Canada Claim Bronze at 2024 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship

Summary:

• Canada clinched the bronze after an 8-1 victory over Finland
• Chloe Primerano led the team to a podium finish and set a new single-tournament record by a defender
• The US emerged as this year’s champ, bringing its total gold tally to nine

Canada dispatched Finland to secure the bronze medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) world women’s under-18 championship on Sunday, January 14, in Zug Switzerland.

Chloe Primerano emerged as the team’s star hockey player with two goals and an assist, leading the Canadians to an 8-1 victory against the Finns.

Canada Stays on the Podium 

Canada cruised to victory during Sunday’s bronze-medal match against Finland following an upset 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in the semifinal game a day prior. The Canadians failed in their bid for a three-peat victory but managed to stay on the podium, mainly thanks to Primerano who scored two goals and added an assist to defeat their Finnish opponents.

Abby Stonehouse and Caitlin Kraemer also showed up with two goals each, with the rest of Canada’s goals produced by Maxine Cimoroni and Mackenzie Alexander. Emma Ekoluoma was the lone player who scored for Finland.

Canada’s dominance over Finland in the bronze-medal game was reminiscent of the preliminary round when their match resulted in a 10-0 win for the Canadians. The Finns also battled for third place in 2023 in Ostersund Sweden but were ultimately downed 5-0 by the US. 

Canada’s heartbreaking loss to Czech Republic in the semifinal match presented a unique opportunity for the team to still finish on a high note and represent the country with pride, according to head coach Tara Watchorn.

Primerano, from North Vancouver, B.C., pulled off a record-setting performance in her debut in the world women’s under-18 hockey championship, tallying 16 points in total (8 goals + 8 assists). With her impressive outing, the 17-year-old now holds the record for the most single-tournament points by a defender. 

She also dethroned Jessica Campbell and Kendall Coyne (both from the US who each scored 15 points in 2009 and 2010 respectively) for the second-highest total in the history of the under-18 women’s world championship. Primerano now only trails behind American Amanda Kessel who finished with 19 points in 2009.

Apart from the bronze medal, Chloe Primerano also walked away with three additional awards – Most Valuable Player, Best Defender, and Media All-Star Team.

US Wins Gold 

The US made a huge comeback this year, taking home the gold with a 5-1 victory versus the Czech Republic. Kassidy Carmichael top-scored for the US with two goals, helped by one point apiece from captain Margaret Scannell, Haley Box, and Ava Thomas. Czech Republic’s only goal came from captain Adela Shapovalivova. 

The US holds the record for the most U-18 Women’s World Championship wins with nine, followed by Canada with seven.