GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. DENMARK (NOV. 9)

Less than 24 hours after finishing off a win over Japan, Canada’s National Women’s Team gets right back to work at the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship as it takes on host Denmark in its penultimate preliminary-round matchup.

Last Game

Canada used a full team effort to improve to 2-0 in Group B, getting goals from nine different players and points from 16 (no one recorded more than two) in a 9-0 win on Sunday. Four defenders found the back of the net—Chloe Primerano (with her first National Women’s Team goal), Erin Ambrose, Kendall Cooper and Sophie Jaques—and Ève Gascon turned aside all 14 shots she faced to record her first win and shutout with the national team.

The Danes found the win column for the first time Saturday night, erasing an early two-goal deficit to beat Japan 3-2 in a shootout. Trailing 2-0 after the first period, Nikita Bergmann got Denmark on the board just 47 seconds into the second and Teresa Christensen tied it with 2:56 left in the third. Frederikke Foss provided the shootout winner in the fifth round in support of goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström, who made 30 saves in regulation and overtime before turning aside four of five Japanese in the shootout.

Last Meeting

You have to back more than four years to find the last time the Canadians and Danes matched up; playing a pre-tournament game in Rødovre ahead of the 2022 Women’s Worlds, Sarah Fillier and Marie-Philip Poulin made history with the seventh and eighth four-goal games in the annals of Canada’s National Women’s Team as part of a 14-1 win. Fillier added two assists for the first six-point game by a Canadian in more than a decade (and the most recent), one of eight players with multi-point performances.

What to Watch

While any Canadian player could have received Player of Game honours in the well-rounded win over Japan, it was Rosalie Tremblay who got the nod—another feather in the cap for the mature-beyond-her-years 18-year-old. Tremblay has had quite a last 12 months; in November 2025, she captained Quebec to its first-ever gold medal at the U18 Women’s National Championship, taking home the Most Valuable Player award after posting six goals and 10 points in six games. Two months later, she helped Canada to silver at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship with seven points (3-4—7) in six games, and in August she was the youngest member of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team for a three-game series against the U.S., scoring a goal as the Canadians won two of three from the Americans. Now she finds herself in Herning at her first IIHF Women’s World Championship, centring the top line as the youngest to play for Canada at the tournament since Captain Canada herself, Marie-Philip Poulin, at the 2009 Women’s Worlds. Oh, and she hasn’t been too bad as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, scoring six goals in as many games for the perennial powerhouse Badgers.

We could highlight Nordström here after making a combined 85 saves against Finland and Japan, but the goaltender—a 2026 fifth-round draft pick of PWHL Hamilton who turned 24 last Thursday—could be due a night off with the Danes in action again Tuesday against Sweden. Veteran captain Nicoline Jensen, 34, is playing in her 16th Women’s Worlds across all divisions, Josephine Asperup, also 34, is playing in her 15th (leading all players in average ice time with 30:48 across two games), and Silke Glud, 30, is in her 12th (second among forwards with a 22:47 TOI average), but they are outliers—the youth movement is strong for the hosts. Both regulation-time goal scorers against the Japanese are still teenagers—Bergmann is 18 and Christensen is 17—and five others have yet to reach 20. And as far as Canadian content goes? In addition to Nordstrom, Foss is skating with the University of New Brunswick, Christensen with the Ontario Hockey Academy in the OWHA U22 Elite League and Freya Ekberg with Purcell Hockey Academy in Kimberley, B.C.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Danes have met only twice in international competition. In addition to the 2022 exhibition game mentioned above, you have to go all the way back to the 1992 IIHF World Women’s Championship for the other meeting.

Angela James and Andria Hunter paced the offence with two goals each, Geraldine Heaney had three assists and Manon Rheaume—who is part of the Canadian contingent in Herning as an assistant GM—recorded the shutout in a 10-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 2-0
Canada goals: 24
Denmark goals: 1

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. JAPAN (NOV. 8)

Looking to build off a tournament-opening win, Canada’s National Women’s Team returns to the ice Sunday at the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, facing off against Japan in its second of four prelim games.

Last Game

Canada started strong in Herning, getting two goals and an assist from Jessie Eldridge as part of a 5-1 win over Sweden on Friday. Kendall Cooper added a goal—her first with Team Canada—and a helper, and Emily Clark and Rebecca Leslie (also with her first) rounded out the scoring. The Canadians did most of their damage on the power play, scoring three times on eight times with the player advantage.

The Japanese gave back an early two-goal lead in their opener against host Denmark, falling 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night. Umeka Odaira provided all the offence with a pair of goals in the first period, while Miyuu Misuhara took the loss with 12 saves for Japan, which outshot the Danes 32-15.

Last Meeting

The most recent meeting between the Canadians and Japanese came at the most recent Women’s Worlds; Canada earned a comfortable 9-1 quarterfinal win at the 2025 tournament in Czechia thanks to three-point efforts from a pair of defenders—Claire Thompson (1-2—3) and Renata Fast (0-3—3). Jenn Gardiner and Sarah Fillier added a pair of goals apiece for the Canadians, who outshot Japan 62-6.

What to Watch

Eldridge waited four years to get back to another IIHF Women’s World Championship and she made that return count against the Swedes. The Barrie native—whose only other Women’s Worlds was also in Denmark—has already improved on her scoring totals from that 2022 tournament, when she posted a goal and an assist in seven games to help Canada win gold. A PWHL nomad, Eldridge will suit up for her fourth team in four seasons when the puck drops on the 2026-27 campaign after signing with the Walter Cup champion Montreal Victoire in the offseason. She finished last season—which she split between Seattle and Boston—as the second-leading Canadian scorer in the league, posting 14 goals and 23 points to finish in the top 10 of PWHL scoring for the second year in a row. Eldridge has actually scored all six of her National Women’s Team goals in Denmark—in addition to two goals Friday and one at the 2022 Women’s Worlds, she found the back of the net three times in two pre-tournament wins in 2022, scoring twice in a victory over the host Danes and netting the game-winner against the United States.

While the Canadians are icing one of their youngest lineups in more than a decade, the Japanese are YOUNG. Of the 23 players on the roster, only one—veteran defender Aoi Shiga (on July 4, 1999)—was born before the turn of the millenium. Odaira, the scoring star against Denmark, is the youngest of the bunch; she won’t turn 18 until Dec. 12, although she is far from an international rookie. She had nine points (4-5—9) in five games to help Japan win gold at the 2024 U18 Women’s Worlds 1A tournament just weeks after turning 15, and made her Women’s Worlds debut in Czechia in 2025, going pointless in five games. Already committed to the University of Maine for next season, Odaira is plying her trade in the OWHA U22 Elite League in Ontario this year, contributing eight goals and 12 points with the North York Storm.

A Look Back

This will be meeting No. 10 between Canada and Japan going all the way back to the inaugural Women’s Worlds in Ottawa in 1990. The Canadians have never lost to the Japanese and had held them without a goal until their quarterfinal meeting 19 months ago in Ceske Budejovice.

That first meeting 36 years ago produced a historic offensive output: Canada scored nine times in the first period of an 18-0 win—both of those are still Women’s Worlds records for most goals in a period and game. In all, 15 Canadians recorded points, led by hat tricks from Vicky Sunohara and Angela James, a four-point efforts from James (3-1—4), Heather Ginzel (2-2—4), Stacy Wilson (1-3—4) and Diane Michaud (0-4—4).

All-time record: Canada leads 9-0
Canada goals: 105
Japan goals: 1

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWEDEN (NOV. 6)

Let’s go! The IIHF Women’s World Championship has made the move to a new slot in the international hockey calendar and the 2026 edition of the tournament gets underway Friday as Canada’s National Women’s Team opens Group B play against Sweden.

Last Game

Canada finished with a split of its two-game pre-tournament series against the United States with a 4-0 loss to the Americans last Friday in Plymouth, Michigan. Ève Gascon was terrific in a 28-save performance, but the Canadian offence couldn’t build on a 5-3 win over the U.S. in the exhibition opener in Windsor.

Sweden closed out the Lidl Hockey Games with a 2-0 win over rival Finland in Södertälje on Halloween. Mira Hallin broke open a scoreless game late in the second period and Sara Hjalmarsson added insurance midway through the third in support of Ebba Svensson Träff, who posted a 29-save shutout as the Finns outshot the Swedes 29-18.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Swedes last clashed in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Women’s Worlds in New York, a 5-1 win for Canada. Renata Fast led the charge with a pair of goals and 11 different players recorded points for the Canadians, who held Sweden to just nine shots on goal over the final 40 minutes.

What to Watch

The kids have arrived for Canada. With an average age of 26 years, two months and 22 days, this is the youngest roster Canada has iced at Women’s Worlds since 2013, with more than 1,000 games of international experience gone from the Olympic roster last February. How young are we talking? Of the nine youngest players to represent Canada in the history of the IIHF Women’s World Championship, three are debuting in Denmark—Rosalie Tremblay (fourth-youngest), Hayley McDonald (eighth-youngest) and Sara Manness (ninth-youngest). The oldest player on the roster is 32-year-old goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, who earned her 46th career victory in the win over the U.S. in Windsor, surpassing Charline Labonté for the third-most in Team Canada history—only Kim St-Pierre (64) and Shannon Szabados (51) have more. And let’s not forget co-captains Renata Fast and Laura Stacey, who bring a combined 261 games of international experience (81 of them at Women’s Worlds) to the lineup. There are plenty of possibilities for new head coach Kori Cheverie, who takes the reins at her first world championship after serving as an assistant under Troy Ryan at five Women’s Worlds from 2021-25.

Sweden burst back onto the international scene in at Milano Cortina 2026, reaching the semifinals at a major event for the first time since the 2014 Olympics and coming agonizingly close to its first medal since the 2007 Women’s Worlds, falling in overtime to Switzerland. Thea Johansson (4-3—7) and Hilda Svensson (1-6—7) both finished in the top 10 of Olympic scoring, and the Scandinavians have a bit of a youth movement of their own—five players (Hallin, Hedqvist, Jungaker, Raunio, Svensson) helped Sweden to its best-ever finish at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, a silver medal in 2023, and 18-year-old Tilde Grillfors had seven points (4-3—7) in six games as the Swedes reached the bronze medal game at the 2026 U18 Women’s Worlds in Nova Scotia. And let’s not forget the experience behind the bench; new head coach Erika Holst was a staple of the Swedish lineup for almost two decades, appearing in four Olympics (including a silver medal at Torino 2006) and 11 Women’s Worlds between 1996 and 2012, and serving as national team captain from 2001-12.

A Look Back

While the faceoffs between the foes haven’t been as frequent in recent years, the Canadians and Swedes have a history. This will be the 84th time they have met, dating back to the inaugural Women’s Worlds in 1990.

The last three meetings have all come in quarterfinals at the world championship, including one in Herning; at the 2022 Women’s Worlds, Jocelyne Larocque, Sarah Potomak and Erin Ambrose provided the offence, Desbiens made nine saves for the shutout and Canada advanced with a 3-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 80-2-1 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 514
Sweden goals: 71

ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE, Czechia – Canada’s National Women’s Team erased a two-goal deficit but fell short in a 4-3 overtime loss to the United States on Sunday to finish with the silver medal at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

After a scoreless opening period, the teams traded four goals in the second. The U.S. scored twice in a 29-second span to take the lead on goals from Caroline Harvey and Abbey Murphy. Danielle Serdachny (Edmonton, AB/Ottawa, PWHL) would get Canada on the board and cut the lead to 2-1 less than a minute later.

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, QC/Montreal, PWHL) made Canadian history once again just 55 seconds after the Serdachny goal, assisting on the tying goal by Jenn Gardiner (Surrey, BC/Montreal, PWHL) for her 50th career assist at Women’s Worlds, passing Hayley Wickenheiser for the most by a Canadian.

The U.S. retook the lead before Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, ON/New York, PWHL) scored her third of the tournament and pulled Canada even with less than six minutes remaining, eventually sending the game to overtime. The three-on-three overtime would nearly go the distance before Tessa Janecke beat Ann-Renée Desbiens (Clermont, QC/Montreal, PWHL) for the winner.

“I think in general we carried the play, enough to potentially be successful,” said head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, NS/Toronto, PWHL). “It’s just the margins for error are so small; multiple times in the overtime and even in the third we could have won it, it’s just a matter of finishing the opportunities you get and trying to keep them out of our end. I don’t think there were any lopsided parts to the game, it could have gone either way throughout the whole thing.”

Following the gold medal game, Poulin was named Most Valuable Player and Best Forward after finishing with a tournament-leading 12 points (four goals, eight assists). Poulin and Renata Fast (Burlington, ON/Toronto, PWHL) were named to the media all-star team.

“Honestly, I’m very happy with how we came out, it was not an easy game being down two-nothing, we came back and did the same in the third and in overtime” said Poulin. “We had a couple of chances, we came up short, it’s part of it and it’s a process. It’s going to suck for a little bit, but we have to go back to work because we have a big tournament [Olympics] coming up in 2026.”

“I think any world championship you want to win, but leading up to the Olympics, it’s even more amplified,” said Fast. “It also gives us more motivation and more ways to reflect individually and collectively and figure out what we need to work on so that in 10 months or so we can be on the other side.”

A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Canada finished second in Group A with a 3-0-0-1 record in the preliminary round, beating Finland, Switzerland and the Czechia, with its only loss against to the United States. Canada booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 9-1 win over Japan in the quarterfinals and an 8-1 win over Finland in the semifinals.

For more information from the International Ice Hockey Federation, please visit the official tournament site HERE.

In 24 appearances at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, Canada has captured 13 gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2021, 2022, 2024), in addition to 10 silver (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2025) and one bronze (2019).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (APRIL 20)

It all comes down to this. Canada’s National Women's Team faces off against the United States on Sunday in the gold medal game at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Canada scored four goals in 1:58 late in the second period to down Finland 8-1 in the semifinals Saturday. The Finns opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the game, but Erin Ambrose responded quickly and Marie-Philip Poulin added a record-breaking goal as the game-winner before the end of the first period. Fifteen players registered at least a point in the game, with Claire Thompson leading the way with her second-straight three-point performance (1-2—3) and Daryl Watts scoring a pair of goals. Ann-Renée Desbiens had 19 saves to record her 22nd Women’s Worlds win—the most of any goaltender in tournament history.

The U.S. earned its spot in the gold medal game with a narrow 2-1 win over Czechia. After the hosts scored the lone goal of the first period, Laila Edwards tied the game on a power play in the middle frame and Kelly Pannek notched the game-winning goal midway through the third to keep the Americans’ streak of appearing in every Women’s Worlds intact—24 for 24.

Last Meeting

Always the marquee matchup of the preliminary round, Canada dropped a 2-1 decision to the United States last Sunday. The Americans held a 2-0 lead after two periods before Laura Stacey scored on a breakaway to cut the lead in half seven minutes into the third. Desbiens made 26 saves in goal.

What to Watch

Jocelyne Larocque is set to become the first defender to reach 200 career games with Canada’s National Women’s Team. The 36-year-old has been a cornerstone of the Canadian blue line for over a decade and will become the fifth player to reach the milestone, following Poulin earlier in the tournament. In addition to her typical standout play on the defensive side, Larocque has three assists and is +5 heading into the gold medal game. On offence, Poulin continues to lead the way with four goals and seven assists in six games, putting her atop the tournament scoring list. The 34-year-old has found tremendous chemistry with Victoire de Montréal teammates Jenn Gardiner and Laura Stacey; the trio has combined for 11 goals and 27 points in six games and are a combined +31.

The Americans have gone with a scoring-by-committee approach, getting at least four points from six different players (Carpenter, Janecke, Keller, Knight, Murphy, Pannek). Hilary Knight continues to play at a high level in her 15th Women’s Worlds; the U.S. captain came into the tournament as the all-time leader in goals (67) and points (119), and became the all-time assist leader on April 15, passing the legendary Hayley Wickenheiser and her 49 assists to now sit at 52. Pannek is leading the way offensively for the Americans with four goals and eight points in six games.

Milestone Watch

Poulin may have taken over from Hayley Wickenheiser as Canada’s all-time points leader at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, but Captain Canada still has a couple of milestones on her mind. She needs two more goals to surpass Jayna Hefford as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer and one more assist to take over from Wickenheiser atop that category.

A Look Back

It’s Chapter 192 in the story of Canada vs. United States, with the Canadians in search of win No. 109 in the rivalry.

This Women’s Worlds in Czechia marks the 11th different country to have hosted the North American rivals (in order of countries played in: Canada, Finland, United States, Japan, Sweden, Italy, China, Russia, South Korea, Denmark and Czechia).

All-time record: Canada leads 108-82-1 (25-21 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 530
United States goals: 467

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. FINLAND (APRIL 19)

It’s Semifinal Saturday at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, with Canada’s National Women's Team set to take on Finland in its final four faceoff at Budvar Arena.

Last Game

Canada punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 9-1 win over Japan in its quarterfinal Thursday. Jenn Gardiner and Sarah Fillier scored two goals apiece to pace the offence for the Canadians, who piled up 62 shots on goal. Claire Thompson added a goal and two assists, Renata Fast had three helpers, and 14 skaters recorded at least a point. Included in that list was Marie-Philip Poulin; the captain celebrated her 200th international game with her 86th point at Women’s Worlds, pulling even with Hayley Wickenheiser for the most by a Canadian in tournament history.

The Finns survived their Nordic neighbours in their quarterfinal, edging Sweden 3-2 in the first game of the day Thursday. Jennina Nylund and Ronja Savolainen scored in the first period and Susana Tapani netted the winner midway through the second after the Swedes had battled back, assuring Finland a place in the medal games for the second year in a row and 22nd time in 24 Women’s Worlds dating back to the inaugural event in 1990.

Last Meeting

Canada and Finland met last Thursday in the Canadians’ prelim opener, a 5-0 win. Gardiner scored a pair of goals, Poulin had a goal and an assist and Kristen Campbell was perfect in her first-ever Women’s Worlds start, making 24 saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

Gardiner has been a revelation for the Canadians, leading the tournament with five goals in as many games (and sitting in a four-way tie for second with seven points) despite coming into the tournament with just four games of National Women’s Team experience (and only 14 across all three levels of the Team Canada women’s program). And it doesn’t seem to matter where head coach Troy Ryan plugs the Surrey, B.C., native into the lineup – she opened the tournament with a pair of goals on the top line with Poulin and Laura Stacey, and struck twice on the fourth unit alongside Kristin O’Neill and Emma Maltais against the Japanese. Gardiner is no stranger to filling the net; she averaged more than a point per game across her final three NCAA seasons with Ohio State University and won a pair of national championships with the Buckeyes, and those offensive skills have transferred pretty well to the pro grame; Gardiner is second in PWHL rookie scoring with 16 points (4-12—16) in 27 games, trailing only Fillier.

Finland misses Jenni Hiirikoski. Seven times the Top Defender at Women’s Worlds, the tournament’s all-time leader in games played (96) and the Finns’ heart-and-soul captain, Hiirikoski is absent from the lineup for the first time since 2003 due to a mysterious illness that has kept her sidelined for all but four games since January. With the future Hall of Famer missing, Savolainen has done the heavy lifting on the Finnish blue-line, scoring three of her team’s 10 goals and averaging more than 21 minutes per game. Finland will also need its goaltenders to step up. The trio of Sanni Ahola, Anni Keisala and Emilia Kyrkko have all made appearances thus far, but have combined for a tournament-low .870 save percentage.

Milestone Watch

Poulin has a couple of milestones on her mind. Captain Canada needs three more goals to surpass Jayna Hefford as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and two more assists and one more point to take over from Hayley Wickenheiser atop those categories.

In goal, Ann-Renée Desbiens needs just one victory to surpass Swiss icon Florence Schelling and become the winningest goaltender in Women’s Worlds history (22).

A Look Back

The head-to-head history sways decisively to the North American side of the Atlantic Ocean, with Canada owning 88 wins and a tie in 91 all-time meetings with Finland.

This will be the 14th time the Canadians and Finns will face off in a semifinal at Women’s Worlds; the 12th and most recent victory for Canada came in 2017 in Michigan, when Poulin had a goal and an assist and Shannon Szabados posted a 23-save shutout in a 4-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 88-2-1
Canada goals: 469
Finland goals: 115

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. JAPAN (APRIL 17)

It’s on to the playoff round for Canada’s National Women's Team, which faces off against Japan in quarterfinal action Thursday at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Canada closed its preliminary-round schedule Monday with a 7-1 win over host Czechia that locked up second place in Group A. Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice to give the Canadians a 2-1 lead after two periods before they exploded for five in the final frame, including three in a span of 58 seconds. Kristin O’Neill added a pair of goals of her own, Erin Ambrose celebrated her 100th international game with a pair of assists and Sophie Jaques got her first Team Canada goal to round out the scoring.

The Japanese clinched second place in Group B with a narrow 1-0 win over Germany in their prelim finale Tuesday. Miyuu Masuhara was terrific in a 34-save shutout performance, including 17 in the third period as the Germans pushed for the equalizer. Rui Ukita netted the lone goal early in the second for Japan.

Last Meeting

Canada and Japan clashed in the preliminary round at the 2023 Women’s Worlds in Brampton, where the Canadians earned a 5-0 win. Sarah Fillier led the offence with two goals and an assist as Canada jumped on the Japanese early with 26 shots in the first period (and finished with a 60-11 advantage overall). Sarah Nurse added a goal and an assist, and Emerance Maschmeyer turned aside all 11 shots she faced for the shutout.

What to Watch

Entering this tournament, three members of the Team Canada roster were still in search of their first international goal – all of them defenders. Micah Zandee-Hart got off the schneid first, scoring against Switzerland (in her 69th game!) and Jaques put herself on the scoresheet against the Czechs. That just leaves Chloe Primerano. The 18-year-old – the third-youngest player to appear for Canada at Women’s Worlds – has acquitted herself nicely thus far, averaging 13:31 of ice time per game across three prelim games. She put herself squarely on the international radar with her epic shootout winner against the U.S. in the Rivalry Series in November, but is still in search of her official maiden marker. Primerano is no stranger to Team Canada goals – she scored 18 in 21 games with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, the second-most in U18 program history.

The Japanese are as disciplined a team as you will ever see. In their four preliminary-round games, Japan took only two penalties, allowed just a single power play and has gone more than 136 minutes without being whistled for an infraction. Their goaltending has also been terrific, with Masuhara playing every second of the prelims and fashioning a 1.01 goals-against average and .965 save percentage while making the second-most saves of any netminder (110).

Milestone Watch

Poulin is set to become just the fourth player to reach 200 games played with Canada’s National Women’s Team, but that’s not the only milestone on her mind. Captain Canada needs three more goals to surpass Jayna Hefford as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and three more assists and two more points to take over from Hayley Wickenheiser atop those categories.

In goal, Ann-Renée Desbiens needs just one victory to surpass Swiss icon Florence Schelling and become the winningest goaltender in Women’s Worlds history (22).

A Look Back

Canada has been nothing short of dominant in eight all-time meetings with Japan, winning all eight, averaging 12 goals a game and not allowing a single goal.

The most goals Canada has ever scored in an international game is 18, which it has done three times – twice against Japan. Angela James and Vicky Sunohara had hat tricks in an 18-0 victory at the inaugural Women’s Worlds in 1990, and Wickenheiser and France St-Louis contributed three-goal efforts to an 18-0 win at the 1996 Pacific Rim Championship.

All-time record: Canada leads 8-0
Canada goals: 96
Japan goals: 0

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (APRIL 14)

After a loss against the United States yesterday, Canada’s National Women's Team returns to the ice on Monday to face host Czechia in the final game of the preliminary round at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Always the marquee matchup of the preliminary round, Canada dropped a 2-1 decision to the United States for its first loss of the tournament. The Americans held a 2-0 lead after two periods before Laura Stacey scored on a breakaway to cut the lead in half. Ann-Renée Desbiens made 26 saves in goal.

The Czechs dropped their second game in Group A on Saturday, losing 4-2 to Finland. Tereza Vanisova gave Czechia a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, but Finland responded with four unanswered goals before Kristyna Kaltounkova scored with just over two minutes remaining. Klara Peslarova made 24 saves.

Last Meeting

Canada and Czechia last met in the 2024 Women’s Worlds semifinals, with the Canadians blanking the Czechs 4-0 on their way to a 13th gold medal. Blayre Turnbull kicked off the scoring 4:32 into the game, with Jocelyne Larocque giving Canada a 2-0 lead after the first period. Emily Clark and Sarah Fillier rounded out the scoring, while Ann-Renée Desbiens made nine saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

Line chemistry in short international tournaments is important, and the Canadians have the benefit of utilizing the Montréal Victoire’s top line on an international stage. Jenn Gardiner, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey are the top three scorers for the first-place Victoire, combining for31 goals and 59 points. In three games in Ceske Budejovice, all three are top-10 in scoring and have combined for five goals and 14 points with a combined +17. Poulin has a goal and five assists, putting her atop the tournament scoring list and within shouting distance of a trio of all-time scoring records (more on that below).

The Czechs have some young talent emerging this season. Natalie Mlynkova—Chloe Primerano’s teammate at the University of Minnesota—notched 16 goals and 34 points in her fifth NCAA season, while 18-year-old Adela Sapovalivova recorded 15 goals and 36 points with MoDo in the Swedish women’s league. Kristyna Kaltounkova is making her debut on the senior team after becoming the first Czech player to be named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award and leads the Czechs in the tournament with two goals.

Milestone Watch

Poulin has a few major marks in her sights. She needs five more goals to surpass Jayna Hefford as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and three more assists and four more points to take over from Hayley Wickenheiser atop those categories.

In goal, Desbiens is even with Swiss netminder Florence Schelling for the most in Women’s Worlds history (21).

And keep an eye on a few more games-played milestones on the blue line; Erin Ambrose is set to reach 100 appearances in her Team Canada career when she takes the ice today, while Jocelyne Larocque is four shy of becoming the first defender to reach 200 games.

A Look Back

These two teams have a relatively new history at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. They have only met three times— once in Brampton in 2023 and twice at last year’s championship.

All-time record: Canada leads 3-0-0
Canada goals: 14
Czechia goals: 1

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (APRIL 13)

Always the marquee matchup of the preliminary round, Canada’s National Women's Team is back in action Sunday at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship to take on the United States in a first-place showdown in Group A.

Last Game

Canada made it two wins – and two shutouts – in as many games with a 4-0 blanking of Switzerland on Friday. Marie-Philip Poulin had three assists, Micah Zandee-Hart scored her first Team Canada goal in her 69th international game and the Canadians got three goals in 2:32 midway through the second period – from Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey and Daryl Watts (also her first international marker) – to pull away. Ann-Renée Desbiens’ return from injury was a success as she turned aside all 17 shots she faced for the shutout.

The Americans also improved to 2-0 on Friday, shutting out host Czechia by a 4-0 score. Abbey Murphy scored in each of the first two periods before veterans Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter added insurance in the third for the U.S., which outshot the Czechs 48-10. Megan Keller added three assists in the win, while Gwyneth Philips recorded the shutout.

Last Meeting

The forever rivals closed out the Rivalry Series in Summerside, P.E.I., on Feb. 8, with the Canadians claiming the series for the third year in a row thanks to a 3-1 victory in the deciding Game 5. Jenn Gardiner netted her first international goal as the game-winner with less than seven minutes to go for the Canadians, who also got goals from Brianne Jenner and Stacey.

What to Watch

While young guns like Gardiner, Watts and Chloe Primerano have been making their presences felt through the first two games, the Canadians continue to go as Poulin goes. As the captain approaches 200 career games (she’s three away from becoming just the fourth player to reach the milestone), she shows no signs of slowing down. Poulin has a goal and four assists through the first two games, putting her atop the tournament scoring list and within shouting distance of a trio of all-time scoring records (more on that below). The 34-year-old has found tremendous chemistry with Victoire de Montréal teammates Gardiner and Stacey; they have combined for four goals and 11 points in two games and are a combined +14.

The Americans have gone with a scoring-by-committee approach in their first two games, getting at least three points from five different players (Carpenter, Keller, Knight, Murphy, Pannek). Knight continues to play at a high level in her 15th Women’s Worlds; the U.S. captain is already the all-time leader in goals (67) and points (114) in tournament history, and she’s two back of the assists record (she’s at 47), although teammate Kendall Coyne Schofield also sits at 47 and Poulin is up to 46, so any or all of the three should likely pass the legendary Hayley Wickenheiser and her 49 assists before the end of the gold medal is awarded in Ceske Budejovice.

Milestone Watch

As mentioned above, Poulin has a few major marks in her sights. She needs five more goals to surpass Jayna Hefford as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and four more assists and five more points to take over from Wickenheiser atop those categories.

In goal, Desbiens’ win brought her even with Swiss netminder Florence Schelling for the most in Women’s Worlds history (21). While the starter against the U.S. won’t be known until closer to puck drop, Desbiens is 19-8 with a 2.28 GAA and .908 save percentage all-time against the Americans.

And keep an eye on a few more games-played milestones on the blue line; Erin Ambrose is two appearances away from 100 in her Team Canada career, while Jocelyne Larocque is five shy of becoming the first defender to reach 200 games.

A Look Back

It’s Chapter 191 in the story of Canada vs. United States, with the Canadians in search of win No. 109 in the rivalry.

This is the first-ever meeting in Czechia, making it the 11th different country to have hosted the North American rivals (in order of countries played in: Canada, Finland, United States, Japan, Sweden, Italy, China, Russia, South Korea, Denmark and Czechia).

All-time record: Canada leads 108-81-1 (25-21 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 529
United States goals: 465

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWITZERLAND (APRIL 11)

Less than 18 hours after Canada’s National Women's Team opened with a win at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, the team is back on the ice to face Switzerland as the preliminary round continues at Budvar Arena.

Last Game

Canada got off to a strong start with a 5-0 shutout of Finland on Thursday. Jennifer Gardiner led the Canadians with two goals and an assist in her first Women’s Worlds game. Ella Shelton, Marie-Philip Poulin and Emma Maltais also scored and Kristen Campbell made 24 saves to record the shutout in her tournament debut.

Switzerland opened Wednesday with a 3-0 loss to the host Czechs. The Swiss threw 26 shots on Klara Peslarova and had six power-play opportunities, but were unable to convert. Andrea Brändli made 26 saves.

Last Meeting

The Canadians faced Switzerland in the preliminary round at last year’s Women’s Worlds, earning a 3-0 shutout win. Emma Maltais got Canada on the board 70 seconds into the game and Sarah Nurse doubled the lead just over six minutes later. Sarah Fillier added an empty-netter, while Emerance Maschmeyer made 17 saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

When Maschmeyer and Ann-Renée Desbiens both sustained lower-body injuries in March, it provided a chance for Campbell and Ève Gascon to shine on the international stage. In 19 games with the Toronto Sceptres this season, Campbell has a 2.23 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Gascon just finished her sophomore year at University of Minnesota Duluth, posting a 1.83 GAA and.942 save percentage while earning First Team All-American honours.

Switzerland’s offence is powered by three-time Olympians Lara Stalder and Alina Müller. Stalder, the Swiss captain, has 27 goals and 50 points in 22 games with EV Zug in the Women’s League, while Müller is in her second PWHL season, registering seven goals and 19 points with the Boston Fleet. Brändli had a strong performance at last year’s Women’s Worlds in Utica, facing 173 shots in five games and recording a .921 save percentage.

Milestone Watch

Jenner is just one goal away from 50 for her Team Canada career, which would make her the 14th player to reach that mark. Stacey is three points from 50 in her career. Marie-Philip Poulin has the potential to break several Canadian records at this Women’s Worlds: the captain is within striking distance of the records for career goals (needs five), assists (needs seven) and points (needs eight) by a Canadian at the tournament. She’s also four games from 200 in her Team Canada career, while stalwart defender Jocelyne Larocque needs six appearances to become the first blue-liner to get to 200.

A Look Back

Surprisingly, Canada and Switzerland have only faced off 20 times since 1997, but they have been frequent foes at the last four Women’s Worlds.

They last faced off in Europe in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament in Denmark, with the Canadians earning a 8-1 win. Poulin (2-1—3) and Fillier (1-2—3) each recorded three-point performances.

All-time record: Canada leads 20-0-0
Canada goals: 155
Switzerland goals: 9