VANTAA, Finland – The U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team held Japan to four shots in a 6-0 shutout victory to open the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship at Tikkurilan Areena on Saturday morning.
“It’s always great to get the first win under our belts and see our growth throughout the game,” said Liz Keady Norton (Boston, Mass.), head coach of the 2025 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team. “Our depth up front and on the blue line shined today.”
Team USA opened the game’s scoring just 4:16 into the contest, when Haley Box (Eden Prairie, Minn.) put away a rebound off the back side from a low shot off Evelyn Doyle’s (Needham, Mass.) stick from the left faceoff dot.
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Christina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) added the second goal of the game with 2:51 remaining in the first, when a fluttering shot from the hash marks found its way past Japanese goaltender Haruka Kuromaru.
The U.S. opened the middle frame holding much of the offensive momentum. Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) capitalized off the extended zone time, taking a wrister from the center of the blue line that found twine over Kuromaru’s stick to extend the lead to 3-0 with 13:46 remaining in the second.
Bella Fanale (Webster, N.Y.) recorded her first of the tournament off a net-front scramble that was confirmed after video review to open a 4-0 advantage.
The birthday girl, Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.), scored with 1:56 remaining in the second to send the U.S. into the second intermission up 5-0.
Mary Derrenbacher (Raleigh, N.C.) flashed the mitts, deflecting a rising shot from Kenleigh Fischer (Fargo, N.D.) for the final goal of the game to make it 6-0.
In her first career Under-18 Women’s World Championship start, goaltender Morgan Stickney (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) posted a four-save shutout in net.
Team USA continues preliminary round play tomorrow (Jan. 5) against Sweden. Puck drop is set for 10 a.m. EET (3 a.m. ET) and can be viewed live on NHL Network.
NOTES: Haley Box was named U.S. player of the game … The U.S. outshot Japan, 67-4 … Team USA was 0-3 on the power play, while Japan was 0-1.
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Source: usahockey.com