Slovakia will return to Division I Group A after claiming the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group B tournament. Hosts Latvia took the silver after a crucial final win over Great Britain, with the bronze going to Italy.
Italy 6 - Slovenia 1
Six different goal scorers contributed to a final win for Italy, with two Italian goals scored per period, as Slovenia struggled to get shots on goaltender Martina Fedel.
The first period saw Anna Caumo tip in a shot from the blue line and Marta Mazzocchi strip the puck off Slovenia’s defence to score five hole. Rebecca Roccella redirected a shot from the point on the power play in the second period, with captain Carola Saletta roofing the puck to give Italy a 4-0 lead.
Arwen Nylaander got Slovenia on the board 10 minutes into the third period, and Slovenia pulled Pia Dukaric (who was named the tournament’s Top Goalkeeper) with just under five minutes left to try to close the scoring gap. Italy’s Laura Lobis, the tournament’s Top Defender, scored on the empty net however, and with Dukaric back in net, 16-year-old Maddalena Bedont got her first career senior World Championship goal to finish off the game.
Slovakia 5 - Poland 1
Slovakia secured their fourth win of the tournament thanks to two-goal performances from both Livia Kubekova and Lucia Istocyova, subsequently guaranteeing Slovakia the gold medal.
Kubekova tipped in a point shot in the first period to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead, but Poland tied the game just 10 seconds into the second period, with Wiktoria Sikorska scoring blocker-side moments after the opening face-off.
It took only a few minutes for Slovakia to regain their lead however, with Istocyova scoring her first of the night on the power play. Kubekova and Istocyova both scored yet again in the second period to go up 4-1. Polish goaltender Martyna Sass faced 50 shots throughout the game, making several standout saves; on Istocyova’s second goal, Sass made the first and second saves before the puck crossed the line.
Rising star Tatiana Blichova finished things off for Slovakia early in the third period, scoring off a give and go with Hana Fancovicova.
Finishing last in the standings, Poland has been relegated to Division II Group A.
Latvia 3 - Great Britain 2
The final game of the tournament had a lot at stake; the winner would take silver, the loser would finish off the podium.
Elizabeth Saunders, playing in her first senior World Championship, scored just over two minutes in to give Great Britain an early lead; defender Casey Traill took a shot from the blue line, with Saunders ready on goalie Kristiana Apsite’s door step.
Latvia scored a similar goal to tie the game in the final minutes of the first period, with 16-year-old Emilija Jakovleva getting the puck past Nicole Jackson.
A penalty shot was called in the second period after Liga Miljone was tripped on a breakaway. The Latvian captain beat Jackson blocker-side to give her team a 2-1 lead—but Great Britain’s Kathryn Marsden tied the score just under a minute later, with the teams ending the second period tied 2-2.
Linda Rulle scored the game winning goal in the third period on the power play, sending the puck top corner with a wrist shot. Winning the silver medal is a significant achievement for the Latvian team, as 2024 marked their first time back in this division since 2019 after winning gold in Division II Group A last year.