ÖSTERSUND, Sweden — Alex Lo scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, as Canada defeated Finland 3-2 in the semifinals of the women’s under-18 ice hockey world championship on Saturday.
Canada will face Sweden for the gold medal on Sunday.
Law’s game-winner in OT at 7:32 was first credited to defenseman Ava Murphy, although it was Law’s wrist shot that snuck under Kertu Kuja-Halkola.
Murphy moved the puck from the defensive to the offensive zone and dunked on Lowe in open ice. Lo’s shot went under the Finland goalie, who kicked the puck into his own net to end the three-on-three overtime.
Lowe and Abby Stonehouse scored in regulation time for Canada, with assistant captain Emma Paice adding two assists for the defending champions.
Canadian goalkeeper Hannah Clarke stopped 24 shots for the win.
Sanni Vanhanen and Paulina Salonen scored for the Finns. Kuja-Halkola made 38 saves in the loss.
“I think we came out a little flat. The Finns came out flying, made a great forecheck that really took away our speed,” said Canada coach Courtney Burchard-Kessel. “It took us a while to settle in and get our feet wet, but we found a way to win .
“It’s such an amazing experience with your family watching at home, it’s so exciting. Heading into the gold medal game, I think it’s an amazing experience; will be full of game against Sweden. It’s something our players will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Canada is chasing repeat gold in the U18 women’s tournament after defeating the USA 3-2 in last year’s final in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Canadiens took a too many players penalty that started with 2:10 left in overtime in Saturday’s semifinal. Canada took eight penalty kicks in the game to Finland’s one.
Canada trailed 2-1 in the third period when Law scored the tying goal at 12:39. She swooped in from the wing and sent a wrist shot over Kuja-Halkola’s right shoulder.
Salonen scored the go-ahead for the Finns just eight seconds into the third period.
Finland won the faceoff and pushed the puck into the offensive zone, where Salonen took advantage of a broken play to beat Clark with a low stick-side shot.
The Finns trailed 1-0 after the first period, and Vanhanen tied his team even at 11:56 of the second. She converted a ricochet after Julia Shalin’s effort into the net from a corner.
Stonehouse scored her second goal of the tournament, deflecting Pais’ shot from the point by Kuya-Halkola at 9:47 of the opening period.
“As a team it wasn’t a perfect performance, but in the 60-plus minutes we at least had a perfect effort,” Law said. “We gave it our all, worked as a team, moved the puck, and in the end it worked out in our favor.
“We’ve put so much work into it (playing for gold) it’s something we’ve all dreamed of. We have to move the puck fast, skate hard and have positive energy on the bench and I think we can take home the gold.”
Sweden doubled the USA 2-1 in the earlier semi-final on Saturday to advance to the championship for only the second time in the tournament’s 15-year history.
The U.S. failed to reach the final for the first time and plays Finland for bronze on Sunday.
Canada swept Group A 3-0 to earn a bye into Saturday’s semifinals.
The Canadians had lost 4-3 to the Finns in a pre-tournament match, but beat them 8-0 in the preliminary round.
Felicia Frank made 37 saves in net for Sweden in their semifinal win over the USA
Defenders Myra Junkager and Astrid Lindeberg scored for the Swedes, while Lucia Digirolamo countered for the USA
Sweden reached the final in 2018 when they lost 9-3 to the Americans in Dmitrov, Russia.
The Czech Republic topped Slovakia 6-3 in the fifth-place match.
Slovakia’s Nela Lopushanova, who is just 14 years old, was the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals and three assists in five games.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 14, 2023.
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