Team Canada is in the gold medal game of the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Hockey Championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. On Saturday, in the second of two semifinal contests, Canada trounced Finland 8-1.
For the second straight game, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Claire Thompson of Toronto, Ontario led Team Canada in scoring as she had one goal and two assists for three points. She also had one goal and two assists for three points in Canada’s 9-1 win over Japan in the quarterfinals.
Six Canadian players reached double digits in points. They were Daryl Watts of Toronto (two goals), Canadian Olympic gold medalists Sarah Nurse of Burlington, Ontario and Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Quebec (one goal and one assist each), Danielle Serdachny of Edmonton, Alberta (one goal and one assist), Canadian Olympic gold medalist Laura Stacey of Mississauga, Ontario (two assists), and Jennifer Gardiner of Surrey, British Columbia (two assists). The other two Canadian goal scorers were Canadian Olympic gold medalists Erin Ambrose of Keswick, Ontario and Emily Clark of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
It was also a milestone game for Poulin and Canadian Olympic gold medalist Anne-Renee Desbiens of La Malbaie, Quebec. Poulin set the Canadian record for the most points all-time at the Women’s World Hockey Championship with 88. Canadian Olympic gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan had the old record with 86. American Hilary Knight has the all-time record with 119. Poulin has 39 goals and 49 assists all-time. She broke Wickenheiser’s record with the game-winning goal at 14:44 of the first period from Gardiner and Stacey, which put Canada up 2-1 at the time. Meanwhile, Desbiens set the record for the most goaltender wins all-time at the Women’s World Hockey Championships with 22. Florence Schelling of Switzerland had the old record with 21.
Canada will play the United States in Sunday’s final. The Americans beat Czechia 2-1 in the other semifinal. The United States beat Canada 2-1 in Group A action a week ago.
Wickenheiser won a gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Poulin won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Desbiens, Thompson, Nurse, Stacey, Clark and Ambrose won the gold medal for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
