ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE, Czechia – The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Canada, 2-1, in the third preliminary round game of the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship today at Budvar Arena.
“We played like a team today,” said John Wroblewski (Nennah, Wis.), head coach of the 2025 U.S. Women’s National Team. “It’s games like this that you have to grind out and from puck drop to final whistle we did just that.”
HIGHLIGHTS
The game opened as most U.S. vs. Canada tilts do, with pace and physicality.
The U.S. received the first power-play opportunity of the evening just eight minutes into the tilt, but despite pressure, could not find the back of the net.
Lee Stecklein (Roseville, Minn./Minnesota Frost) found twine on Team USA’s sixth shot of the evening, lazering a wrister from inside the blue line to put the U.S. up 1-0 with 9:24 left in the period. Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minn./Minnesota Frost) and Kendall Coyne Schofield (Palos Heights, Ill./Minnesota Frost) picked up the assist on the goal. It marked Coyne Schofield’s 48th career Women’s Worlds assist.
In the closing seconds of the period Coyne Schofield found an open Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn./Minnesota Frost) on a 2-on-1, but Canada’s Ann-Renee Desbiens gloved the deflection to keep it a 1-0 contest.
The U.S. got its second power play of the game mid-way through the second, with Team USA’s best chance coming off a Caroline Harvey (Salem, N.H./University of Wisconsin) wrister that rang off the post.
Megan Keller (Farmington Hills, Mich./Boston Fleet) doubled Team USA’s lead with 7:38 remaining in the second. After collecting the puck in the neutral zone, Keller split the Canadian players at the center of the ice before her shot from the high slot found its way over Desbiens’ glove.
Laura Stacey cut the U.S. lead in half at the 13:10 mark in the third, sliding a breakaway through the pads to pull the game to 2-1.
Aerin Frankel (Chappaqua, N.Y./Boston Fleet) recorded 18 saves in the winning effort in net.
Next up, the U.S. will face Switzerland in its fourth and final preliminary round game on Tuesday (April 15). Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CET (1 p.m. ET) and can be viewed live on NHL Network.
NOTES: Megan Keller was named the U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. outshot Canada, 28-19 … The U.S. was 0-2 on the power play, while Canada was 0-2 as well.
GAME PHOTOS
GAME STATS GAME PREVIEW
Source: usahockey.com