photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Tim Austen
The gold medal game will be a North American affair, after Team Canada beat Sweden in the semifinal, 3-0, and will play Team USA in the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship final.
Sarah Fillier, Sarah Wozniewicz and Emma Maltais scored for Canada, and Ann-Renee Desbiens made 13 saves en route to a shutout. Ebba Svensson Traff made 27 saves for Sweden.
It was Sweden’s first Worlds semifinal appearance since 2009. They wanted more.
"I'm extremely disappointed. I was 100 percent sure we'd win," Sweden's Mira Jungaker said.
The Swedes did put up a fight, and they left everything on the ice. In the first period, Team Canada recorded 30 shot attempts. Of those, eight missed the net, Svensson Traff saved twelve, and the Swedish skaters blocked another ten.
Canada dominated the first period, and while Ann-Renee Desbiens made five saves for Canada, there were no dangerous chances. Not even the tournament’s fourth-best Swedish power play at the end of the period could penetrate the Canadian defense.
Canada sent waves of attacks towards the Swedish net early in the second period. They eventually got the puck past Svensson Traff, but Jungaker was in the crease to stop it from crossing the line.
"I think we're skilled enough to play with Canada, but we didn't get to the best scoring areas. We just took shots from poor angles and hoped for the best, when they have one of the best goalies in the world," Jungaker said.
Sweden spent so much time defending in their zone that it was almost inevitable that the Canadians would draw penalties, and that would be costly.
At 7:15 into the second period, Sara Hjalmarsson — who scored the game-winner against Switzerland — received a tripping minor. Canada won the faceoff in Sweden’s zone. Sarah Fillier tiptoed to the left faceoff dot, looked up, and fired a wrister. Svensson Traff got a piece of it, but not enough to stop the puck, and Canada took the important lead in the game.
With 7:03 remaining in the period, Sarah Wozniewicz delivered the dagger. Nicole Gosling flipped a 40-meter stretch pass to the Swedish blue line straight off a faceoff. Wozniewicz corralled the puck, held off a Swedish defender, and deked Svensson Traff before coolly slamming the puck into the back of the net to double Canada’s lead to 2-0.
Emma Maltais scored Canada’s third goal off a breakaway at 8:08 into the third period,. Ella Shelton’s saucer pass found her flying down the ice, and she beat Svensson Traff with a wrister through the five-hole.
Sarah Fillier, Sarah Wozniewicz and Emma Maltais scored for Canada, and Ann-Renee Desbiens made 13 saves en route to a shutout. Ebba Svensson Traff made 27 saves for Sweden.
It was Sweden’s first Worlds semifinal appearance since 2009. They wanted more.
"I'm extremely disappointed. I was 100 percent sure we'd win," Sweden's Mira Jungaker said.
The Swedes did put up a fight, and they left everything on the ice. In the first period, Team Canada recorded 30 shot attempts. Of those, eight missed the net, Svensson Traff saved twelve, and the Swedish skaters blocked another ten.
Canada dominated the first period, and while Ann-Renee Desbiens made five saves for Canada, there were no dangerous chances. Not even the tournament’s fourth-best Swedish power play at the end of the period could penetrate the Canadian defense.
Canada sent waves of attacks towards the Swedish net early in the second period. They eventually got the puck past Svensson Traff, but Jungaker was in the crease to stop it from crossing the line.
"I think we're skilled enough to play with Canada, but we didn't get to the best scoring areas. We just took shots from poor angles and hoped for the best, when they have one of the best goalies in the world," Jungaker said.
Sweden spent so much time defending in their zone that it was almost inevitable that the Canadians would draw penalties, and that would be costly.
At 7:15 into the second period, Sara Hjalmarsson — who scored the game-winner against Switzerland — received a tripping minor. Canada won the faceoff in Sweden’s zone. Sarah Fillier tiptoed to the left faceoff dot, looked up, and fired a wrister. Svensson Traff got a piece of it, but not enough to stop the puck, and Canada took the important lead in the game.
With 7:03 remaining in the period, Sarah Wozniewicz delivered the dagger. Nicole Gosling flipped a 40-meter stretch pass to the Swedish blue line straight off a faceoff. Wozniewicz corralled the puck, held off a Swedish defender, and deked Svensson Traff before coolly slamming the puck into the back of the net to double Canada’s lead to 2-0.
Emma Maltais scored Canada’s third goal off a breakaway at 8:08 into the third period,. Ella Shelton’s saucer pass found her flying down the ice, and she beat Svensson Traff with a wrister through the five-hole.
Semifinals: Canada vs Sweden - 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship
OF