Semi-finals Set as U18 Women’s World Championship Heats Up: Team USA, Canada, Sweden, and Czech Republic Advance

The 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship began on January 4th and is being held at the Tikkurila Arena in Vantaa until the 12th. Finland last hosted the tournament in 2013, making this a rare opportunity for Vantaa to showcase top-level girls’ hockey. 

The tournament has already seen some exciting action as the teams compete for a spot in the semifinals. In the preliminary round, Team USA dominated, winning all three of their games to advance to the quarterfinals, where they triumphed over Team Slovakia 9-1 earlier today. They will now face Team Sweden in the semifinals on Saturday, January 11th. Team Canada also went undefeated in the preliminary round, securing a spot in the semifinals after defeating Team Japan in the quarterfinals. They will play Team Czech Republic on Saturday.

Team Sweden had a strong showing, winning two out of their three preliminary games from January 4th to 7th, which earned them a spot in the quarterfinals. They followed that up with a 4-1 victory over Team Switzerland earlier today, setting up a semifinal clash with Team USA.

Similarly, Team Czech Republic won two of their three preliminary games and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they delivered a dominant 6-0 win over Finland today. They will now face Team Canada in the semifinals.

Notable moments from the preliminary round included Team USA’s Haley Box scoring the first goal of the tournament, and Team Slovakia’s Nela Lopusanova, who netted a hat trick on Day 2 against the Czech Republic, making her the top scorer with 5 points after Day 2. Team Canada’s Maxine Cimoroni and Sara Manness both followed closely with 4 points each. Three goalies stood out in the preliminary round: Team USA’s Morgan Stickney finished with a perfect 100% save percentage, Team Sweden’s Maja Helge posted a 93.62% save percentage, and Team Canada’s Marilou Grenier recorded a 92.59% save percentage.

Although Finland, Japan, Slovakia, and Switzerland will not be advancing, the skill and talent displayed by these teams highlight the growth of women’s hockey. The level of competition and the players’ performances are a testament to the sport’s ongoing development and the rising strength of women’s hockey globally.