Key Takeaways
- Canada 3, Czechia 2 in the quarterfinal.
- Renata Fast scored the winner.
- Semifinal: Sweden, Sunday 1 p.m. ET.
A Second-Period Burst Does It
Canada is into the semifinals at the IIHF Women's World Championship after a 3–2 quarterfinal win over Czechia on Friday in Herning, Denmark — a game that turned on a three-goal second period.
After a scoreless first, Sarah Fillier opened the scoring at 1:29 of the second, at the side of the net, for her third goal of the tournament. Rebecca Leslie doubled the lead on the power play at 4:12, beating Klára Peslarová through a screen.
Czechia's Kristyna Kaltounkova cut it to 2–1 on a power play at 11:01, scrambling one in around Ève Gascon's crease. But Renata Fast restored the two-goal cushion at 16:47 during four-on-four play, her point shot deflecting in under the pads with Leslie screening — the goal that stood up as the winner.
Kaltounkova scored again on a third-period power play at 5:57 to make the finish nervous, then took a late penalty with 1:23 left that blunted Czechia's comeback. Gascon finished with 14 saves for Canada, which outshot Czechia heavily on the night.
Perfect so far — Sweden next
Canada is 5–0 at the tournament and outscored its preliminary-round opponents 26–1. The semifinal is Sunday against Sweden (1 p.m. ET), which edged Switzerland 1–0 in its quarterfinal. The United States faces Finland in the other semifinal; the medal games are Monday.
Canada is chasing its first world title since 2024, after losing last year's final 4–3 in overtime to the U.S.
The Twikup Take
The quarterfinal was closer than the shot clock — Czechia's power play made Canada sweat. But five wins from five, with goals coming from up and down the lineup, is exactly where the defending silver medallists want to be heading into Sunday.
Image: Team Canada defender Renata Fast (14), by BDZ Sports, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.