UTICA, N.Y. — Team USA and Team Canada will play in the gold medal game of the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship on Sunday.
The rivals have faced off for gold at 22 of 23 women’s world championships since 1990 — when the IIHF first sanctioned the event — including at last year’s tournament, which the United States won 6-3. The championship matchup was set after both teams won their semifinal games on Saturday night.
The host Americans beat Finland 5-0 in the first semifinal of the day. It took until the 12-minute mark in the first period for the U.S. to beat Finland starting goalie Sanni Ahola, who had an excellent start to the game making 13 saves in the first 10 minutes to keep the score 0-0 despite the American’s constant pressure in the offensive zone.
Ahola, 23, plays college hockey in the NCAA at St. Cloud State and was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) goaltender of the year. She made 50 saves in the loss for the Finns.
Laila Edwards scored a hat trick in the second half of the game to lead the U.S. in her first women’s world championship. In November 2023, Edwards became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. senior women’s national team. Edwards, 20, was named the American player of the game and is now tied for the tournament…
