THN.com/podcast. From The Hockey News Podcast: Recapping a Wild World Juniors Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk0OTg3NTUyNTk0MjA4NDgy/2023-iihf-w-u18_2.jpg] Team Canada won back-to-back gold medals at the women’s U-18 World Championship, defeating host Sweden in a lopsided final. USA settled for bronze, beating Finland. Canada’s Caitlin Kraemer again led the way, powering her team to a 10-0 victory. Kraemer’s 10 goals throughout the tournament were a new Canadian record, passing Marie-Philip Poulin for the mark. Here is a look at the gold and bronze medal games. KRAEMER POWERS CANADA TO BACK-TO-BACK GOLD After needing overtime in the semifinal, Canada put out a dominant performance for gold, winning 10-0 over the host Sweden. Waterloo, Ont. ’s Caitlin Kraemer continued her strong tournament, scoring twice for Canada only 25 seconds apart in the opening period to jumpstart a dominant performance by Team Canada en route to gold. Kraemer grabbed a loose puck in the neutral zone before splitting the Swedish defense, eventually scoring from the ice after falling. Her second goal of the period saw Kraemer fire from near the right goal line, beating Swedish netminder Felicia Frank. Kraemer finished her hat trick later in the period on a 2-on-1 where she shot glove-side on Frank. Canada’s other goal-scorers in the first period were Alexia Aubin, who tipped home a low point shot by Ava Murphy, and Piper Grober, who beat Frank through traffic on the power play. Murphy was an offensive catalyst from the blueline throughout the game and tournament, notching three assists in the opening frame. In the second, Charlotte Pieckenhagen sprung Alexia Aubin on a breakaway. She went backhand top shelf to extend Canada’s lead to 6-0. Abby Lunney and Mackenzie Alexander made it 8-0 for Canada heading to the third. Pieckenhagen scored to open the third period before Caitlin Kraemer finished off what she started by scoring her fourth goal of the game in the third. She one-timed home a hard rebound on the power play at the left goalmouth. Nine members of Team Canada are eligible to return again next year. USA GRABS BRONZE For the first time in tournament history, the USA was not playing for gold. Instead, they faced Finland for the bronze medal and secured a 5-0 win. Team USA retained their status of medalling at every women’s U-18 World Championship since the tournament was founded in 2008. Captain Joy Dunne opened the scoring from her office in front of the net. Dunne was a dominant net-front presence throughout the tournament and finished this opportunity on her backhand, beating Finnish netminder Kerttu Kuja-Halkola. In the semifinal, USA’s coaching staff relied disproportionately and unsuccessfully on their top five players. During the bronze game, USA took better advantage of their depth, and it showed on the scoresheet. Samantha Taber, Kendra Distad, Alex Lalonde and Anabella Fanale scored for the Americans. Taber’s goal, USA’s second of the game, came from a stretch pass off the stick of Maggie Scannell, sending Taber in on a breakaway. From there, it was all USA until the final buzzer. THREE STARS FROM THE MEDAL GAMES FIRST STAR: CAITLIN KRAEMER, CANADA, F Kraemer set tournament records for most goals by a Canadian and the fastest three goals by a single player, surpassing Marie-Philip Poulin and Kendall Coyne Schofield, respectively. Some players might dream their entire life to challenge a record by either of these players, but Kraemer did it in the same period. She scored her first three goals by driving into the offensive zone with speed and sparked a lopsided performance by Canada. In the third, she capped off Canada’s scoring by one-timing a rebound on the power play for her fourth of the game. SECOND STAR: AVA MURPHY, CANADA, D Murphy, who scored a point per game at last year’s U-18 tournament, was quiet on the scoresheet through much of this edition. But Canada felt her ability to move the puck up ice in each game. In the gold medal game, her consistency in making good decisions and finding seams finally paid off as she recorded three assists in the win. THIRD STAR: JOY DUNNE, USA, F After a heartbreaking semifinal loss, the USA could have entered the bronze medal game flat and dejected. Team captain Joy Dunne did not let that happen. She opened the scoring for the USA by collecting a rebound off the backboard and beating the outstretched Finnish netminder on her backhand. Dunne also collected an assist later in the game. Her net-front presence and strength along the boards for the Americans helped set the tone throughout the tournament.
