2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship Day 5 Recap: Canada dominates against Czechia, Denmark stays alive

Quarterfinal implications were aplenty in Sunday’s slate of Women’s World Championship, as group favorites proved they are ready for the knockout round, while others battled to avoid relegation.

Let’s take a look back at what happened on Day in Utica.

Group A

Canada flexes its muscles against the Czechs

While Canada had won its first two games at the Women’s Worlds, it had not put its opponents away like in the past. That changed on Sunday as the powerhouse beat Czechia 5-0.

The Canadians set the tone in the first period by taking the Czechs out of the game, outshooting the reigning bronze medalists 18-2 in the opening 20 minutes. They wasted little time getting on the board, as collegiate veteran Danielle Serdachny scored her first of the tournament just over two minutes into the game.

However, the first period belonged to Kristin O’Neill. The PWHL Montreal forward notched her first goal at the Women’s Worlds this year just before the halfway mark of the frame. Minutes later, some puck luck led to her scoring again, sending Canada into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead.

O’Neill had a hand in all three of Canada’s goals in the first.

Canada kept on the attack against the Czechs, as Renata Fast notched her first of the tournament minutes into the second period. Unlike what they did in the first two games of the tournament, Canada did not fall back and play passively. They continued to press against the Czechs, with Laura Stacey notching her first goal, capping off the win.

O’Neill was named player of the game for obvious reasons. The line of her, Serdachny and Julia Gosling has been an exciting one to watch through the first few games of the tournament. Sarah Nurse registered a pair of assists for Canada as well.

Canada outshot Czechia, 42-13. Ann-Renée Desbiens picked up the shutout for the Canadians, while Klara Peslarova made 37 saves in her third start of the tournament.

Tereza Vanisova was named the Czechs’ player of the game. She had two shots on goal in 11:09 of ice time.

Canada (3-0-0-0) prepares for a heavyweight matchup with the United States to determine who will win Group A. Czechia (1-0-0-2) will close out group play on Tuesday against Switzerland.

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Group B

Second line powers Sweden to win

While Japan kept things close against the group favorites, Sweden’s depth ended up being too much, as Damkronorna improved to 3-0 with a 6-2 win on Sunday.

Sweden dominated in the opening period of the game, and they took advantage from an early power play. Great puck movement led to a point shot from MoDo Hockey forward Ebba Hedqvist which snuck through traffic and in just over six minutes into the game.

Just a few minutes later, Josefin Bouveng stayed hot with her third of the tournament, sending the Swedes into the break with a 2-0 lead.

However, Japan bounced back early in the second period. Linköping product Haruka Toko notched her first at the Women’s Worlds in two years just over two minutes into the frame, thanks to a feed from captain Shiori Koike. Less than a minute later, on the player advantage, a great tip from Makoto Ito led to her second of the tournament to tie the game at two.

Just when it looked like Japan had taken over the game, Sweden regained control 24 seconds later, with Hilda Svensson scoring for the third time in Utica.

The Japanese side started to ramp up their opportunities in the third, but Sweden added a few insurance markers. Thea Johansson scored a beauty on a breakaway a handful of minutes into the final frame.

The Swedes closed the game out with Sara Hjalmarsson and Boveng each scoring, putting the cherry on top in the win.

Hjalmarsson was named player of the game, scoring a goal and an assist. She, Bouveng, and Sofie Lundin combined for six points.

Koike earned player of the game honors for Japan, picking up an assist in 22:21 of ice time.

Sweden outshot Japan 43-22, with Emma Soderberg making 20 saves in her second win of the tournament. Riko Kawaguchi gave up five goals on 42 shots in the Japanese net for her second loss in Utica.

Sweden (3-0-0) has a chance to clinch Group B with a win over Germany on Monday, while Japan has a day off before a must-win game against Denmark on Tuesday night.

Denmark picks up a key win

Though Denmark nearly gave away a victory, they bounced back to earn two points in a 2-1 shootout victory over China.

The Danish team had been getting heavily outplayed in its first two games, but they were able to control the game in stretches. Both sides had quality scoring chances in the first period, but Denmark got the better of the opportunities in the second, outshooting the Chinese team 12-4.

It looked like the game was going to head into the third period scoreless, as both Denmark’s Emma-Sofie Nordstrom and China’s Zhan Jiahui were playing well. Yet, with less than two minutes to go in the middle stanza, Amanda Refsgaard scored the Danish’s third goal of the tournament, giving Demark the lead for the first time in Utica.

The Danes hunkered down in the third period, seemingly safe with protecting the lead. They were doing a great of just that, but with under two to go in regulation, Kong Minghui found a rebound and knocked in her second of the tournament to tie the game.

For the second time in the tournament, China went into overtime. However, just like when they faced Japan, a shootout was needed to find a winner.

However, contrary to last Thursday, China could not pull it out. Frederikke Foss and Nicoline Jensen each scored in the skills competition for Denmark, with Nordstrom turning away all four shooters to give her team the win.

Jensen was named the team’s player of the game, scoring her team-leading third point, including the clincher in the shootout. Nordstrom ended up making 23 saves in the game.

Kong was awarded the player of the game for China after scoring her second goal of the tournament. Zhan ended the night with 33 saves.

Denmark (0-1-0-2) stays alive in the race for the quarterfinals. Though they only grabbed two points, they are just one point back of China (0-1-1-1) for third in Group B. The Danes will close out the group stage on Tuesday night against Japan, while China faces Germany on Tuesday morning.

Three Stars

1. Kristin O’Neill, F, Canada: Despite being on the fourth line, O’Neill has been a spark plug for Canada, showing that the team has a significant amount of scoring depth. O’Neill’s three points against Czechia shows she can be a game-changer in this tournament.
2. Josefin Bouveng, F, Sweden: With three points against Japan, the University of Minnesota sophomore moved up to second in tournament scoring with five points in the first three games. Her play on the line of Hjalmarsson and Sofie Lundin makes that trio one of the most dangerous combos in Group B.
3. Emma-Sofie Nordstrom, G, Denmark: Nordstrom has done everything she can to give Denmark a chance in this tournament, despite her team being heavily outplayed in the first two games. Even when China was able to score late, the St. Lawrence goaltender came up clutch in the shootout.

For the full schedule, go to IIHF.com