A recap of the action from January 15, 2025, the last day of the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in Sydney and Membertou, Nova Scotia.

Czechia 4, Sweden 3

The Czechs won their third straight medal on Sunday, outlasting a massive push from Sweden over the final 30 minutes to eke out the win and take bronze. It was a tale of two halfs for both teams. Had Czechia not staked out their 3-goal lead in the first, they might have been in trouble. And had Sweden been a bit more ready at puck drop, they might not have had such a big hole to dig out of.

But that's not how things went down. Adéla Mynaříková opened scoring about eight minutes in with a frankly soft goal on a shot from the top of the right circle.

Interestingly, both teams opted to start young goalies they'd only leaned on in relief until this game. Both of them had gone on in relief of the starter in their teams' semifinal losses. It was Veronika Ortová's first start of the tournament. Thea Holmbeg had played about half Sweden's games and had a 1-2 record going in.

Five minutes after the first goal, Julie Jebousková took the puck off the boards in the corner and fed Adéla Křenková in the slot. Křenková's one-timer made it a 2-0 game. With 1:10 left in the period, Adéla Pánková skated past three Swedes to get in alone on the net, where she did not miss.

Sweden was out-shot 12-6 in the first, but then out-shot Czechia 32-13 over the final two frames. They were a different team in the second frame and it paid off midway through when Moa Stridh used her size and reach to get a poke check around the back of a Czech player on the back boards. She won the puck and took it to net, where she punched it in to make it a 3-1 game. Just more than a minute later, Inze Nygren scored with a tip in on the power play to narrow the lead to 3-2.

Czechia didn't let that threat linger as Kateřina Pěnčíková's shot from the left circle put her team back up 4-2. The puck luck did not seem to be on Sweden's time, as they just narrowly missed on several grade-A scoring chances, including a puck that went untouched across the goal mouth and another that sat in the crease before being cleared.

In the third, Czechia did themselves no favors as their sloppy play lead to three penalties as they tried to hold on for the medal. Stridh narrowed the game back to a one-goal lead early in the frame with a shot from the slot to make it 4-3. Despite two more power plays and long offensive-zone possessions, Sweden could not find the equalizer.

Czechia thought they'd iced the game with 1:34 left on the clock, but Sweden challenged and the goal was overturned for goalie interference. The Swedes had one last chance when a penalty was called with 1.7 seconds on the clock. They put six skaters on the ice and won the draw, but the shot was saved as Czechia poured over the bench to celebrate their bronze medal.

What we learned:

No longer the new kids – For awhile I think there was a belief that Czechia were charming upstarts, but tultimately more flash in the pan than stalwart medalists. There's a bit of hubris from some of the countries who have had established programs for awhile. As we saw with Finland, no one can rest on their laurels or just assume that they are better than anyone else. Sweden dominated meetings against Czcehia in this tournament for awhile, but Czechia has clawed back. After Saturday's win, Sweden holds a narrow edge over Czechia in this tournament. After 15 total matchups, Sweden holds a 8-7 edge in head-to-head competition.
Winning without offense – Czechia became the third-ever team to win a game at U18 Women's Worlds after recording 0 shots in a period and the first since 2008. As Sweden pushed back, Czechia was spectacular on defense and didn't focus much on the other end of the ice. The biggest Czech offense came in the final two minutes, when they thought they'd scored, but a Sweden challenge had the goal called back for goalie interference. The goal and the shot were took off the board and Czechia finished the game with no third-period shots.
Fluctuation – At this age we see a lot more volatility to the gaps between teams. The past few years have felt like the closest Czechia and Sweden have been to the North American teams in awhile. This year, it felt like we were watching varsity vs. JV with a clear talent, speed and strength gap. There are plenty of reasons that can be ascribed, but sometimes it's as simple as birth dates and eligibility. Next year a team could surprise us simply because the right players age in or out at the right time and are healthy and available to play.

Standout Performances:

Sweden F Moa Stridh – She's a player I want to watch in three or four more games this week. It feels like she's learning to use her size and strength on the ice. She's just 15 and not yet quite versed in how to use her 5'11" frame to her advantage. I hope she's watching tape of someone like Laila Edwards to understand how she can use her stride, her reach and her stick to enhance her game. She's the player that was given a game misconduct in the semifinal and maybe that motivated her to contribute more in this game, but it felt like she was involved in every play.
Czechia D Ellen Jarabková and G Veronika Ortová – The whole Czech team was blocking shots and clearing pucks, particular in the second frame. But as Czechia became a little more passive and turtled-up a bit, Jarabková led the team in total shots - and all five of hers came in the second period. As things threatened to get out of hand, she was moving the puck and forcing play to the other end. And it just feels wrong not to give credit to Ortová, who handled the increased pressure of a medal-round start and tons of shots like a pro.

Quotable:

"I am very, very proud because it was a very, very hard game. The girls fought the whole game. It wasn't easy. The second period we were a bit stressed, but we did it. I'm very happy and very proud for our team, not just the players but the whole staff." - Czechia coach Dušan Andrašovský

"Yesterday after dinner we had a short meeting with the coaches and decided we would start Ortová. She was very good in the last game." - Andrašovský

"We tried to get the puck behind their defence and we had good puck control in front of the net on the first goal. And the second and third goal the same - good pressure and the puck around their net. They played with confidence although the second period wasn’t so great. But we came back, which was the most important thing." - Andrašovský

"It was so long. It was the first time in my career I was that nervous in the last minute - Andrašovský

"I'm very proud to be part of these years. This is the first time in history that Czechia has three years in a row." - Andrašovský

"I was nervous at the end, but the way we stayed as a team was important. We were not going to let another goal in. We had too many penalties, but we killed them, which was awesome." - Czechia captain Julie Jebousková

"It's awesome. it's everything. Womens hockey in Czech is not as viewable as the boys are. We're putting it on the board. We keep coming and keep coming. We just have to continue to do that. I believe in everyone that's in the locker room that will play next year and I believer in them for a better medal than bronze. We can do it." - Jebousková

"We were so excited and wanted to win this game. We told ourselves to leave yesterday’s game behind and focus on this game only." - Czechia F Adéla Křenková

"Czechia won more battles than we did and scored goals. It was tough. We were together for 60 minutes, but it was not enough." - Sweden coach Andreas Karlsson

"Right now USA and Canada is so much better than us in Europe. We need to take another step up. Last year in Vantaa, the gap was closer, but now it's back to feeling bigger." - Karlsson

"We talked in the first intermission about never giving up and to show that we’re a good team and never give up. I don't think we went out ready." - Sweden D Ebba Hesselvall

We didn’t have a very good start, but we finished strong. Overall, we had a good tournament, but of course there are things we could have done better." - Hesselvall

"I'm proud. It sucks right now, but I think we did a good job. In the third period, we had nothing to lose. We did all we could do." - Sweden F Moa Stridh