Canada held on against Finland for a 4-1 win to open their 2024 IIHF World Championship run in Utica, New York.
Canada held on against Finland for a 4-1 win to open their 2024 IIHF World Championship run in Utica, New York.
Canada picked up their first win of the 2024 IIHF World Championships, but it didn't come easy against Finland.
Finland traded chances with Canada throughout the game keeping the shot count closer than most anticipated managing 34 shots against Canada's 36, with Ann-Renee Desbiens being named Canada's player of the game in the 4-1 win.
In the opening period, PWHL Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner got Canada on the board first. Jamie Lee Rattray put a puck to the net before Jenner found the rebound and beats Finland's Sanni Ahola.
The second period saw Emma Maltais and PWHL Toronto teammate Natalie Spooner connect to give Canada a 2-0 lead as Spooner found a driving Maltais from behind the net for a perfect pass and finish.
Finland however wasn't done, as veteran Michelle Karvinen found Petra Nieminen standing at the net front only minutes later to cut Canada's lead in half.
Before the frame was done, St. Lawrence University captain Julia Gosling, who was making her World Championship debut for Canada took a pass out front of Ahola before making a move to beat the St. Cloud State netminder, regaining Canada's two goal lead.
On a late powerplay Sanni Ahola reached back to rob Brianne Jenner on a goalmouth attempt, but the puck popped out after multiple stops onto the stick of Ella Shelton who wristed the puck over a sprawled Ahola to make it 4-1 Canada and put the game out of reach.