2010-11 National Women's Under-18 Team

CANADA TO PLAY FOR GOLD AT 2011 IIHF WORLD WOMEN’S UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Canada is one win away from another gold medal at the IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.

Six different players scored for Canada on Friday as the defending champions secured their spot in the final with a 6-1 victory over Finland.
Emily Fulton, Sarah MacDonnell, Cayley Mercer, Nicole Kosta, Shelby Bram and Cydney Roesler scored for the Canadians, who cruised to another lopsided win.

Canada outshot Finland 64-11.

The Canadians will battle the U.S. for gold, a team that beat Canada in three close exhibition games in August in Lake Placid, N.Y.

“We lost the first one by two goals, lost the second one in overtime, and lost the third game by a goal with 30 seconds left,'' Canadian assistant coach France Montour said in a phone interview. “So it could go either way; we're a very good match for each other. It will be very interesting.”

Montour said the players draw confidence from the fact that they've improved each time they've stepped on the ice at this tournament, a goal the Canadians had set before travelling to Sweden.

“That's what you want to do in a short-term tournament - build up from the start, build the momentum and the system, and play better every game, every period, every shift,” Montour said.

“Ever since we had our camp in August in Toronto, to today, we've improved so much. I think working together, their skill improved too, so now the girls feel comfortable with the system we're playing, they understand it. It makes a big difference for where we want to be.”
Susanna Tapani scored Finland's lone goal Friday.

The United States advanced to the gold medal game with a 14-1 rout of the Czech Republic in Friday's other semifinal. The Americans outshot the Czech 61-7 and poured in seven goals in the third period.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to play for the gold medal and we know we're going to have to play our best to be successful against Canada,” said U.S. head coach Jodi McKenna.

Neither Canada nor the U.S. have been tested in this tournament, with both teams going unbeaten through the preliminary rounds. Canada beat Switzerland 9-1, Finland 6-0 and Germany 8-1 in the opening round.

Penalties:
   04:49 FIN 5 Isa Rahunen (Boarding)
   08:36 CAN 14 Katy Josephs (Cross Checking)

Penalties:
   00:25 CAN 19 Nicole Kosta (Tripping)
   04:41 CAN 12 Shelby Bram (Slashing)
   06:14 FIN 6 Katja Nurmesniemi (Tripping)
   19:00 CAN 3 Sarah Edney (Tripping)

Penalties:
   02:18 FIN 5 Isa Rahunen (Tripping)
   05:15 FIN 28 Jenna Suokko (Hooking)
   08:25 FIN 15 Venla Kotkaslahti (Bodychecking)
   19:43 FIN 6 Katja Nurmesniemi (Slashing)