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U18 Worlds: Recapping the preliminary rounds

A look back at all the games leading up to the quarterfinals

Through four days and 12 games at the 2022 U18 Women’s World Hockey Championship, we are through to the quarterfinal round.

All eight teams have played three games within their respective pools, but as we move to the quarterfinal round, the bracket will be reorganized to reflect the record of each individual team’s success in pool play.

Here is a brief rundown and recap of each of the first 12 games of the tournament.

Game One: Czechia defeats Slovakia 4-0

Adela Sapovalivova got the scoring started early in the second period, and added another goal early in the third period.

Sapovalivova had three total points in the game as did her linemate Andrea Trnkova.

It was a quiet night in net for Czechia’s Michaela Hesova as she needed just 16 saves to record a shutout.

On the other end, Slovakia’s Laura Medvidova was solid, making 37 saves. But her four goals allowed still left her with the loss in the tournament’s first game.

Game Two: Finland defeats Canada 2-0

There was an early surprise from LaBahn Arena as the Finns took down the heavyweight Canadiens.

Ada Eronen scored late in the second period, and Oona Havana added a second goal early in the third period to give Finland a lead that they would not relinquish.

Canada was able to get 40 shots at Finland’s Emilia Kyrkko, but she stood tall and held on for an impressive shutout.

Canada appeared to be the better team for the majority of the 60 minutes, but the Finns did just enough to hold on and secure what proved to be a massive win early on in the preliminary round.

Game Three: Germany defeats Switzerland 1-0

Lola Liang played hero as she snuck a puck into the back of the net in the game’s final minute.

Margaux Farve was fantastic in net for the Swiss, but her counterpart Felicity Luby was just a bit better for the Germans. Her 27 saves helped secure the win.

Game Four: United States defeats Sweden 6-1

The Americans started their tournament with a bang, as the tournament hosts scored early and often to take down a solid group from Sweden.

Team USA scored three times in the first ten minutes, and four times total in the first period. They added one more goal in each of the second and third period to get to their final goal total of six.

The Swedes got on the board early in the third period, but it was nowhere near enough as the Americans dominated their first game of the tournament.

Game Five: Czechia defeats Germany 6-2

Czechia got the tournament’s second day started with another convincing victory.

They scored the game’s first three goals, and added three more consecutive tallies to start the third period.

Tereza Plosova, Tereza Pizetkova and Adela Sapovalivova all tallied three points for the Czechs as they became the first team in the tournament with two wins.

Game Six: Canada defeats Sweden 3-1

The Canadians came out flying after a tough loss in their first game of the tournament. They dominated the possession for nearly the entire first period, and were rewarded with two goals in the opening frame.

Rhea Hicks scored twice for Team Canada, and that was more than enough as Mari Pietersen was fantastic in net, making 33 saves on 34 shots.

Lisa Jonsson was equally impressive in goal for Sweden, as she was peppered with 56 shots throughout the contest. But ultimately, her save percentage of 94 proved not good enough as a good Swedish team fell to 0-2.

Game Seven: Switzerland defeats Slovakia 3-1

The Swiss got goals from three different players to secure an important win over Slovakia and get to 1-1 in pool play.

Slovakia’s Laura Medvidova was once again brilliant, as she made 30 saves on 33 shots, but the lack of offense was the problem for the Slovaks for the second time in two games.

In the other net, Margaux Favre did her job, making 17 saves on 18 shots.

Game Eight: United States defeats Finland 5-0

Team USA crushed a very confident group of Finns at LaBahn Arena on Tuesday night.

Laila Edwards and Tessa Janecke both scored two goals, and three different Americans added two assists.

Team USA outshot Finland 47-11 as they turned Finland, arguably the tournament’s third best team, into a shell of themselves.

USA’s Laila Edwards an early standout at U18 Worlds

Game Nine: Czechia defeats Switzerland 2-0

Michaela Hesova pitched an important shutout for the Czechs as they rolled through Switzerland 2-0.

Dominicka Malicka scored the game’s second goal, and assisted on the first to secure two points in the preliminary round final. Anezka Hracova added assists on both of Czechia’s goals to add two points to her tournament tally as well.

The 2-0 win over Switzerland finishes the perfect preliminary round for the Czechs as they finish 3-0 in pool play.

Game 10: Sweden defeats Finland 4-3

Finland took a 3-2 lead with just 15 minutes left in the game. But Sweden’s Emma Pfeffer scored with just over two minutes remaining to tie the game, and with less than 10 seconds in the contest Jenna Raunio put the puck into the back of the net to secure Sweden’s first win of this year’s tournament.

This was arguably the tournament’s best game and it was highlighted by some fast-paced action by both team’s star players.

Sweden’s Tuva Kandell led all players with three points, including an assist on the game’s tying goal with just over two minutes to go.

Game 11: Slovakia defeats Germany 6-2

The Slovaks pulled off the miracle of all miracles, as they needed a four goal win in order to advance into the quarterfinal round.

They trailed early, but added five consecutive goals to pull into the driver’s seat.

After Germany added a goal late in the third period, Slovakia’s Barbora Kapicakova added Slovakia’s sixth goal of the game to extend their lead back to four and give them a spot in the quarterfinals.

In net, Slovakia’s Livia Debnarova made 18 saves on 20 shots to help push Slovakia through to the next round.

Game 12: United States defeats Canada 7-0

In what was by far the preliminary round’s most anticipated game, Team USA rolled over their rivals to the north.

The Americans started early once again, scoring three times in the first period. They added two more in each of the second and third periods respectively.

Annelies Bergmann made saves on all 25 shots she faced as she pitched a shutout in the first round’s final game.

Games to come

In the quarterfinal round, it will be Canada against Slovakia, and Sweden against Czechia. Team USA and Finland have both been granted byes into the semifinals where they will take on the winners of these two games.

Action resumes tomorrow, with three scheduled games.

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