United States rout hosts Denmark 14-0, set tournament record with 85 shots to reach women’s worlds semi-finals

Defending champions the United States defeated hosts Denmark 14-0 in the women’s ice hockey world championship quarter-finals on Friday, advancing to the semi-finals in the tournament’s first-ever meeting between the two nations. The Americans opened rapidly and compiled a record 85 shots on goal in the game.

The US surged early, racing into a 5-0 lead inside eight minutes and extending the margin to 10-0 by the end of the second period. Their 85 shots on goal established a single-game tournament record, surpassing the previous mark of 82 set by the United States against Sweden in 1997.

Taylor Fox opened the scoring 57 seconds into the match, skating into the slot to put the Americans ahead, and finished with a goal and three assists for a four-point performance. Alex Carpenter and Jesse Compher also found the net during the rout.

Caroline Harvey and Haley Winn each scored twice and added three assists apiece, while Kelly Pannek recorded two goals and two assists. Hannah Bilka contributed one goal and two assists, and Casey O’Brien, Grace Zumwinkle, Laila Edwards and Hayley Scamurra each finished with a goal and an assist.

Gwyneth Philips needed to make just eight saves to secure the shutout for the United States. Denmark removed starting goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordstrom before the third period after she had stopped 51 shots; her replacement, Caroline Bjergstad, made 20 saves.

In Herning, Canada edged the Czech Republic 3-2 to set up a semi-final meeting with Sweden, with Sarah Fillier, Rebecca Leslie and Renata Fast scoring for Canada and Eve Gascon making 14 saves. Kristýna Kaltounková scored twice for the Czechs; she was the No 1 overall pick in last year’s PWHL draft and the Czech Republic managed more than one goal against Canada for the first time in six meetings across all competitions.

Fillier broke the deadlock 1:29 into the second period, pouncing on a rebound to score for the third straight game after missing Canada’s first two preliminary-round contests with an upper-body injury, and she leads Canada with 23 goals and 38 points in 38 career appearances at the world championships. Leslie doubled the lead on a power play less than three minutes later before Kaltounková pulled one back with a power-play goal; Fast restored Canada’s two-goal advantage with 3:13 remaining in the second period, Kaltounková struck again in the third, and the Czechs pulled goaltender Klára Peslarová with 42 seconds remaining despite Kaltounková being in the penalty box, but Canada held on.

Sweden secured a 1-0 victory over Switzerland in Esbjerg with Sara Hjalmarsson scoring the game’s only goal, and Finland advanced with a 6-0 shutout of Germany in which Petra Nieminen finished with a goal and two assists. Austria retained top-division status with a 2-1 overtime victory over Japan in a relegation playoff after Anna Meixner scored both goals for Austria, who are competing in the tournament’s top tier for the first time.

The semi-final match-ups are confirmed: the United States will face Finland and Canada will meet Sweden in the last four.