U-18 Women’s Worlds Quarters: Mark the goal when Sweden & Finland win
The quarter-final day of the Women’s U-18 World Cup has come and gone, setting up an exciting series of medal games.
While her team lost to Sweden, Slovakian phenom Nela Lopusanova stole the show again, scoring the goal of the tournament on the lacrosse goal, also known as the “Michigan,” against Sweden.
Despite their efforts, Sweden crushed Slovakia 6-1 to advance to the USA in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Finland finally found its game by coming from behind to beat the Czech Republic to set up a semifinal matchup against Canada.
Here’s a recap of the quarter-finals and today’s three stars from the Women’s U-18 World Cup.
Sweden will play for a medal
Just a year after fighting their way out of Group B, Sweden will be playing for a medal at U-18, a path similar to that of the Czech Republic recently at the senior World Cup. Sweden defeated Slovakia 6-1 to advance.
In the opening period, a trio of power-play goals dotted the scoreboard. Stina Andersson put in a rebound from a point shot to open the scoring for Sweden.
Just over two minutes later, Slovakia’s Nela Lopusanova brought the crowd to their feet and stunned the Swedes by scoring a “Michigan” lacrosse-style goal. The 14-year-old phenom was top scorer in the tournament through the preliminary round.
Sweden silenced the Slovakian momentum from Lopusanova’s goal, with Jenna Raunio scoring to regain Sweden’s lead.
To open the second, Isabelle Leijonhielm took a puck on the bike, went to the top of the circle before turning to the net and beating Livia Debranova high on the blocker side.
Sweden continued to press with third period goals from Ebba Hedqvist and team leading scorer Hilda Svensson overwhelming Slovakia to win 6-1.
Finns get the first win when it comes down to it
After losing each of their first three matches, Finland held off the Czech Republic to win 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
The win sets up a semi-final between Finland and Canada, while Sweden faces Team USA. For the Finns, it was Pauliina Salonen and Sanni Vanhanen who ran the play.
Salonen scored the winner for Finland on the power play with less than six minutes left in the game. Vanhanen fired a shot from the left circle before Salonen grabbed the rebound and beat Michaela Hesova to lift Finland.
Finland jumped out to an early lead in the game, with Salonen scoring his first of the game. She completed a high tip off the hatch.
The Czech Republic equalized in the third after Adela Sapovalivova carried the puck around the net where Kerttu Kuja-Halkola denied her, but Tereza Plosova came behind to bury the rebound.
After the Czech Republic scored again, it looked like a replay was on the way. But Finnish veteran Sanni Vanhanen, who has already played in the Olympics and several world championships, crashed the night fighting for a loose puck and got it into the Czech Republic’s net.
With the match tied, Vanhanen and Salonen completed the late comeback to secure their chance to play for a medal.
Three stars from the quarter-finals
First star: Sanni Vanhanen, Finland
The Finns finally got the performance they needed from their best player and avoided what would have resulted in an embarrassing setback for Finland in the women’s international. Vanhanen was a physical force on the ice, winning her puck battles and creating chances when she was on the ice, which was a lot. She led Finnish forwards in ice time with 25:09.
Second star: Mira Markström, Sweden
Mira Markström, who many thought we would see from start to finish, finally shows the talent she showed at last year’s tournament. Markström set up a pair of goals for Sweden in their quarterfinal win. She has soft hands and manipulates her cane and hands to access passing lanes. If Sweden is to win a medal, Markström’s recent rise will be a welcome boost.
Third star: Nela Lopusanova, Slovakia
For several days we have been hyping the 14-year-old phenomenon. If there were any detractors left, Lopusanova put them to rest, completing the first “Michigan,” lacrosse-style goal in IIHF women’s history. Although the Slovaks lost, it is exciting that fans can see Lopusanova in three more U-18 tournaments.