The United States women’s hockey team has earned their place in the gold-medal game of the women’s world hockey championship following a commanding 5-0 victory over Finland in the semifinal round. Aerin Frankel stood out in goal, achieving her fourth shutout in five games, while Laila Edwards scored a natural hat trick to lead the American offence.
In addition to Edwards’ impressive performance, Hannah Bilka and Savannah Harmon also scored for Team USA, maintaining the team’s perfect record in the tournament. This win marks the 23rd final appearance for the defending champions, who have participated in every world championship final since the tournament’s inception in 1990. Edwards, a debutant in the tournament, now boasts five goals, matching the tournament-leading total of her teammate Alex Carpenter.
The victory sets up a potential showdown with arch-rivals Canada in the gold-medal game on Sunday. The Canadians, who lost to Team USA in the preliminary round, will face the Czech Republic in the other semifinal game. The matchup between the U.S. and Canada has been a recurring theme in women’s world tournament finals, with the two global powerhouses meeting in 21 of the 22 championship games. However, the host nation Finland caused an upset in 2019 by beating Canada in the semis before eventually falling to the U.S. in a shootout.
Despite the loss, Finland’s run to the semifinals marks a significant achievement for the team, as it is their first appearance in this stage since 2021. They previously clinched a bronze medal by defeating Switzerland. Goalkeeper Sanni Ahola put on an impressive performance, making 50 saves in a game where Finland was out-shot 55-15.
Aerin Frankel’s stellar performance in goal was crucial to securing the victory, as she posted her fifth career shutout in 11 world championship appearances. The U.S. team now holds an impressive record of 22-1 against the Finns in tournament play, having won 14 consecutive meetings.
The scoring opened with a goal by Hannah Bilka, followed by Laila Edwards’ outstanding three-goal streak, which helped solidify the U.S. team’s lead. Edwards’ performance was particularly noteworthy, as she scored two goals in less than four minutes in the third period to seal the victory for Team USA.
In addition to the semifinal match, former Northeastern University star Alina Muller scored an overtime winner in Switzerland’s 3-2 win over Germany in a placement-round game. This win secures Switzerland’s position in the top five nations in the A Group, while Germany remains in the B Group entering next year’s world championships.
The stage is set for an exciting gold-medal game, as Team USA looks to maintain their dominance and secure yet another world championship title.