2019-20 National Women's Under-18 Team

CANADA TOPS FINNS FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT WIN AT U18 WORLDS

JESSICA GOWANS

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Charli Kettyle (Perth, Ont./Nepean, PWHL) scored the game-winning 6:53 into the third as part of a three-goal period as Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team topped Finland 4-1 on Friday at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

Canada got scoring up and down the line-up, with eight different skaters hitting the scoresheet.

Lindsay Bochna (Toronto, Ont./Etobicoke, PWHL) opened the scoring early in the first. With Canada controlling play in the Finnish zone, Jenna Buglioni (Port Moody, B.C./Greater Vancouver, BCFMAAA) fought off two Finns to tip a pass to Bochna, who sniped it in bar-down from the left face-off circle.

It looked like Canada would take the 1-0 lead into the second intermission, but a late power-play goal from Finland tied the game at 1-1. The goal came from Nelli Laitinen, a slap shot from the point that found the back of the net through a maze of bodies in front.

Both teams had chances to take the lead in the middle stanza, but went into the intermission still locked at one apiece.

Canada broke it open in the third, scoring three goals in under 10 minutes to put the game away. Kettyle was first with what would turn out to be the game-winner. Off a scramble in front of the net, Kettyle corralled the puck and wired it home for the 2-1 lead.

Maddi Wheeler (Erinsville, Ont./Kingston, PWHL) got the insurance tally for Canada, a sharp angle shot that she flipped up and over the shoulder of Finnish goaltender Aino Laitinen, and Émilie Lussier (Sainte-Martine, Que./Lac St-Louis, LHEQ) finished off the scoring, tapping in an empty-net goal off a pass from Sarah Wozniewwicz (Cochrane, Alta./Edge School, CSSHL).

Canada will look to make it three in a row when it takes on the United States to wrap up the preliminary round on Sunday (6:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. PT).