2023 wwc can fin

Women’s Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Finland

Saturday, April 1 | 7 p.m. ET | Niagara Falls, Ontario | Pre-Tournament

Jason La Rose
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April 1, 2023
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GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. FINLAND (APRIL 1)

Stream: HockeyCanada.ca/WomensWorlds

Before days before the start of the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship, Canada’s National Women’s Team is on the ice for its lone pre-tournament game Saturday night, taking on Finland in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Last Game

Canada completed a reverse sweep of the United States in the Rivalry Series on Feb. 22, using a four-goal second period to blank the Americans 5-0 in Laval, Que., in Game 7 and win the series despite dropping the first three games. Blayre Turnbull scored twice in 32 seconds, Marie-Philip Poulin crept closer to a milestone (more on that below) and Ann-Renée Desbiens made 25 saves for the Canadians, who outscored the U.S. 10-1 over the final two games.

The Finns last saw the ice on Feb. 12, downing Sweden 4-1 in Füssen, Germany, in the finale of the Euro Hockey Tour (EHT). Petra Nieminen, Viivi Vainikka and Sanni Vanhanen scored first-period goals for Finland, which outshot the Swedes 34-15. The Finns were perfect in the EHT, winning all 12 of their games.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Finns met in the opener of the preliminary round at the 2022 Women’s Worlds – a 4-1 win for Canada. Poulin and Sarah Nurse posted a goal and an assist apiece to pace the offence, and the Canadians finished with a 43-17 edge in shots on goal.

What to Watch

What will the lines look like for Canada? Poulin and Brianne Jenner are mainstays on the top line, but who will join them on the left wing? Where does Natalie Spooner slot into the lineup in her return to Team Canada, just four months after giving birth? How about NCAA standout Danielle Serdachny, who scored the overtime winner in Game 5 of the Rivalry Series in December? Look for head coach Troy Ryan to try different players in different positions before settling on his line combos for the tournament opener against Switzerland on April 5.

The legend of Jenni Hiirikoski continues to grow. The long-time Finnish captain is arguably the best blue-liner in the game, recognized seven times as Best Defence at the IIHF Women’s World Championship and twice more at the Olympics. But her career (and potentially her life) looked to be in danger when her throat was slashed by a skate during Game 2 of the SDHL final on March 19. Just two days later, though, the Luleå HF captain was behind the bench serving as a coach as her team finished off its fifth-straight Swedish league title. Simply amazing.

Chasing History

Poulin joined an exclusive group in Game 6 of the Rivalry Series on Feb. 20, reaching 200 points with Canada’s National Women’s Team and putting her name alongside Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Caroline Ouellette and Danielle Goyette as the only players to get to that number.

Next up? She sits just two goals shy of 100. Only Wickenheiser, Hefford and Goyette have hit the century mark in a Team Canada jersey.

A Look Back

Canada has just a pair of losses and a tie in 87 all-time meetings with the Finns, but the Nordic nation is always a tough matchup.

There have been plenty of impressive individual performances against Finland over the years, but two stand out. When the teams met at the 2006 4 Nations Cup in Kitchener, Ont., Jayna Hefford had a hat trick and four assists and Caroline Ouellette added a hat trick and three helpers to help Canada to an 8-1 win. Hefford’s seven points remain a single-game Team Canada record.

All-time record: Canada leads 84-2-1
Canada goals: 449
Finland goals: 111

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

Videos
Photos
HCC: One For All in Yellowknife
One For All celebrated women’s hockey with more than 300 participants.
2024 NWT Rivalry Series: CAN 6 – USA 1 (Game 7)
Spooner and Maltais scored twice to lead Canada to win the series.
2023-24 NWT: CAN 3 – USA 0 (Game 6)
Maschmeyer made 27 saves for the shutout to tie the Rivalry Series.
2023-24 NWT: CAN 4 – USA 2 (Game 5)
Bell, Fast and Stacey scored late to help Canada stay alive.
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