Canada’s Perfect U-18 Run Ends with Silver After Loss to US
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By Milica Zivic
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Summary:
- Canada fell 2-0 to the United States in the gold-medal game, ending an unbeaten tournament.
- US goalie Bianca Birrittieri stopped 38 shots as the Americans claimed their 10th U-18 title.
- Canada still set a team record with 52 goals scored across the tournament.
Canada’s flawless run at the 2026 Under-18 women’s world hockey championship came to an abrupt end in the one game that mattered most.
After cruising through the tournament unbeaten, Canada was shut out 2-0 by the United States in Sunday’s gold-medal final, settling for silver after a dominant week that fell just short of the top prize.
Coach Kennedy: “Our Players Have Been Training Every Day“
Emily Pohl opened the scoring late in the first period and Lindsay Stepnowski added an insurance goal in the second as the Americans claimed their 10th gold medal at the U-18 level.
However, the US did more than just win the title, as the team finished the tournament undefeated and never trailed at any point, a first in the event’s history.
Goaltender Bianca Birrittieri was the difference on this night. The Flower Mound, Texas native stopped all 38 shots she faced and was named player of the game.
On the other end, Canada’s Lea-Rose Charrois turned aside 25 shots in a strong performance of her own, but had little margin for error.
Jane Daley of Medfield, Mass., capped off a standout tournament by being named MVP after scoring a record 12 goals.
US coach Courtney Kennedy said,
Our players have been training and buying in every day, all the time. Watching them choose time and time again to play the right way, it melts your heart. You want them to get that (gold medal), they dream of it. I’ll be thinking about that for a while.
No Way Past Birrittieri
Canada pushed hard throughout the game, especially early, but could not find a way past Birrittieri. Pohl’s goal came at 14:08 of the first period, and Stepnowski made it 2-0 at 18:17 of the second.
Despite the loss, the Canadians left little doubt about their overall quality. Kendall Doiron, named Canada’s player of the game, pointed to the group’s effort even in defeat.
We battled right to the end. We played a full 60 minutes and that is all that we could have asked for. Even though the results were not in our favour, I think our group did well and I am super proud of them. I learned a lot as a person and as a player. Even with a silver medal, I feel like I learned a lot more this week than what is around my neck.
Head coach Vicky Sunohara echoed that sentiment, noting how close the game felt despite the scoreline.
I think that if we got one in, it could have changed the momentum, but we gave it everything we had. (The United States) is a really good team and they worked hard for a full 60 minutes. I cannot take anything away from them. Hopefully this young group will all learn from this, but it is pretty tough right now.
Canada’s path to the final was emphatic. The team went 3-0 in Group A, outscoring Switzerland, Hungary, and Sweden by a combined 32-2. That dominance continued with a 12-0 quarterfinal win over Finland and an 8-1 semifinal victory against Czechia.
By the end of the tournament, Canada had scored 52 goals, a new team record, even if the final result did not match the overall performance.
