ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE, Czechia – Tessa Janecke (Warren, Ill./Penn State University) scored the golden goal after a picture-perfect feed from Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn./Minnesota Frost) at 17:06 of three-on-three overtime to lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to a 4-3 win over Canada in the gold-medal game here tonight before a capacity crowd at Budvar Arena in the final game of the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
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“Games between these two teams are always classics and tonight was no different,” said John Wroblewski, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. “We had players up and down the lineup step up for us. It was a team effort I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
It was a scoreless, but entertaining opening 20 minutes. The U.S. had the first three shots on goal in the contest over the first two minutes, including a point-blank opportunity by Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill./Minnesota Frost). Janecke had a clean break up the left side with just more than 11 minutes left in the period, but was foiled by Ann-Renee Desbiens. U.S. netminder Aerin Frankel (Chappaqua, N.Y./Boston Fleet) stopped all 14 shots she faced, including a golden opportunity off the stick of Sarah Fillier from the slot in the waning seconds of the first period.
The U.S. scored twice in 29 seconds in the front half of the middle stanza to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Caroline Harvey (Salem, N.H./University of Wisconsin) rifled the puck into the top corner of the net from the side of the right circle to stake the U.S. to the lead at 7:16 with Hilary Knight (Sun Valley, Idaho/Boston Fleet) and Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass./New York Sirens) earning assists. Coyne Schofield dumped the puck toward the goal from the left point and it bounced off the ice and then Desbiens where Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, Ill.) was waiting to backhand home the rebound at 7:45.
Canada tied the game with goals :55 apart, the first less than a minute after Murphy gave the U.S. a 2-0 advantage. Danielle Serdachny tallied at 8:37 and then Jennifer Gardiner evened the contest at 9:32 from the left of Frankel. Canada had the only two power plays of the period and Team USA killed off both opportunities.
The U.S. took the lead 5:27 into the third period on a five-on-three power play goal off the stick of Heise, who wristed one home from the side of the right circle. The goal came after a feed from Murphy, who was on the goal line just to the right of Desbiens. Fillier evened the contest for Canada with 5:48 to play in regulation, putting home a shot from between the circles.
Both teams had terrific chances in the three-on-three overtime session, with Janecke accounting for the heroics and the 11th gold medal in U.S. history.
Frankel finished with 27 saves in goal and played the first 44:35 before exiting after a collision with Canada’s Laura Stacey at the left faceoff dot. Gwyneth Philips (Athens, Ohio/Ottawa Charge) finished the contest and picked up the win with 17 stops.
NOTES: Tessa Janecke was named the U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. was 1-3 on the power play while Canada was 0-2 … Canada outshot the U.S., 47-30 … Aerin Frankel earned the directorate award as the best goaltender in the tournament, while Caroline Harvey gained the honor as the tournament’s top defender … Forward Kelly Pannek was named to the Media All-Star Team … Hilary Knight earned her 10th gold medal in the IIHF Women’s World Championship, the most ever by any player … The U.S. is the only country in the world to have appeared in all 24 gold-medal games of the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
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Source: usahockey.com