
• Switzerland G Amaya Iseli – Yes, I highlighted her before, but she was the surprise of the roster for me all tournament long. She wasn't on the roster last year and just moved up from U-16, but she played the whole tournament, facing 152 shots through four games and amassing a 91% save percentage. She had some wobbles, but mostly was a couple of inches or different bounces from a very different tournament. She gave the Swiss the base they needed to be able to build from and the confidence to be more free on offense. It was a stellar debut.

Quotable:

"It's sad, but we did better than last year. I'm proud of us. This team is just amazing." - Switzerland G Amaya Iseli

"I felt really good the whole time. The players around me are amazing. We are just like a family in the locker room. We work so well together. I can't describe it, we're just family." - Iseli

"We just didn't play as good as we could. We had our chances. They made theirs and we did not. In the end, they were better." - Iseli

"We are here to win games. We can learn from every game. This was a new position for us. Usually, we are in the relegation game. Now we can grow up and take the next step." - Switzerland coach Melanie Häfliger

"We missed a little bit the fresh legs. They used the power plays, so it keeps a lot of energy away. It wasn't an easy game for us, but the team did a great job this tournament. I'm so proud of them and so happy that we have such good team spirit. I'm happy to see what happens in the future." - Häfliger

"We need a lot of energy about the penalty kills. We have to learn to use the stick to play and not to stop the game." - Häfliger

"We know that Sweden had a lot of expectations from last season. We have to learn how to have expectations of ourselves and have the nerve to win these kind of games." - Häfliger

"Now we are in the medal games. We played as a team. Together. If you look on the video, you see five players in the same picture." - Sweden coach Andreas Karlsson

"I learning a lot because they are all of a higher division than me. It is hard, but it's good for my growth." - Sweden F Ebba Hesselvall

"I think we can play more simple. Do the easy things first and then go to the harder things and play as a team." - Hesselvall, on what the team can do better next game

United States 9, Slovakia 1

Haley Box got the Americans off to a strong start, setting a new U18 Women's Worlds record for the fastest goal from the start of a game, lighting the lamp on the very first play, just nine seconds after the whistle. She tapped in a nice cross-crease pass from Evelyn Doyle, who'd done the work to win the turnover deep in the zone.

Slovakia responded less than three minutes later, scoring almost immediately on the first power play of the game as Ema Tóthová lifted a wrister from the high slot to beat Morgan Stickney for the first time all tournament. Stickney's shutout streak ended at 183:01.

But that was as good as things would get for Slovakia. Doyle was rewarded for her net-front presence on the power play. Her first putback of a rebound from a Mary Derrenbacher shot was denied, but the second time she lifted it and gave the US a lead they wouldn't surrender.

Katie Amelkovich's speed was on display in this game, including early in the 2nd when Alaina Dunn's stretch pass led her into the zone all alone. Her initial shot was denied, but she put back her own rebound to make it 3-1.

The US set up camp in front of the Slovakia net and it caused problems for the Slovaks the whole game. Most of the Americans' goals came on loose pucks and rebounds.

Doyle, Sloane Hartmetz and Box each lit the lamp to push the lead to 6-1, but it was the eighth goal that had team USA really celebrating as Annabelle Lovell scored her first of the tournament off a loose puck following a shot from distance from Chyna Taylor. Both players are just 15 and the team were stoked to see Lovell get rewarded.

The eighth goal of the game might have been the most spectacular as Bella Fanale put pressure on the penalty kill, eventually picking the puck up near the faceoff dot in her own zone and carrying it the length of the ice before scoring shorthanded. It's been a dream of a showcase for Fanale so far. The Minnesota commit is a legit star in the making.

What We Learned:

• Defense wins ... – If my calculations are correct, the United States have not allowed an even-strength goal in the U18 tournament in 726:38. Hat tip to Nick on Bluesky and Daniella Ponticelli from the broadcast for pointing out that it's been since the opening round of the 2023 tournament against Canada. Caitlin Kraemer scored an equal-strength goal with 6:38 left in regulation of that game. The Americans have played 12 games since that point and have allowed just eight goals - seven on the power play and one shorthanded. It's a pretty spectacular run.
• When panic strikes – There was a stretch during this game where any time anyone on Slovakia touched the puck, they immediately funneled it to Nela Lopušanová. And while that's super relatable (I'd also like to just feed her pucks and see what she does), it made them even less of a threat against the US, who were reading every play and intercepting every pass Slovakia put to her. I'm of the opinion there's plenty of talent on this team and that's a totally unnecessary move, but even if there's a lack of confidence, the puck has to at least be spread to
• Bella Fanale is very good at hockey – That's it. That's the lesson.

Standout Performances:

• USA F Haley Box and Evelyn Doyle – I couldn't pick between these two who led the Americans with two goals and an assist apiece. I could have added their third linemate, Mary Derrenbacher, who had a goal and two assists. Individually they are each very talented, 200-foot players who are developing really rounded-out games. But they've been on a line together and it's been really special to see how they play off and read each other. Senior national team coach John Wroblewski talks about teammates becoming predictable to each other and it feels like this top line is really starting to fit that bill. They're following each others' shots, moving the puck around, feeding each other into open space and just generally being a nuisance for the other team.
• Slovakia F Nela Lopušanová – Even when everyone on the ice knows she's the driver of the Slovakian offense, she's still managing to do wonderful things on and off the puck. Slovakia have nine goals and she's figured in every single one of them, scoring four and assisting on the other five. She shone at 14 when the groups were separated, had some growing pains last year against the higher level of talent and has shown such growth this year. Yes, she's still got sick moves, but she's not pulling them out for the sake of things. She's playing smart, more of a 200-foot player and she's only 16.

Quotable:

"I'm happy with our performance. We played solid hockey for 30 minutes, at least. We scored a goal in the first and had a few more opportunities on the power play that didn't go in. I think we played good hockey. We just have to keep on trying and continue with that." - Slovakia coach Michal Kobezda

"Our defense improved their game a little bit. I think they're starting to carry the puck a little bit more. They were getting the pucks to the forwards with speed. That was better this game." - Kobezda

"Especially in our defensive zone, when the opponent is holding the puck a little bit longer, we start to panic and we don't know where to go. We have to get better with that and around our net. There are so many rebounds and so many situations where our goalie didn't see the puck. We have to box out the players and not let them into the crease." - Kobezda

"We don't have enough players and our league back in Slovakia is not very good. Girls are practicing only 2-3 times per week. That's a big difference between the rest of the world and us. You could see we were running out of gas because our conditioning is not good enough. There are so many aspects of the game we need to work on, but it's really hard. It's habits. It's really hard to change something in a few days. We talk about it all the time, but we can't be on the ice for them. They have to figure it out by themselves. We know where the problem is, but they have to solve it on the ice." - Kobezda

"Our girls put their hearts into the game. We still have one more game, an important one, but if we can keep this intensity level, we'll be fine," - Kobezda

"We learned from our mistakes from previous matches. We have to stick together as a group and play the way our coaches tell us." - Slovakia captain Ema Lacková

"I thought we settled in after the first. We had some nerves and held our sticks a little bit tight in the first, but I thought we really hit our stride towards the third. Overall I'm impressed with our effort." - USA coach Liz Keady Norton

"Their goalie is good and she's going to make you work for it. I think today we earned it. It's nice when it works out that way." - Norton

"I think it's been a long time coming for them. It was a relief for them. They're both excellent players and I think we should expect a lot more of that." - Norton on Anabelle Lovell and Chyna Taylor

"She showed her speed. It was at the end of a long shift. She showed her hands. She showed her determination. If anybody is wondering what Bella Fanale is about, they should watch those 12 seconds and have no more questions." - Norton

(Photo: Nicole Haase)