2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 5

Sunday was jam-packed with pivotal games in battles for first place at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, as well as a couple of teams trying to avoid relegation.

Fans were treated to a little bit of stunning result in the opening game of the day. The fans who traveled from Norway were treated with a victorious effort by their team. Though the Norwegians were heavily outplayed by Hungary, Ena Nystrøm stood on her head. Norway broke through with a couple of goals in the second period, which ended up being the difference, as an empty-net goal from Millie Rose Sirum gave Norway the 3-0 win.

It was Norway’s first win in the top division since 1992. Also, since the win came in regulation, it kept them alive in their hopes to avoid relegation. Hungary, who has yet to score a goal in the tournament, will need a lot of help to avoid dropping back to D1A.

The first group winner was decided in the second game of the day. It was a battle of unbeatens in Group B, as Sweden went toe-to-toe with Japan. While it wasn’t an offensive foray that could’ve been between the two nations, Damkronorna did an excellent job at limiting Japan’s top weapons. While Sweden was stymied on the offensive end, timely goals were enough to grab a 2-0 win.

With the victory, Sweden will win Group B for the first time since 2016.

The final game of the day was the heavyweight clash between the United States and Canada. The Americans seemingly caught the Canadians off-guard in the first period, controlling the pace of play. After taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame, Megan Keller stayed hot, finding the back of the net to give the U.S. some needed insurance in the middle stanza.

The Canadians were hardly able to generate enough chances to get Aerin Frankel off her game. Though Laura Stacey potted her second goal of the tournament, the Americans were able to hang on for a 2-1 win, securing first place in Group A for the second year in a row.

Here are the players who stepped on Sunday in České Budějovice:

Norway

Ena Nystrøm, G: You don’t just win at the top division for the first time in over three decades without a magnificent play between the pipes. Unquestionably, Nystrøm has been Norway’s best player so far in the tournament, and he put another MVP-caliber effort on Sunday. Hungary came out firing from the get-go, and when they were trying to erase the deficit, the 24-year-old stopped all 21 shots she faced. Nystrøm ended up turning away all 45 shots in the victory.

Emma Bergesen, D: One surprising aspect of Norway’s performance in its return to the top division has been the team’s lack of trouble creating offense. While Andrea Dalen has been the most notable playmaker for the Polar Bears, it was all hands on deck against Hungary, including Emma Bergesen. The SDE HF blueliner scored Norway’s second goal of the game on Sunday. With that, the alternate captain has two points so far in Czechia. Bergesen led all Norwegian skaters with 27:01 of ice time against Hungary, finishing with a +2 rating and earning player of the game honors.

Hungary

Taylor Baker, D: This was probably the most frustrating game for Hungary, as it was probably their best chance to get a win. Former New York Sirens blueliner Taylor Baker was another offensive catalyst, despite not coming away with a positive result. She was consistently looking for openings and, putting quality chances on goal. The 27-year-old finished tied for the team lead in shots on Sunday, as she and Alexandra Huszak each had five. Baker was a -1 in 23:34 of ice time.

Sweden

Paula Bergström, D: While center Sara Hjalmarsson was named the team’s player of the game, Paula Bergström had one of her better games of the tournament on Sunday. The former Minnesota Duluth product scored a sweet goal to put Sweden out in front in the opening period, her first goal at the world championships in her fourth appearance.

It was also Bergström’s first point in Czechia. Her two-way game makes her an exceptional second or third-pair defender for Sweden. She was a +1 in 17:16 of ice time in the win.

Emma Söderberg, G: I wrongfully didn’t give Söderberg some props after her shutout against Hungary, so I’m going to make up for it by explaining that, while the Boston Fleet goaltender hasn’t had to steal a game, she’s stepped up when called upon. Japan started to ramp things up in the final 20 minutes, and the international veteran made some key saves to keep the distance, leading to a 17-save shutout.

Japan

Makoto Ito, C: As we’ve seen through the first three games of the tournament, the majority of Japan’s offense comes from the top line of Makoto Ito, Akane Shiga and Rui Ukita. Ito is the orchestrator on that line, creating scoring chances for her teammates, with Shiga willing to fire anything and everything on net. At just 20 years old, the longtime Japan National Team member continues to be one of the nation’s top hockey stars.

United States

Lee Stecklein, D: It was Keller who was named the United States’ player of the game, but I have been impressed with Lee Stecklein’s game in her return to the Women’s Worlds for the first time in two years. While she has been playing at such a high level for so long, being a key player in the Minnesota Frost’s run to the Walter Cup last spring, she has been able to remind us why she’s one of the best defenders in the world. Her goal in the first period gave the U.S. the lead and a huge confidence boost against their hated rivals.

It was Stecklein’s first goal on the international stage since the Women’s Worlds in 2022. The veteran now has two goals in the tournament.

Aerin Frankel, G: While she might not have had the same amount of work as Ann-Renée Desbiens, Frankel was clutch when she had to be. While she was beaten by Stacey, “The Green Monster” stoned the Montreal Victoire forward earlier in the game, adding another reason to the mountain-sized number of them that show why Frankel is a money goaltender. The Boston Fleet backstop made 18 saves in the victory, and has stopped 37 of the 39 shots she has faced so far.

Canada

Sarah Fillier, RW: While the top line of Stacey, Marie-Philip Poulin and Jennifer Gardiner led to most of the team’s offense, I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the GTA line of Sarah Fillier, Sarah Nurse and Daryl Watts. While Watts was one of the stars in the win over Czechia, Fillier was a notable presence in what was a frustrating game for Canada. The PWHL rookie registered a couple of shots on goal in just under 15 minutes of ice time against the U.S.

Standings

Group A

1. USA (3-0-0-0), 9 points
2. Canada (2-0-0-1), 6 points
3. Finland (1-0-0-2), 3 points
4. Czechia (1-0-0-2), 3 points
5. Switzerland (0-0-0-2), 0 points

Group B

1. Sweden (3-0-0-0), 9 points
2. Japan (2-0-0-1), 6 points
3. Germany (1-0-0-1), 3 points
4. Norway (1-0-0-2), 3 points
5. Hungary (0-0-0-3), 0 points

Coming up…

Hungary now has a do-or-die game against Germany on Monday (5 a.m. ET), while Switzerland seeks its first win against Finland (9 a.m. ET). To cap the day off, host Czechia looks for a good showing against Canada (1 p.m. ET)

All games will be broadcast on TSN1 and NHL Network

MORE WOMEN’S HOCKEY

• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 4
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 3
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 2
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 1
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Preview, Predictions

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