The quest for a second consecutive gold medal at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Hockey Championship will continue for Canada.
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The Canadians secured their spot in the gold medal game on Saturday night, defeating Czechia 8-1 in the semifinal game in front of 3,761 fans at Centre 200 in Sydney.
Adrianna Milani, Rachel Piggott and Maddie McCullough each scored twice, while Laurie Aubin and Sofia Ismael chipped in with single markers for Canada (5-0-0-0).
Lucie Sindelarova had the lone goal for Czechia (3-2-0-0).
Canada’s Lea-Rose Charrois made 20 saves. Czechia’s Lili Chmelarova made three saves on six shots before being replaced by Veronika Ortova, who stopped 32 of 37 shots in her 54:48 of relief.
Milani tied a Canadian record for most goals (10) in a single tournament at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Hockey Championship. The record was originally set by Caitlin Kraemer in 2024.
With the victory, Canada will face the United States for the gold medal. The tournament has never been won by any country other than Canada and the United States.
The last time Canada won back-to-back U18 women’s world championships was in 2022 and 2023. A gold medal victory for Canada would also tie them with the U.S. for the most titles (9) since the tournament began in 2008.
The gold medal game is set for Sunday at 7:30 p.m., at Centre 200.
UNITED STATES 9, SWEDEN 1
The United States secured its spot in the gold medal game with their semifinal win over Sweden.
Maggie Averill and Emily Pohl each scored twice and added two assists, while Jillian McLaughlin, Jane Daley, Madelyn Kimbrel, Talla Hansen and Lindsay Stepnowski also netted goals for the United States (5-0-0-0).
Tilde Grillfors had the lone goal for Sweden (3-2-0-0).
United States’ Bianca Birrittieri made 16 saves. Sweden’s Meja Engelin stopped 25 of 32 shots before being replaced by Thea Holmberg, who turned aside seven of nine shots in her 20 minutes of relief.
United States forward Daley set a new single under-18 women’s world championship tournament record for goals (12) with her second period marker. She now leads the 2026 event with 17 points.
HUNGARY 7, FINLAND 5
In the relegation game, Hungary secured its spot in the top division for the 2027 event with their victory over Finland to begin the day on Saturday.
Petra Polonyi had a five-point performance, which included three goals, while Reka Hiezel had two goals and two assists. Helga Tamas and Blanka Temesi also found the back of the net for Hungary (1-4-0-0).
Senja Siivonen netted a pair of goals, while Yenna Kolmonen, Emmi Loponen and Julia Kuhta chipped in with single markers for Finland (0-5-0-0).
Hungary’s Zoe Takacs made 22 saves. Finland’s Eerika Kujala stopped 28 of 34 shots.
Hungary will remain in the top division for the second straight year, while Finland will be demoted to the Division I A tournament for the first time since the event began in 2008.
The victory was also the first time Hungary has ever beat Finland. The two countries met twice in the 2013 tournament in Finland with the Finns beating the Hungarians 4-0 and 3-1.
It’s Finland’s worst finish at the U18 women’s world championship.
BRONZE MEDAL GAME
While Canada and the United States will play for gold, Sweden and Czechia will square off for the bronze medal on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., at Centre 200.
Czechia and Sweden played in the bronze medal game last year in Finland with Czechia winning the medal. Sweden hasn’t medaled in the tournament since 2023 when they claimed a silver medal, losing to Canada in the final.
COVERAGE
The Cape Breton Post will have full coverage of the bronze medal and gold medal games on Sunday. Follow sports reporter Jeremy Fraser on X, formerly known as Twitter, by clicking here.
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