I guess they call it "superpower" for a reason
It was an eventful Day One of action in Brampton, Ont., as the opening slate of games for the 2023 Women's World Championships began. In the end, there weren't many surprises to go around, though one result definitely made us wince a bit.
France 1, Finland 14
Estelle Duvin was the only factor keeping France from laying a goose egg, scoring on a nice transition early in the second period. Unfortunately, there was no further revolution, as Finland had the game in hand at that point and never let go. They tallied 14 goals, their most ever in a single game.
Jenniina Nylund tallied a hat trick and 16 (sixteen!) different Finns landed on the scoresheet. Finland also outshot France 53-12, giving Les Bleus a rough welcome to the top division.
USA 7, Japan 1
Although Japan opened the scoring on this one, with Haruka Toko tapping a rebound past Aerin Frankel midway through the first, it was all Stars and Stripes from there.
"There's some tough games out there, and [the USA] is one of them," Chihiro Suzuki said postgame. "To be able to get the first goal regardless of the result is a big step for our program."
Miyuu Masuhara and Riko Kawaguchi split time in net for their team, with each being put through her own paces as Alex Carpenter scored twice and a bunch of youngsters (including Hannah Bilka and Taylor Heise) also hit the back of the net for USA.
Canada 4, Switzerland 0
The Swiss came out swinging, but in the end, Canada made good on their chances, putting four past Andrea Braendli in a sustained and physical effort.
Sarah Nurse and Natalie Spooner tallied two points (1 G, 1 A), with Nurse's goal coming on the power play. Rebecca Johnston and Sarah Fillier rounded out the scoring for Canada.
With that, the three teams most likely to earn the first three points in their opening game all did so.
Day Two Schedule
Day Two will see the other half of the slate start their campaigns, with Germany vs. Sweden in action at 11 a.m. ET, Japan vs. Czechia at 3 p.m., and France vs. Hungary at 7 p.m.
The United States and Finland lead Group A and Group B, respectively. Japan will be the first team to play a second game, while German, Czechia, and Hungary all look for their first win. Eight of the 10 Premier Hockey Federation athletes competing at Worlds will be in action today, including three-time Isobel Cup champion Tereza Vanišová and Toronto Six teammate Dominika Lásková.
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