2009 IIHF Women's World Championship

CANADA ON TO MEDAL ROUND IN WOMEN'S WORLD HOCKEY WITH 7-0 WIN OVER SWEDEN

Author

HÄMEENLINNA, Finland – Canada clinched first place in its pool and advanced to the medal round with a 7-0 win over Sweden at the women's world hockey championship Monday.

Defending champion U.S. joined Canada in the medal round with an 8-0 win over Russia in Pool A to also finish 2-0.

Host Finland aimed to join them as the Pool C victor by winning their game against Switzerland later Monday.

The two countries with the best record in the medal round advance to Sunday's final (TSN, noon ET). Canada and the U.S. have met in all previous 11 world championship finals. Sweden has to win the round of pool runners-up to get to the bronze-medal game.

Defenceman Carla MacLeod of Calgary paced Canada's offence with a goal and four assists. Captain Hayley Wickenheiser scored short-handed for her third of the tournament and 19-year-old Rebecca Johnston of Sudbury, Ont., also notched her third.

Montreal forward Caroline Ouellette and Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Que., each contributed their second goal in as many games. Colleen Sostorics of Kennedy, Sask., chipped in a power-play goal and Winnipeg's Jennifer Botterill also scored for Canada.

Kim St. Pierre of Chateauguay, Que., earned the 18-save shutout, while Swedish counterpart Sara Grahn stopped 32 of 39 shots.

Canada exacted revenge for its first loss ever to Sweden in their previous meeting, which the Swedes won 2-1 in overtime at the Four Nations Cup in November. That loss in Lake Placid, N.Y., ended Canada’s 56-game unbeaten run against Sweden.

St. Pierre's difficult save on a screened shot by Cecilia Ostberg late in the second period preserved her team's 3-0 lead and she held off a Swedish charge late in the third when they had a two-man advantage.

Botterill scored her first of the tournament at 19:24 of the third period as she beat Grahn five-hole.

Johnston won the battle for the puck in the corner, took two strides out from the boards and beat Grahn with a high shot at 7:22 of the third to make it 6-0 for Canada.

MacLeod caught the Swedish defence high in the neutral zone and sprung Wickenheiser for a breakaway. She rifled a shot off the cross bar and in for Canada's fifth goal at 3:14.

Poulin, the third-youngest to ever play for Canada in a world championship or Olympics at 18 years seven days, made it 4-0 at 1:38 of the third. She deked Swedish defenceman Emilia Andersson and beat Grahn with a backhand.

Canada's power play that went 0-for-19 at the Four Nations Cup has revived at this world championship. Sostorics scored her country's third goal of the tournament with a man advantage at 12:24 of the second period.

The Swedes earned their first win over Canada on the strength of two power-play goals. Canada's penalty-killers killed off six chances Monday, including a five-on-three in the third.

After a give-and-go with MacLeod, Sostorics wired the puck through traffic to beat Grahn, who earned her country's historic win in Lake Placid, to make it 3-0 in the second period.

While the U.S. is Canada's traditional rival, the Canadians showed no love for and received none from the Swedes as there was bumping, pushing and high elbows after the whistle.

Ouellette took exception to Katarina Timglas's elbow to MacLeod's head in the first period. Their shoving match resulted in both players heading to the penalty box.

Grahn bobbled MacLeod's shot from what seemed an impossible angle _ from the intersection of the boards and the goal-line _ to make it 2-0 for Canada 10:53 of the first period.

Jayna Hefford and Botterill showed patience in the high slot and Ouellette finished their passing play by dropping to her knee and beating Grahn's right pad to make it 1-0 at 2:22.

Notes(at): Ouellette is one point from a career 150 . . . Canadian forward Haley Irwin is a teammate at the University of Minnesota-Duluth of Swedes Kim Martin, Jenni Asserholt, Elin Holmlov and Pernilla Winberg.

Goals/Buts :
02:22 CAN Caroline Ouellette (Jayna Hefford, Jennifer Botterill)
10:53 CAN Carla MacLeod (Rebecca Johnston, Meaghan Mikkelson)

Penalties/Pénalités :
04:59 CAN Catherine Ward (Body-checking/Mise en échec)
07:54 CAN Caroline Ouellette (Roughing/Rudesse)
07:54 SWE Maria Rooth (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:57 CAN Carla MacLeod (Tripping/Trebucher)
14:23 SWE Bench (Too Many Players/Trop de joueurs)
14:48 CAN Hayley Wickenheiser (Slashing/Coup de baton)
14:48 SWE Katarina Timglas (Roughing/Rudesse)
15:08 CAN Sarah Vaillancourt (Cross-checking/Double-échec)
16:20 SWE Emma Eliasson (Boarding/Donner de la bande)

Goals/Buts :
12:26 CAN Colleen Sostorics (Carla MacLeod, Tessa Bonhomme) PP/AN

Penalties/Pénalités :
02:50 CAN Meaghan Mikkelson (Hooking/Accrocher)
07:13 CAN Sarah Vaillancourt (High-sticking/Baton eleve)
09:44 SWE Frida Nevalainen (Interference/Obstruction)
11:02 SWE Tina Enstrom (Cross-checking/Double-échec)

Goals/Buts :
01:38 CAN Marie-Philip Poulin (Catherine Ward, Meghan Agosta)
03:14 CAN Hayley Wickenheiser (Carla MacLeod) SH/DN
07:22 CAN Rebecca Johnston (Gina Kingsbury, Carla MacLeod)
19:24 CAN Jennifer Botterill (Jayne Hefford, Carla MacLeod)

Penalties/Pénalités :
02:27 CAN Haley Irwin (Elbowing/Donner du coude)
04:58 SWE Isabelle Jordansson (Hooking/Accrocher)
13:58 CAN Becky Kellar (Interference/Obstruction)
15:16 CAN Hayley Wickenheiser (Body-checking/Mise en échec)