The Canadian goals came fast and furious Friday night at Centre 200, earning the red and white a 12-0 shutout win over the Finns in quarterfinal action at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship. Team Canada advances to the semifinal against tough contenders Czechzia on Saturday in Sydney, N.S.
Sydney, N.S. – The Canadian goals came fast and furious Friday night at Centre 200, earning the red and white a 12-0 shutout win over the Finns in quarterfinal action at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship.
Team Canada forward Adrianna Milani led the way with four goals, putting her second overall in the tournament scoring with eight goals total, and third in total points with 11 so far this week.
It was forward Hayley McDonald who opened the scoring for Canada on a powerplay at 5:43 in the first frame, setting the tone for a home country team that just couldn't be stopped by the struggling Finnish squad.
Milani notched two in the first period alone, while teammates Rosalie Tremblay and Rachel Piggott also contributed to the scoreboard, making it 5-0 going into the first intermission in front of about 2,000 fans who filled the stands inside the Cape Breton Island arena.
Maddie McCullough and Sofia Ismael added singles in the middle frame, with Piggott scoring her second of the game before the period was up to make it 8-0 over Team Finland heading into the third.
McCullough also potted another, with Milani scoring two straight and Laurie Aubin capping it off for the final double-digit tally that sends Canada to the semifinals versus Czechia on Saturday.
"I have some great linemates helping me out there," Milani told reporters in the mixed game of how she was able to pull off four goals against the Finns.
"Laurie's (Aubin) pass off the wall was elite," Milani said, crediting her teammates for the clear Canadian chemistry on the ice. Aubin, of Boisbriand, Que., had three assists for four points total on the game.
"We played them in an exhibition game before the tournament started," the Oakville, Ont., said of Canada's game plan against the Finnish squad. "I think just sticking to our habits, and we knew what was going to make us successful, was going to work."
Milani, who wore a gold maple leaf necklace under her equipment, said the chemistry among all of Canada's lines has been building throughout the U18 women's world event. "We're hitting our stride really well."
Canadian head coach Vicky Sunohara, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and seven-time world champion herself, told media she's emphasized strong starts off the first puck drop – which came to fruition against the Finns in quarter-finals.
"We want to get pucks in deep (and) we want to play the way we feel we need to play to be successful in this tournament, and sometimes teams will let us get away with some things that other teams won't, so we're continuing to focus on ourselves.
"I thought there were some good things, but we need to be successful for 60 minutes to be successful here," Sunohara said.
Centre 200 is a larger venue than the Membertou Sport & Wellness Centre, which hosted preliminary tournament games. Still, she feels Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team adjusted quickly to the larger ice – and crowd.
"I think after everybody got a shift under their belt, they settled into the game."
Sunohara and staff have kept lines fairly consistent throughout the U18 women's worlds, which is considered a short-term competition. "We feel like we've got depth. We've been playing everybody, all four lines," she said. "That's going to help us down the road."
"If we can come at teams with our full bench, that will help us stay the course."
Canada outshot Finland 67-10 in the unevenly matched quarterfinal, which, along with the large scoring gap, rings alarm bells for women's hockey watchers who want to see the game continue to develop and the gap continue to narrow internationally. Netminder Rowan Houweling made those 10 saves for her second win and shout of the tourney.
For Finland's part, goaltender Eerika Kujala faced 56 shots, letting in eight goals, while netminder Saimi Pesola only turned away seven of 11 shots on net.
Finland will face off against Hungary in a relegation game Saturday, while the other semifinal will take place between the United States and Sweden. All remaining games will take place at Centre 200 in Sydney.
"We tried," Finnish head coach Mira Kuisma told reporters following her team's tough loss to the Canadians. "The feeling is so disappointing at the moment."
That being said, Kuisma said her team remains in high spirits and focuses on staying positive on the bench, and focusing on playing a full three periods.
"We didn't give up at any point," she said. Kuisma said "courage" and "passion" are values her team will carry into Saturday's relegation game, despite the disappointment of missing out on semis.
As for the Canadians, Milani said the host country is simply taking it one game and one day at a time.
"Today we were focused on the quarterfinals, and then we will flip the page and focus on the semifinals," she said, pointing out that Czechia "is a hard, aggressive team" but ensuring fans that she and her teammates will be ready for the semifinal face-off.
"Sticking to our game will be the key to success," she said.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. AT on Saturday.
In other quarter-final action Thursday, Sweden topped Slovakia 7-2, Czechia edged Switzerland 2-1 and the United States blanked Hungary 9-0.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Women's Team takes on Sweden in the first semifinal Saturday, starting at 4 p.m. AT, while Finland and Hungary face off in the early relegation game.
Tune into TSN for live coverage of the semifinals and medal games set for this Saturday. Please check your local listings for details.