2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship Day 6 Recap: USA beats Canada, Germany clinches Group B

On a day with two games that would determine the fate of the two groups, the action certainly did not disappoint, especially in a highly-anticipated battle between historic rivals to cap the night off.

Let’s see what happened on an exciting Monday in Utica.

Group A

USA takes down Canada, clinches Group A

The main event saw the 181st meeting between Canada and the United States. While it was just a group-stage clash, it was another legendary contest featuring the two superpowers, with the Americans coming away with a 1-0 overtime win.

It was a very physical battle between the two teams, as both teams wanted to set the tone, trying to intimidate one another. Multiple illegal hit penalties were called, though many borderline checks were let go.

The first period saw the U.S. looking to take advantage of a Canadian team that played on Sunday. The host nation outshot its neighbors to the north 12-6 in the opening period. However, thanks to some top-notch goaltending from Canada’s Ann-Renée Desbiens, the game remained scoreless.

The tables turned in the second period, as Canada would lead the shot count, 11-6, trying to take advantage of a couple of power plays. Yet, Aerin Frankel stood tall in the American goal, while Desbiens continued to make ridiculous saves, and the game was still 0-0 heading into the third.

Both teams bunkered down in the third, neither wanting to make the mistake that led to the game-winner. Despite Canada getting a late player advantage, they could not capitalize, and the game went into overtime, with both teams searching for the first goal.

The Americans found their legs in the extra frame, accounting for all seven shots in overtime. The final shot was taken by the NCAA’s leading scorer, Kirsten Simms, as the University of Wisconsin star’s goal gave the United States the win, clinching first place in the group.

It is the first time in two years that the Americans have clinched Group A.

The goaltenders were honored for their valiant efforts, as Desbiens and Frankel were named players of the game. Desbiens ended the night with 29 saves, while Frankel posted a 26-save shutout.

With the win, the U.S. (3-1-0-0) will face whoever finishes third from Group B in the quarterfinals, which will be determined on Tuesday. Canada (3-0-1-0) has a guaranteed matchup with Sweden on Thursday.

Finland scores a needed win

Finland came into their final game in the group stage in desperate need of a win. Not necessarily to have a better seed in the quarterfinals, but to have some confidence heading into the knockout round. They received that and then some when they beat Switzerland, 5-2.

Following a valiant effort against the U.S. on Saturday, Suomi wasted little time taking control, as Petra Nieminen scored her second goal of the tournament, thanks to a fantastic setup by Michelle Karvinen and Susanna Tapani, just 42 seconds into the game.

One of the other storylines coming into the game was that Switzerland had been shut out in each of its first two games. That changed later in the first period, as captain Lara Stalder scored the team’s first goal of the tournament.

The game was only tied for a little bit, as Ronja Savaolainen gave Finland its second lead of the game with a power play goal in the dying seconds of the first.

The game settled down in the second period, but that did not stop the Finns from finding the back of the net. Sanni Vanhanen scored minutes into the frame, while Tapani found the back of the net herself shortly after the halfway mark of the game.

The Swiss came out in the third period with an interesting cherry-picking strategy to generate more chances. It certainly worked, with Sinja Leeman scoring her first of the tournament just past the 10-minute mark.

However, that was as close as Eisgenossinnen got, as Finland captain Jenni Hiirikoski scored an empty-netter to seal the win.

Hiirikoski ended up earning player of the game honors, as she also registered three assists in the win. Goaltender Sanni Ahola made 13 saves for Finland.

Stalder was named Switzerland’s player of the game, as the national team veteran created most of her team’s scoring chances. Andrea Braendli stopped 28 of the 32 shots she faced.

Finland (1-0-0-3) can finish no better than fourth in the group. Switzerland (0-0-0-3) faces Czechia on Tuesday. There is a chance they could move ahead of Finland, but they would need to beat the Czechs by a few goals.

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Group B

Absrtreiter carries Germany to clinch first place

The opening game of the day saw an important clash between Germany and Sweden, with the winner finishing atop Group B. It ended up being a low-scoring game, with Germany’s goaltender standing tall to help her team pull off the upset.

While Sweden led in shots throughout the game, Träger der Adler did a great job limiting the dangerous scoring chances in the first period, making it easy for goaltender Sandra Abstreiter.

The Swedes started to ramp up the chances in the second period, outshooting Germany 15-6 in the middle stanza. Yet, no one was able to score through two periods of play.

It was not just Abstreiter making the saves. Damkronorna netminder Emma Söderberg had to make some clutch saves when Germany went on the power play.

However, it was a player advantage that led to the first goal of the game. Minutes into the third period, the Germans created a lot of good chances on the power play. While they were unable to capitalize on it, shortly after it expired, a Tabea Botthof point shot deflected off Franziska Feldmeier and into the net.

From there, the pressure was on from Sweden, but Abstreiter came up with a few huge saves in the closing minutes to hold on for the 1-0 win, giving Germany first place.

It is just the second time the Germans have finished atop a group in the top division at the Women’s Worlds, and the first since 2017.

Germany, and especially Abstreiter’s effort, was impressive, as Sweden had scored the most goals through three games (17). The Swedes led in shots, 32-24.

Germany (3-0-0-0) does have one more game, as they face China on Tuesday.

Sweden (3-0-0-1) will now be tasked with taking on Canada in the quarterfinals.

Three Stars

1. Sandra Abstreiter, G, Germany: While some people scoff at Group B because it is the lesser of the two, it does not take away from the impressive performance the PWHL Ottawa netminder has put forth so far in the tournament. In three games, Abstreiter has stopped 72 of 74 shots.
2. Jenna Hiirikoski, D, Finland: Hiirikoski’s comeback story has been well-told, and is certainly inspiring. The 37-year-old has come back to prove, despite years of duty in the SDHL, she is still one of the top European defenders.
3. Ann-Renée Desbiens, G, Canada: Listen, I know Frankel was the winning goaltender on Monday night, but you cannot say that the PWHL Montreal netminder was not the big reason the game was scoreless through 60 minutes. Early on in the game, when Canada was hounded in their own zone, the Quebec native made some huge saves to let her team settle into the game.

For the full schedule, go to IIHF.com