How to watch IIHF Women’s U-18 World Cup quarterfinals – Sweden vs. Slovakia, Finland vs. Czech Republic | Channel, Stream, Preview
After an exciting preliminary round at this year’s IIHF Women’s U-18 World Hockey Championships, four countries have the chance to advance to the semifinals on Thursday.
- Look at women’s hockey ESPN+
SWEDEN v SLOVAKIA
- When: Thursday, January 12
- Where: Östersund Arena (Östersund, Sweden)
- Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Current: ESPN+
While Swedish women’s hockey has appeared to have been on a downward trend in recent years, the performance of their U-18 team in this tournament shows that the future is bright for Tre Kronor. While they lost to superpowers USA and Canada in the group stage, the Swedes played hard and only lost 6-3 to the USA and 4-2 to the Canadians. Their big 6-1 win over rivals Finland helped Sweden finish third in Group A, and are favorites to reach the semi-finals for the second tournament in a row.
While they are underdogs coming into Thursday, Slovakia deserve a lot of credit. They have two of the top scorers in the tournament, as Nela Lopusanova (6) and Zuzana Dobiasova (5) are first and third respectively in goals so far. The 14-year-old Lopusanova leads the tournament with nine points through three games. In just their third appearance at WW18, Slovakia finished with a 2-1 record, good for second in Group B, and are looking to reach the final four for the first time.
- Look at women’s hockey ESPN+
FINLAND vs. CZECH REPUBLIC
- When: Thursday, January 12
- Where: Östersund Arena (Östersund, Sweden)
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Current: ESPN+
The Czech Republic come into the quarter-finals with some confidence, looking to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2016. They put together an excellent 3-0 group stage performance to top Group B. Tereza Plosova shows her experience in her second crack at U-18, and leads the team with four points in the group stage. The Czechs will try to claim a place in the semis for the fifth time.
One team that has become a mainstay in the final four has been Finland. But they struggled in the preliminary round, failing to win a game, losing all three of their contests in regulation. The Finns scored just two goals in the first leg and must be wary of missing out on the semi-finals for the first time since 2018.
- Look at women’s hockey ESPN+