Team USA Shuts Down Finland, 5-0
VANTAA, Finland – The U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team topped Finland, 5-0, in the final preliminary round game of the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Tikkurilan Areena on Tuesday.
“Today was another game that we got better every period,” said Liz Keady Norton (Boston, Mass.), head coach of the 2025 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team. “It all came together for us today, and while there’s always room for improvement, we’re happy to get the win.”
With the win, Team USA finishes preliminary-round play with a perfect 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record and wins Group A. The team will face Slovakia in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 1:30 p.m. EET (6:30 a.m. ET) on NHL Network.
The U.S. earned its first power play 8:17 into the game and capitalized just 35 seconds into the extra-skater opportunity. A turnover by Finland in the offensive zone gave Mary Derrenbacher (Raleigh, N.C.) a clean lane to shoot from the right faceoff dot. The ensuing rebound dropped in front of Bella Fanale (Webster, N.Y.) before Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) tapped the puck in from the doorstep to give the U.S. an early 1-0 lead.
HIGHLIGHTS
Just a minute into the middle frame a turnover in the neutral zone opened a breakaway opportunity for Finland, but goaltender Morgan Stickney (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) cut the angle down and stopped a five-hole shot, maintaining the U.S.’ one-goal lead.
The U.S. doubled its lead after a misread from Finland’s defense gave the U.S. a 2-on-0 opportunity in tight. Christina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) hit Ella Johnson (Palmer, Alaska) in the slot who one-timed a rocket five-hole to extend the lead to 2-0.
The third goal of the game came off Sloane Hartmetz (Phoeniville, Pa.) stick as she rifled a cross-ice shot over the shoulder of Finland’s Kerttu Kuja-Halkola to open a 3-0 lead with 8:57 remaining in the second.
Kylie Amelkovich’s (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) backhanded tip with 7.6 seconds remaining in the middle frame extended Team USA’s lead to 4-0.
The captain, Bella Fanale (Webster, N.Y.) recorded a goal off her own rebound after a shot from the left hash careened back to her right outside the crease in the back half of the third, giving the U.S. a commanding 5-0 lead.
Stickney recorded a seven-save shutout in net, her third of the tournament. With the win, Stickney has 180:00 of consecutive shutout play, a new single-tournament record, topping the U.S. Sidney Peters, who had 179:47 of shoutout play in 2013.
NOTES: Sloane Hartmetz was named U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. outshot Finland, 59-7 … The U.S. was 1-4 on the power play, while Finland was 0-2.
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Source: usahockey.com