A recap of the action from January 13, 2025, day four of the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in Sydney and Membertou, Nova Scotia.
Czechia 7, Slovakia 2
Slovakia came out a little timid and Czechia took immediate advantage as Tereza Gildainová scored just three minutes into the game. That seemed to rattle Slovakia, who pressed a little harder on offense, which left them very vulnerable in transition. Speed through the neutral zone is something Czechia is known for and they caught Slovakia flat a few times. Of course goalie Mariana Sumegova was outstanding, with 31 saves through 41 minutes. But she can't do it alone.
Slovakia successfully challenged a Czech goal about 10 minutes into the game, but Czechia responded on the ensuing play as they won the puck off the back boards and Kateřina Pěnčíková one-timed the puck into the net to make it 2-0.
Natália Gerő pulled one back for the Slovaks a minute later and it seemed like a back and forth game was on as Nela Lopušanová took off on a breakway. But Lili Chmelařová made the save and Czechia added to their lead before the intermission as Andrea Kantorová scored with nine seconds left in a power play to make it 3-1 at the break.
Nela had another chance at the start of the second, hitting iron. The puck then lay in the crease uncovered, but Slovakia couldn't capitalize and moments later Czechia scored again with a breakaway in transition as Adéla Pánková made it 4-1. Slovakia challenged this goal for goaltender interference, but it was not successful.
Slovakia attempted to push back, but could not break through. Nela stick-handled her way through several Czech defenders to draw a penalty, but they could not convert. Dana Březinová tapped in a pass at the wide open back door from Věra Šťástková to make it 5-1 just three minutes later and that seemed to shut the door on Flovakia. Lucie Šindelářová made it 6-1 before the intermission.
Slovakia scored again with about five to play, with Nela lighting the lamp on a 5-on-3, but by that time Karolína Bojdová had scored a seventh. The game ended 7-2, making Czechia the #2 seed in group B with Slovakia taking the third spot.
With a goal and an assist in the game, Nela Lopušanová now sits at 32 career points in this tournament, one behind Kendall Coyne Schofield for most all-time. It's likely Nela has just one game left in her tournament - tomorrow's quarterfinals. With a win over Finland earlier this week, barring some big upsets, Slovakia should not have to play in the relegation game.
Next up: Quarterfinals. Slovakia plays Sweden at 9 am Eastern. Czechia plays Switzerland at 2:30 Easten.
What We Learned:
- Don't overcommit – Czechia went up early, putting Slovakia in the position to be more reckless and push harder on offense, leaving them super vulnerable in transition and goodness did Czechia take advantage. That's a part of the game we know Czechia excels at anyway and then Slovakia found themselves on the wrong end of odd-player rushes over and over again. Once Czechia went ahead early it was probably a necessary risk for Slovakia to take but it also changed momentum and put the game out of reach.
- Pressure packed – It was a little heartbreaking to hear Lopušanová say in the mixed zone that she missed some scoring opportunities, so she takes the loss on herself. Along with all the attention she's brought on herself and her program, Lopušanová is carrying a lot of pressure. She led the team with 26:21 on ice - only five other teammates had 2o minutes or more. She also led with an average shift time of 1:15. She feels like she has let the team and her country down when she doesn't win the game for them. That's a lot to put on a 17-year-old's shoulders. At 14 she was cheeky and maybe a little too cocky. What's most impressive in watching her through four years of this tournament is how much her game has filled out. She's not just trying trick shots. She's not just demanding the puck with stick slaps on the ice. She has a full 200-foot game, she runs the power play from the point, dishing pucks and setting up teammates
Standout Performances:
- Slovakia G Mariana Sumegova – The score probably should have been even higher, particularly because of the odd-player rushes and Slovakia's inability to clear the zone. But Sumegova made save after save at close range really keeping this game in reach for more of the first two periods. She was switched out later in the game to allow her to rest per coach Michal Kobezda
- Czechia F Kateřina Pěnčíková – She had a goal and two assists and just seemed consistently involved with the play. She knows when to shoot and when to pass and set up some of her teammates in some great situations.
Quotable:
"It was important to play very good defensively, be strong with the puck, believe in ourselves and be stronger against their best player. We did it well." - Czechia coach Dušan Andrašovský
"It will be something great to have a player like this. We're trying to help her. We're giving her ice time to get those points. At the end of this game, she was on the ice all the time. Of course, we wish she will accomplish that goal and she'll break the record." - Slovakia coach Michal Kobezda
"I we didn't have good entry into the offensive zone and that's why there were so many odd-number situtations against us" - Kobezda
"We didn't help her very much, but she played very, very well." - Kobezda on goalie Mariana Sumegova
"I had a couple of breakaways and I didn't score any, so I'm taking this one myself." - Slovakia captain Nela Lopušanová on taking the blame for her team's loss
"We tried to play our best but I don't think we did." - Lopušanová
"We didn't have a good backcheck. In the second period we were a little bit better." - Lopušanová
USA 14, Finland 0
The Americans head into the quarterfinals having cruised through their three group games by a combined score of 36-1.
Full disclosure I'm pretty brain fried by so many games in so few days and I'm not sure there's a whole lot to say about this team right now. They were never really tested through their first three games, which can be an issue when they do face some adversity. We'll see how things go when they get to the semifinals or medal games, I guess.
I'm not sure I buy it, but coach Courtney Kennedy felt her team did struggle to start Tuesday's game, but they made adjustments and listened to feedback, which she feels bodes well for them heading into the elimination rounds. She felt Finland was pushing her players off their game, closing down lanes and interrupting passes that her players should have either completed or not attempted in the first place.
The stand out bit for me in this game was seeing young players like Lily Bromley and Bailey Rupp (pronounced Roop). And the excitement from their teammates in celebrating those goals.
For Finland's part, they played better than they had in their other games, but they were just fully outmatched against the Americans. They weren't static, they weren't wide-eyed. They did the best they could given the circumstances. It's been a rough couple of years in Finland and it looks like they're on a collision course with the relegation game. It's been a little frustrating to watch them be stagnant or honestly even be worse than we've seen in a few years. With the Team Kuotare they have fundamentally a development squad and yet the program has struggled at this age for a long time, seemingly willing to sit in the bottom middle of the pack. Now the overall play has improved while they've stay the same. The question is what it will take for their federation to take note and start doing something about it. Relegation would be humiliating for a team of their history and caliber.
I don't love seeing the US head into the elimination round without having faced much adversity. They've looked really collected and poised so far, but when things come this easy, it can be difficult to keep perspective when something goes wrong. I don't know how this team will react if they go down by a goal or two or if they're not able to play their game right away. Being able to be challenged and having to grapple with things like being down a goal or two put players in a better mental state when that happens in the medal rounds.
Next up: Quarterfinals. USA plays Hungary at 4 pm Eastern. Finland plays Canada at 7:30 pm Eastern.
What We Learned:
- Sometimes it's the little things – I'm not saying the outcome didn't matter, but it was amazing the difference in Finland coach Mira Kuisma after this game when she felt like her team mostly did what was asked of them. After being more quiet than is even usual for her after the previous two games where she was a bit at a loss for words on why her team wasn't playing the way the staff knows they're capable of
- In Jane we trust – Jane Daley netted her third-straight hat trick to lead the Americans in a 14-0 rout of Finland. It's been an unbelievable tournament for the 16-year-old who's in her second tournament with Team USA. At the 2025 World Championships, she played in all six games, but had just four assists and eight shots on goal. She's already bested both of those numbers by the end of USA's first game. Through the three group round games, she has nine goals, four assists and 21 shots on goal. She has tallied a hat trick in each game.
- Shooting her shot – Finland goalie Saimi Pesola is actually an American who lives in California and plays for the San Jose Jr. Sharks. Her family was born in Finland and moved to the US in 2019, she said. As she got older her parents saw her potential and called Team Finland to ask about openings for goalkeepers in her age group. Pesola has worked her way up to see more starting time. Her dad and older brothers were goalies, so tending net definitely runs in the family. She said she attends public middle school and would love to stay in California for college, but she hopes to play hockey and knows that's not possible collegiately, so she'll be looking to join an NCAA team when she's eligible.
Standout Performances:
- USA F Alaina Gnetz – Not only did she have two goals and two assists, but she was among the leaders in time on ice. She was quick and thoughtful with the puck.
- Finland D Yenna Kolmonen – She felt like the only Finn with an eye for the goal. Even as her team continued to remain scoreless, she was pushing for goal and trying to turn the tide.
"At the beginning I was very underwhelmed in the sense that I hold them very accountable to playing the game the right way and the details of it. But I thought we turned it around. What I like to see is that when we ask for changes and fixes and they actually respond." - US coach Courtney Kennedy
"Finland knows the seams, they're reading the play. They're smart. They were picking off some plays that normally we'd put through and I don't think we got too rattled. They stayed withh it. I'm really proud that they were able to turn it around and come back with our style of hockey." - Kennedy
"There's a lot more on the line. Every country is playing for their country with all the pride in the world. Any team is capable of beating any team, upsetting any team. It's a clean slate. We're all 0-0 going into this next round." - Kennedy
"It's such a mental game at this point to stay mentally tough through it. If you go down two goals, what kind of team are we?" - Kennedy
"I thought we were a little slow in the first period. I thought our adjustments were exactly what they needed to be." - USA F Lindsay Stephnowski
"Everyone has been so great. We're just staying together as a family. Anything we go through we're going through it together." - USA F Bailey Rupp
"First two periods was very good for us and then I don't know what happened in the third." - Finland coach Mira Kuisma
"She's a really good young goalie and she'll become an even better one." - Kuisma
"We talked that we have to keep playing like we did in the first two periods. We call that Finnish gut - sisu - we can't translate it - but we have to do that again. This is hockey, anything can happen." - Kuisma
"I didn't really think I was going to going in net after the first period."
"Obviously, it was a big experiences and I was kind of nervous before. But I'm happy it turned out the way it did. I think I obviously did my best and didn't leave anything out there." Finland goalie Saimi Pesola
(Photo: Nicole Haase)
