Canada did exactly what it had to do tonight against Switzerland and skated to a dominating 4-0 win to advance to the Women’s Worlds gold-medal game against the United States tomorrow night for the first time since 2017.
The hosts scored early, took any Swiss hope out of the equation, and kept their foot on the gas for sixty minutes.
With the loss, the Swiss will move on to the bronze-medal game earlier in the day against Finland.
Right from the opening faceoff it was clear Canada meant business and there would be no upset tonight. Canada scored first after a long period of pressure and a faceoff win in the attacking zone. Brianne Jenner controlled the puck in the corner and whipped a pass out front to Renata Fast, who had snuck in behind the defence and one-timed the hard pass at 5:14.
A minute and a half later, they made it 2-0. This time, a Fast point shot was tipped in front by Melodie Daoust past Andrea Braendli. It was Daoust’s fifth goal of the tournament and her 11th point, tops among all players.
The Swiss didn’t get their first shot until midway through the period, a harmless shoot-in from the point, and they had only one decent scoring chance, that off the stick of captain Lara Stalder that was stopped nicely by Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Daoust got her second of the game early in the middle period off another faceoff win. Marie-Philip Poulin took a shot that Daoust tipped, and the puck went high in the air and landed behind Braendli before trickling over the goal line.
Canada overwhelmed the Swiss the rest of the way, one wave after another controlling the puck in the Swiss end at will. But with all the passing and team speed, tenacity and physical superiority, they could not beat Braendli, who was nothing short of spectacular in goal.
Rebecca Johnston added Canada’s fourth goal late in the third on a power play. She got the puck at the point, walked in, and ripped a low shot under Braendli’s glove at 16:58.
