The Americans hope to triumph at the 2025 Women's Worlds after losing the 2024 gold medal game to archrival Canada. Pictured are the U.S.'s Taylor Heise (left) and Canada's Sarah Nurse (right) taking a faceoff during the 2-1 American group-stage win.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDREA CARDIN
As much as it’s nice to reap individual accolades, it’s far better when your team wins a championship. No one is more aware of that than legendary Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin as her team heads into a gold medal rematch with the archrival Americans on Sunday in Ceske Budejovice.
The 34-year-old Montreal Victoire centre – the only hockey player ever to score in four Olympic finals – eclipsed Hayley Wickenheiser’s all-time Canadian Women’s Worlds points record, hitting 88 career points in an 8-1 semi-final romp over Finland. Yet afterwards, her focus shifted promptly to leading Canada to its second gold medal in a row and record 14th all-time. (The U.S. ranks second with 10 gold medals.)
“It’s going to be about being resilient from the very start of the game,” Poulin said. “It’s very important to start right away at the puck drop. We need to put a lot of pucks in front of the American goal, play hard and gritty. It’s going to be a battle, we know that, but it’s fun. That’s why we train day in and day out.”
In 2024, the U.S. lost the final 6-5 to Canada in Utica on Danielle Serdachny’s overtime goal. But according to coach John Wroblewski, they’re preparing for a hard-fought two-way game rather than another wild see-saw affair.
“There’s the phrase that steel sharpens steel,” Wroblewski said. “We talk about being battle-tested and there’s a reason why. You’ve been through the rigours, and you can use that as confidence. Having been in a really tight-checking game there [a 2-1 semi-final win over host Czechia], there was not a lot of ice through that neutral zone. I think there will be a duplicate response from Canada in that area tomorrow.”
Both North Americans sides have defended impeccably at these Women’s Worlds. To that point, the U.S. has allowed just three goals and Canada five. In the group stage, the Americans edged Canada 2-1 on a great individual-effort goal by Megan Keller.
However, coach Troy Ryan’s Canadians are riding a bigger wave of offensive confidence. Out of their 34 goals, 17 have come in the playoffs, including the 9-1 whacking of Japan in the quarter-finals.
The U.S. – normally an offensive machine at Women’s Worlds – has notched just 23 goals, with five in the playoffs, as they blanked Germany 3-0 in their quarter-final. It’s well off their all-time peak of 53 goals under Wroblewski with the 2022 silver-medal team in Denmark.
Canada’s main offensive driver has been Poulin’s top line with Jennifer Gardner – already the highest-scoring Canadian WW rookie ever with nine points (5+4=9) – and Laura Stacey. They are relentless on the forecheck and blessed with great vision and chemistry. Poulin, the tournament scoring leader (4+7=11), is just one point shy of her personal WW high (12 points in 2013), and that’s all to the team’s benefit.
Stacey explained the line’s success: “Obviously, those two are scoring some really beautiful goals, so I’m just trying to get them the puck as much as I can. I think the three of us are getting it in deep. We’re moving our feet, and we’re trying to put as many pucks on net as we can, but with a screen and with somebody taking the goalie’s eyes away. And right now, it’s finding the back of the net.”
There is scoring throughout the Canadian lineup. For instance, rookie sniper Daryl Watts has blossomed, scoring twice against the Finns to hit four goals. Energy forward Kristin O’Neill (2+3=5) made her mark earlier with a pair versus Czechia. And Canada’s ever-physical blueliners have been successfully activated, with Olympic stars Renata Fast and Claire Thompson leading the way with seven points apiece.
Meanwhile, third-line U.S. forward Kelly Pannek is surprisingly tied with captain Hilary Knight – the all-time WW scoring leader and winner of a record 14 WW medals (9 gold, 5 silver) – for the team points lead with eight points. Pannek, 29, has stepped up with two game-winners.
“I don't think that was on many people's bingo cards going into this tournament,” said Pannek, a 2018 Olympic gold medalist and three-time Women’s Worlds champ. “But at the end of the day, I’m happy to do whatever this team needs me to do, and I feel like I’m just trying to play the right way. This tournament, I’ve gotten some bounces and gotten some pucks in the net. The only thing I care about is our team winning the ultimate prize in that gold medal.”
The American emphasis on heavy hockey and responsible two-way play may pay off against Canada. Yet stepping back from freewheeling wizardry has come at a temporary cost. Caroline Harvey, the team’s best offensive defender, is well off her double-digit pace of previous years (1+2=3). Wisconsin stars like Laila Edwards (1+2=3) and Kirsten Simms (0+2=2) have been muted presences, with Edwards shifted to defence this tournament instead of forward (where she earned the 2024 MVP award) and Simms a frequent healthy scratch.
Quibbles about U.S. underachievement, of course, are relative. Centre Alex Carpenter (2+5=7) has been quietly effective as usual and leads the tournament on faceoffs (72.7 percent). Abbey Murphy (2+2=4) is an agitating presence on the cusp of breaking out with 19 shots so far. And at these Women’s Worlds, there is little to choose between U.S. starting goalie Aerin Frankel and Canada’s Ann-Renee Desbiens, who just passed Swiss great Florence Schelling as the winningest WW goalie ever (22 wins).
The Americans really do not care what the score is as long as they win.
That said, Canada unavoidably enters the gold medal game as the favourite. Including the last Olympics, the U.S. has beaten Canada only once in five tries in top-level IIHF women’s play in the 2020’s: a 6-3 gold-medal win in Brampton at the 2023 Women’s Worlds. Nonetheless, the margins are very tight in this ultimate rivalry, and a thrilling 2025 final awaits.
Regardless of who hoists the trophy, the real winner will be the sport of women’s hockey. As fans worldwide have witnessed, the atmosphere has been overwhelming, the momentum unstoppable in Ceske Budejovice.
“Coming over here, you have no idea what to expect, but to have our families in the stands, to have those fans lighting this place up, it’s magic,” said Stacey. “It’s amazing to see for European women's hockey. Overseas here, it’s growing. Women's hockey is here, and it’s thriving.”
The 34-year-old Montreal Victoire centre – the only hockey player ever to score in four Olympic finals – eclipsed Hayley Wickenheiser’s all-time Canadian Women’s Worlds points record, hitting 88 career points in an 8-1 semi-final romp over Finland. Yet afterwards, her focus shifted promptly to leading Canada to its second gold medal in a row and record 14th all-time. (The U.S. ranks second with 10 gold medals.)
“It’s going to be about being resilient from the very start of the game,” Poulin said. “It’s very important to start right away at the puck drop. We need to put a lot of pucks in front of the American goal, play hard and gritty. It’s going to be a battle, we know that, but it’s fun. That’s why we train day in and day out.”
In 2024, the U.S. lost the final 6-5 to Canada in Utica on Danielle Serdachny’s overtime goal. But according to coach John Wroblewski, they’re preparing for a hard-fought two-way game rather than another wild see-saw affair.
“There’s the phrase that steel sharpens steel,” Wroblewski said. “We talk about being battle-tested and there’s a reason why. You’ve been through the rigours, and you can use that as confidence. Having been in a really tight-checking game there [a 2-1 semi-final win over host Czechia], there was not a lot of ice through that neutral zone. I think there will be a duplicate response from Canada in that area tomorrow.”
Both North Americans sides have defended impeccably at these Women’s Worlds. To that point, the U.S. has allowed just three goals and Canada five. In the group stage, the Americans edged Canada 2-1 on a great individual-effort goal by Megan Keller.
However, coach Troy Ryan’s Canadians are riding a bigger wave of offensive confidence. Out of their 34 goals, 17 have come in the playoffs, including the 9-1 whacking of Japan in the quarter-finals.
The U.S. – normally an offensive machine at Women’s Worlds – has notched just 23 goals, with five in the playoffs, as they blanked Germany 3-0 in their quarter-final. It’s well off their all-time peak of 53 goals under Wroblewski with the 2022 silver-medal team in Denmark.
Canada’s main offensive driver has been Poulin’s top line with Jennifer Gardner – already the highest-scoring Canadian WW rookie ever with nine points (5+4=9) – and Laura Stacey. They are relentless on the forecheck and blessed with great vision and chemistry. Poulin, the tournament scoring leader (4+7=11), is just one point shy of her personal WW high (12 points in 2013), and that’s all to the team’s benefit.
Stacey explained the line’s success: “Obviously, those two are scoring some really beautiful goals, so I’m just trying to get them the puck as much as I can. I think the three of us are getting it in deep. We’re moving our feet, and we’re trying to put as many pucks on net as we can, but with a screen and with somebody taking the goalie’s eyes away. And right now, it’s finding the back of the net.”
There is scoring throughout the Canadian lineup. For instance, rookie sniper Daryl Watts has blossomed, scoring twice against the Finns to hit four goals. Energy forward Kristin O’Neill (2+3=5) made her mark earlier with a pair versus Czechia. And Canada’s ever-physical blueliners have been successfully activated, with Olympic stars Renata Fast and Claire Thompson leading the way with seven points apiece.
Meanwhile, third-line U.S. forward Kelly Pannek is surprisingly tied with captain Hilary Knight – the all-time WW scoring leader and winner of a record 14 WW medals (9 gold, 5 silver) – for the team points lead with eight points. Pannek, 29, has stepped up with two game-winners.
“I don't think that was on many people's bingo cards going into this tournament,” said Pannek, a 2018 Olympic gold medalist and three-time Women’s Worlds champ. “But at the end of the day, I’m happy to do whatever this team needs me to do, and I feel like I’m just trying to play the right way. This tournament, I’ve gotten some bounces and gotten some pucks in the net. The only thing I care about is our team winning the ultimate prize in that gold medal.”
The American emphasis on heavy hockey and responsible two-way play may pay off against Canada. Yet stepping back from freewheeling wizardry has come at a temporary cost. Caroline Harvey, the team’s best offensive defender, is well off her double-digit pace of previous years (1+2=3). Wisconsin stars like Laila Edwards (1+2=3) and Kirsten Simms (0+2=2) have been muted presences, with Edwards shifted to defence this tournament instead of forward (where she earned the 2024 MVP award) and Simms a frequent healthy scratch.
Quibbles about U.S. underachievement, of course, are relative. Centre Alex Carpenter (2+5=7) has been quietly effective as usual and leads the tournament on faceoffs (72.7 percent). Abbey Murphy (2+2=4) is an agitating presence on the cusp of breaking out with 19 shots so far. And at these Women’s Worlds, there is little to choose between U.S. starting goalie Aerin Frankel and Canada’s Ann-Renee Desbiens, who just passed Swiss great Florence Schelling as the winningest WW goalie ever (22 wins).
The Americans really do not care what the score is as long as they win.
That said, Canada unavoidably enters the gold medal game as the favourite. Including the last Olympics, the U.S. has beaten Canada only once in five tries in top-level IIHF women’s play in the 2020’s: a 6-3 gold-medal win in Brampton at the 2023 Women’s Worlds. Nonetheless, the margins are very tight in this ultimate rivalry, and a thrilling 2025 final awaits.
Regardless of who hoists the trophy, the real winner will be the sport of women’s hockey. As fans worldwide have witnessed, the atmosphere has been overwhelming, the momentum unstoppable in Ceske Budejovice.
“Coming over here, you have no idea what to expect, but to have our families in the stands, to have those fans lighting this place up, it’s magic,” said Stacey. “It’s amazing to see for European women's hockey. Overseas here, it’s growing. Women's hockey is here, and it’s thriving.”