Finland and Czechia face off in the group stage game. Now the teams go again in Sunday's bronze medal game at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Czechia and Finland go head-to-head for the bronze medal on Sunday – and another capacity crowd is set to generate a fantastic atmosphere in Ceske Budejovice.
Twelve months ago, Finland came out on top in a shoot-out after a 2-2 tie in Utica. The result avenged a 0-4 loss when the teams met in the group stage.
At the 2025 Women's World, Finland got the verdict in the preliminary round with a 4-2 victory and finished ahead of the Czechs in the first round. Noora Tulus assisted on the first Finnish goal in that game, but doesn’t read too much into previous results.
“Of course [beating them] gives us confidence, but this is a new game and we need to be prepared,” she said after the semi-final loss to Canada. “It’s going to come fast but I’m pretty sure we’re going to be ready when the puck drops.
“It’s going to be an amazing game against the host team in front of another full crowd, so we’re excited.”
However, the 1-8 semi-final defeat to Canada was a rough one for the Finns. A competitive game collapsed in a couple of crazy minutes towards the end of the second period as the Canadians jumped from 2-1 to 6-1.
Ronja Savolainen, one of the brightest players for Finland in this tournament, was trying to focus on the positives. “In the first half of the game against Canada we showed how good we can be,” she said. “On Sunday, we want to do it for a full 60 minutes.
“A medal has always been the goal. We have to keep our heads clear and help each other. We’ll put everything on the line.”
Czechia, meanwhile, was hugely impressive in a 1-2 loss against the USA. It’s by far the closest scoreline the country has managed against North American opposition and the narrow loss brings a complex emotional mix of pride and disappointment.
“Mentally this is going to be even harder than physically,” admitted forward Michaela Pejzlova. “We really thought we could beat the USA.
“But I think we‘re going to be ready. It’s going to be difficult, but we have a bit of an advantage over the team that loses the evening game. And we want to win a medal to give it back to our fans, and to ourselves for all the hard work we’ve done.”
Goalie Klara Peslarova, who was magnificent in defeat against the Americans, believes her team is coming of age. This will be the fourth year in a row that the Czechs have gone for a medal, twice beating Switzerland to bronze before losing to Finland last time.
And Peslarova believes Czechia can match any opponent. “We’re older,” she said. “We’re more confident on the puck. We developed our game and our structure.”
And the home ice factor is another huge boost as the tournament in Ceske Budejovice closes on the all-time Women’s World Championship attendance record.
“I would say the Czech Republic has the best fans in the world,” Peslarova added. “They’re here every single game. No matter if we’re winning or losing, they’re still behind us, and they are cheering. When you’re hearing it, it’s just like: ‘Power up!’
“Even if you feel tired, they pump you up. I'm proud that I can play here in front of them.”
The bronze medal game starts at 14:00 Sunday at Arena Ceske Budejovice.
Twelve months ago, Finland came out on top in a shoot-out after a 2-2 tie in Utica. The result avenged a 0-4 loss when the teams met in the group stage.
At the 2025 Women's World, Finland got the verdict in the preliminary round with a 4-2 victory and finished ahead of the Czechs in the first round. Noora Tulus assisted on the first Finnish goal in that game, but doesn’t read too much into previous results.
“Of course [beating them] gives us confidence, but this is a new game and we need to be prepared,” she said after the semi-final loss to Canada. “It’s going to come fast but I’m pretty sure we’re going to be ready when the puck drops.
“It’s going to be an amazing game against the host team in front of another full crowd, so we’re excited.”
However, the 1-8 semi-final defeat to Canada was a rough one for the Finns. A competitive game collapsed in a couple of crazy minutes towards the end of the second period as the Canadians jumped from 2-1 to 6-1.
Ronja Savolainen, one of the brightest players for Finland in this tournament, was trying to focus on the positives. “In the first half of the game against Canada we showed how good we can be,” she said. “On Sunday, we want to do it for a full 60 minutes.
“A medal has always been the goal. We have to keep our heads clear and help each other. We’ll put everything on the line.”
Czechia, meanwhile, was hugely impressive in a 1-2 loss against the USA. It’s by far the closest scoreline the country has managed against North American opposition and the narrow loss brings a complex emotional mix of pride and disappointment.
“Mentally this is going to be even harder than physically,” admitted forward Michaela Pejzlova. “We really thought we could beat the USA.
“But I think we‘re going to be ready. It’s going to be difficult, but we have a bit of an advantage over the team that loses the evening game. And we want to win a medal to give it back to our fans, and to ourselves for all the hard work we’ve done.”
Goalie Klara Peslarova, who was magnificent in defeat against the Americans, believes her team is coming of age. This will be the fourth year in a row that the Czechs have gone for a medal, twice beating Switzerland to bronze before losing to Finland last time.
And Peslarova believes Czechia can match any opponent. “We’re older,” she said. “We’re more confident on the puck. We developed our game and our structure.”
And the home ice factor is another huge boost as the tournament in Ceske Budejovice closes on the all-time Women’s World Championship attendance record.
“I would say the Czech Republic has the best fans in the world,” Peslarova added. “They’re here every single game. No matter if we’re winning or losing, they’re still behind us, and they are cheering. When you’re hearing it, it’s just like: ‘Power up!’
“Even if you feel tired, they pump you up. I'm proud that I can play here in front of them.”
The bronze medal game starts at 14:00 Sunday at Arena Ceske Budejovice.