60 Shot Performance Lifts Canada Over Slovakia

The Canadians wasted no time getting started at the U18 Women's World Championships in Finland. Team Canada fired 60 shots at Team Slovakia and earned a 6-2 win on Saturday night.

Although this game was likely to be a win for Team Canada, fans were excited to finally see one of the best players in the world face the Canadians. Nela Lopušanová, arguably one of the top young players in the world, was the top points scorer in the 2023 U18 Women's World Championships at just 14. Now at 16, she and Team Slovakia were set to face Team Canada in the first game of the tournament.

Recap:

Team Canada opened the scoring seven minutes into the period when Hayley McDonald got one past Slovakian goaltender Mariana Sumegova. Game MVP Sara Manness picked up an assist on the first tally.

Just a few minutes later, Ema Tothova tied it up for Slovakia on the power play, with Lopušanova picking up her first point of the tournament.

Maxine Cimoroni would add another goal before the end of the period, putting Canada up 2-1 after firing 27 shots on Sumegova.

Early in the second period, Lopušanova finished the pass from Komlos off a bad Canadian turnover to tie the game.

Neither team could find the back of the net for the rest of the period, leaving a bit of uncertainty for Team Canada heading into the final period.

However, it only took a few minutes for Canada to find their footing again, with Danica Maynard breaking the tie. Team Canada captain Chloe Primerano also got on the board a couple of minutes later.

Stryker Zabocki sniped Canada's fifth goal of the game past Sumegova before Kate Viel finished off the game with Canada's first powerplay goal of the tournament.

Most Valuable Players:

Team Canada's Sara Manness took home the first MVP prize of the tournament. She earned the honour after picking up two assists.

Lopušanová was awarded the MVP prize for Team Slovakia. Personally, I think Sumegova deserved the recognition after making 54 saves against one of the strongest teams in the tournament. There were times when she absolutely kept Slovakia in the game, especially before Canada ran away with it in the third period.

Takeaways

For the first game of the tournament, it's not that strange for Canada to have a slow start. A lot of these players haven't played together, or haven't played on the international stage. I'm sure there will be some concern about being tied against the Slovaks early on, but I don't think that's necessary. Once they got their feet under them, it was clear that they were the stronger team. Facing a good goalie didn't help either.

My biggest concern for Canada is that Slovakia only notched 10 shots all game and managed to sneak two past Grenier. Again, it could be growing pains (and clearly, the Lopušanová goal wasn't her fault), but it would be good to lock down those games when only facing a few shots.

As for Slovakia, the score really doesn't reflect how even the game was, especially before the third period. They played a strong, competitive game and had a few good chances. They might not be able to hold off Canada or the US, but I don't think they are the weakest team coming into this tournament. Hopefully, more shots, pressure, and continued strong goaltending will help them get some points.

Next Up:

Canada faces Switzerland on Sunday at 8:30 PM Local Time (1:30 PM EST).

Slovakia will face Czechia on Sunday at 5:00 PM Local Time (8:00 AM EST).