It had elements of an early outburst, but the United States made adjustments on the fly Monday night and turned the gold medal final at the Under-18 Women’s Hockey World Championships into a real thriller.
But Canada, who took a 3-0 lead with goals from Alexia Aubin, Ava Murphy and Jocelyn Amos, were able to hold on and defeat the United States 3-2 in front of 2,288 LaBahn Ice Arena fans.
Finley McCarthy and Claire Enright scored second-half goals seven seconds apart to make the final period interesting.
“We knew what we had to do. We had to stay together and work on the habits we’ve been working on all this tournament,” Murphy said when asked about the U.S. comeback.
LOOK Canada claims gold in the under-18 women’s hockey worlds:
Canada defeats the United States and wins its sixth under-18 world title
Jocelyn Amos’ second-period winning goal was maintained as Canada defeated the United States 3-2 to win gold at the U-18 World Championships in Madison, WI.
When asked about his key goal, Murphy added, “We talked about getting the records on the net, so when the record hit my stick, I knew what to do. I threw the record in front. “We are very proud of everyone, we have worked very hard. Making our dreams come true and winning gold is an amazing moment.”
Mari Pietersen stopped 29 of the 31 American shots and had to be sharp in the final period to preserve victory.
After the gold medal match, Sara Swiderski was named to the media star team. In six games, he contributed with two assists and 16 shots on goal, and was instrumental in Canada’s defensive efforts with a score of six more.
“I dreamed of that moment, but I didn’t think it would feel so good,” Swiderski said. “It simply came to our notice then [as an all-star], but without my peers it is not possible; they gave me a chance to show myself. Our team was aggressive and that has given us momentum today. “
“We had to do it”
Head coach Howie Draper was impressed with how his team matured during the tournament and loved the extra effort his team put into the final.
“It was a great effort, there was a lot of hunger, a lot of battle [United States] it’s such a skilled team, and they’re so strong, so we had to do it, ”Draper said.
“It’s a lot of fun to play in such a big game against such a strong team. You want to take part in these tough competitions. Our players were ready to do anything to find success. They really played for each other.”
Since 2008, Canada has won six gold medals in the under-18 women’s world, along with seven silver and one bronze.
The Under-18 Women’s Hockey Championship was hit and canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was originally scheduled to take place in January in Linkoping and Mjolby, Sweden, before being postponed and relocated.
The 2021 event, which will be held in the same Swedish cities, was canceled, while the Under-20 Men’s World Championship in Edmonton and the Under-18 Men’s Championship in Frisco, Texas, went ahead. planned.
The International Ice Hockey Federation provoked a reaction on social media when it announced the cancellation of the 2022 women’s tournament two weeks after its start on January 8th. The announcement came on the eve of the men’s U-20 return to Edmonton, which lasted just four days due to COVID outbreaks.
The IIHF announced in March that the 2022 Women’s Under-18 Championship would be moved and rescheduled instead of canceled directly.
In the morning, Finland defeated Sweden 3-0 in front of 2,273 spectators at the LaBahn Ice Arena to win the bronze medal. Sanni Vanhanen scored the three goals for the winners, while Emilia Kyrkko made 35 stops to score.