Sweden surprised the competition at their Five Nations Cup on home soil, finishing first with a 3-0-1 record.
The Five Nations Tournament in Sweden this week showed that the gap in talent in Europe continues to close, specifically through the ongoing development of women's hockey in Czechia, Finland, and Sweden.
In the end, Sweden put in a surprise performance finishing 3-0-1 to take top spot at the event
Sweden opened their tournament with a trio of wins over Germany (3-2), Switzerland (3-2), and Finland (4-3), before dropping only their final game in overtime 3-2 to Czechia.
Leading Sweden's attack was second year Mercyhurst forward Thea Johansson, Merrimack forward Celine Tedenby, and PWHL Montreal draft pick Lina Ljungblom. Sweden currently has 13 players competing in the NCAA, a number that trails only Canada and USA, and more Swedish stars, players like Mira Jungaker on their way to North America.
Johansson finished the tournament with four points, while Ljungblom and Tedenby each had three.
Overall Lara Stalder and Noora Tulus tied for the tournament lead in scoring with six points each in four games, while Katerina Mrazova, Aneta Tejralova, Rahel Enzler, and Julia Schalin each recorded five points.
Czechia netminder Klara Peslarova was the top goaltender at the tournament posting a 1.47 GAA and .935 save percentage, followed closely by Switzerlands Andrea Braendli who finished with a 2.33 GAA and .926 save percentage.
Czechia finished second in the tournament.