SYDNEY, Nova Scotia – Jane Daley (Medfield, Mass.) tallied two goals, bringing her tournament total to 11, tying the IIHF single-tournament goal record, as the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team topped Hungary, 9-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.
“These games are never easy,” said Courtney Kennedy (Woburn, Mass.), head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team. “I’m proud of how we pushed through and advanced to Saturday.”
Team USA came out firing on all cylinders, posting a six-goal first period. Daley kicked off the U.S. scoring with 14:24 left in the first, recording her 10th goal of the tournament. Jillian McLaughlin (Oceanside, Calif.) added the team’s second just a minute later, before Alaina Gnetz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored back-to-back within the span of 11 seconds. Emily Pohl (Woodbury, Minn.) rounded out the period’s scoring with 5:03 remaining in the frame, to take a 6-0 lead into the first intermission.
HIGHLIGHTS
Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) got the party started in the second just 1:24 into the period. Stepnowski received the puck along the boards, cutting in towards the crease where a shot five hole trickled through Csenge Csordas.
Daley tallied her second of the game at 11:48 in the second, taking a partial breakaway down the center of the ice and putting a shot over the goalie’s blocker to extend the lead to 8-0.
Talla Hansen (Wayzata, Min.) scored Team USA’s first power play goal of the night late in the second, tapping in a shot from right outside the crease for the ninth of the game.
Despite numerous looks, both teams were scoreless in the third ending the game at a 9-0 tally.
Bianca Birrittieri (Flower Mound, Texas) made eight saves in the shutout effort.
Next up, the U.S. will advance to the semifinals on Saturday (Jan. 18). The opponent and game time are dependent on the outcome of the remaining quarterfinal games. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+.
NOTES: Emily Pohl was named the U.S. player of the game … The U.S. outshot Hungary, 56-8 … The U.S. was 1-2 on the power play, while Hungary was 0-6.
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