Renata Fast scored twice to lead Canada in a 5-1 win over Sweden in a women's world hockey championship quarterfinal Thursday. Fast (14) celebrates her goal over Sweden with teammates Julia Gosling (88) and Danielle Serdachny (92) during second period quarter final hockey action at the IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship in Utica, N.Y., Thursday, April 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
UTICA, N.Y. – Renata Fast scored twice to lead Canada in a 5-1 win over Sweden in a women’s world hockey championship quarterfinal Thursday.
The Canadians meet back-to-back bronze medallist Czechia in a semifinal Saturday. Defending champion United States was to face Japan in the remaining quarterfinal Thursday night.
The Czechs and Finland also reached the final four with victories Thursday.
Laura Stacey, Natalie Spooner and Jaime Bourbonnais were goal scorers for Canada, which has goal production from 11 different players in the tournament.
Defender Jocelyne Larocque contributed a pair of assists in the win.
Hilda Svensson scored for Sweden.
Canada required a Sarah Nurse overtime goal to put the Swedes away 3-2 in last year’s quarterfinal in Brampton, Ont., but finished the job in regulation Thursday.
Emerance Maschmeyer got the nod in Canada’s net for the quarterfinal as she did in Brampton, with Kristen Campbell backing her up. Maschmeyer made 17 saves.
Sweden’s Emma Soderberg, who had 51 saves against the Canadians last year, stopped 39 at the Adirondack Bank Center.
Czechia blanked Germany 1-0 and the Finns were 3-1 winners over Switzerland in earlier quarterfinals.
Canada shut out Czechia 5-0 in the preliminary round en route to a 3-0-1-0 record in Group A behind unbeaten U.S.
The Swiss and Group B topper Germany will square off in Saturday’s placement game, with a berth in next year’s Group A among the top five seeds at stake.
The Canadians led 2-1 and 3-1 at period breaks of a heavy quarterfinal of collisions and grinding checks along the boards.
Lina Ljungblom backhanded the puck by a prone Maschmeyer midway through the third period, but officials ruled the play had been whistled dead.
Sweden quickly took a cross-checking minor and gave up two goals in the span of less than a minute.
Bourbonnais beat Soderberg with a low shot far side at 14:42. Emma Maltais’ hard work behind the net paid dividends for Spooner striking from close range at 13:56.
Canada’s power play went 0-for-4 in the game and was 1-for-14 for the tournament.
Sweden had chances to draw even early in the second when Ljungblom took off on a breakaway stepping out of the penalty box, and Sofie Lundin put a shot off Maschmeyer’s left post.
But Fast restored Canada’s two-goal lead by whipping a high shot from the top of the faceoff circle past bodies into the far corner of Sweden’s net at 8:11.
Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin leaning into Paula Bergstrom and assessed an illegal hit had a Swedish fan yelling “kick her out” midway through the period.
Canada allowed its first power-play goal of the tournament at 11:46 of the first period.
Svensson, who forced OT in Brampton by scoring with 10 seconds left in regulation, beat Maschmeyer far side on Lundin’s pass from the goal line.
Canada led 2-0 by 5:29 when Blayre Turnbull stripped a Swedish defender of the puck and dished to Stacey, who wired the puck by Soderberg for Stacey’s second of the tournament.
Fast carried the puck in from the wing, cut in front of Sweden’s net and beat Soderberg with a backhand between the pads at 2:25.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2024.
