Team Canada wins gold at IIHF Women’s World Championship
Team Canada has captured gold at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Utica, N.Y.
Danielle Serdachny scored the game-winner 5:16 into overtime to give Canada a 6-5 win over the United States in the tournament’s gold medal game. It was another classic championship match between the two rivals who also needed overtime in their lone preliminary round matchup.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice for Canada in regulation time while Erin Ambrose, Julia Gosling and and Emily Clark also connected. Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens made 19 saves in the win.
It’s the 13th gold medal for Canada at the women’s worlds and the first since 2022. Canada dropped a heartbreaker last year on home ice in Brampton, allowing three goals in the final four minutes of the third period in a 6-3 loss to the Americans.
Canada and the United States have met in 22 of the 23 women’s worlds gold medal games all-time, including each of the past four. This was the sixth time the two needed overtime to decide gold.
Canada was buzzing early in the first period, generating a few shots on goal in the opening minutes. 6:32 in, Ambrose fired a point shot through a Poulin screen that changed direction and beat United States goaltender Aerin Frankel to make it 1-0 Canada.
The Americans quickly tied it. Less than two minutes after Ambrose’s goal, Laila Edwards carried the puck down low on a delayed penalty and ripped a shot top corner on Desbiens to even things up at 1-1. Canada outshot the United States 13-6 in the first period.
3:08 into the second, Gosling, playing in her first women’s worlds gold medal game, carried the puck into the circle and fired a shot that beat Frankel low to put the Canadians back in front. The United States began to press for an equalizer midway through the second period and knotted things up 10:10 in when a Megan Keller shot snuck through the arm of Desbiens.
After an American power play ended, Canada struggled to maintain puck possession and it proved costly. With 3:32 remaining in the second, the puck was fed into the slot to an open Alex Carpenter who scored to put the United States in front for the first time.
With 1:02 remaining in the frame and Canada getting outshot 11-2, Poulin delivered yet another gold medal game goal to make it 3-3. The Canadian captain, who had yet to score in this year’s tournament, patiently held the puck and fired a perfectly placed shot off the bar and past Frankel.
Poulin went to the box for an illegal hit 7:14 into the third. On the power play, a shot went off the backboards and bounced in front where Hilary Knight put the puck up and over Desbiens to give the United States a 4-3 advantage.
Canada quickly evened the game again. Nearly two minutes after Knight’s goal, Clark, from a sharp angle, threw the puck towards the net where it went off the skate of American Caroline Harvey and in to make it 4-4.
With 7:41 to go in the third, Poulin netted yet another clutch goal to put Canada back in front, 5-4. A Renata Fast point shot was stopped by Frankel but she couldn’t control the rebound, allowing Poulin to have a few pokes at the puck before finally scoring her second of the match.
The Americans had yet another response with 5:02 remaining. A pass from behind the net found an open Harvey in front who beat an out-of-position Desbiens to tie things at 5-5. The goal would send the game into overtime.
In three-on-three overtime, Canada had a couple great chances to get the win early on. Poulin had a long breakaway but went high of the net and then, soon after, Frankel made a big stop on a two-on-one. The Americans were caught with too many players on the ice 3:17 into the extra time, sending Canada to the power play. Just as the power play was about to expire, Serdachny collected the puck in front following a blocked shot and netted the winner to give Canada a 6-5 victory.
This was the second meeting of the tournament between the Canadians and the Americans. In the final preliminary round game for both teams, goaltenders Desbiens and Frankel were both excellent before Kirsten Simms scored the overtime winner to give the US a 1-0 victory.
Canada finished the preliminary round with a 3-0-1 record, picking up wins against Finland, Switzerland and Czechia. In Thursday’s quarterfinals, Fast scored twice while Laura Stacey, Natalie Spooner and Jaime Bourbonnais also connected to lead Canada to a 5-1 victory over Sweden. On Saturday, Clark, Blayre Turnbull, Jocelyne Larocque, and Sarah Fillier all scored to give Canada a 4-0 semifinal win over Czechia, securing a spot in the gold medal game.
The gold medal game started roughly 20 minutes late due to the bronze medal match between Czechia and Finland requiring a shootout. Finland earned their first women’s worlds medal since 2021 with a 3-2 win.
The 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship will take place April 9-20, 2025 in Czechia.
