Women’s Worlds Day 3 Recap: Sarah Fillier nets a pair to lead Canada past Switzerland
Group A, beware: Sarah Fillier has arrived at the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
The 22-year-old forward has been a rising star in the Canadian hockey ranks for years, making multiple appearances at the U18s before emerging as a top player at both the 2021 Worlds and the 2022 Olympics.
Fillier scored eight goals and 11 points in just seven games in Beijing earlier this year, cementing herself as a Team Canada mainstay for good. Pretty impressive for someone who only just turned 22 in June.
Team Canada faced off against Team Switzerland on Saturday at the KVIK Hockey Arena in Herning, Denmark. After being held to one assist in the Canadians’ tournament-opening game against Team Finland, Fillier scored a pair of goals (including the eventual game-winner) to help her team to a 4–1 victory over the Swiss.
Fillier’s first goal on Day 3 came only moments after she appeared to attempt “The Michigan” move against Team Switzerland goaltender Andrea Braendli. Instead, Fillier played catch with defender Ella Shelton at the point before firing a shot that ricocheted off a defender before finding twine.
🚨 @SarahFillier91 #10 scores!
Did you see her try to do the Michigan?? 🥶@HockeyCanada up 1-0 #CANSUI #WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/jA74wIcI4q
Emily Clark and Blayre Turnbull also scored for Team Canada, which outshot Team Switzerland 46–8 in the contest. Ann-Renee Desbiens made seven saves in the victory.
One silver lining for Team Switzerland: they didn’t get shut out! When Alina Marti scored to make it 3–1 in the third period, she became the first Swiss player ever to score against Team Canada at the Women’s Worlds.
Alina Marti🇨🇭 becomes the first Swiss player to EVER score against Canada in Women's Worlds play 🤯
Congratulations Alina 👏👏@SwissIceHockey #WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/Vf7LJ49lPk
The two teams had previously met eight times, all of which ended with the Canadians allowing zero goals. That streak is now a relic of the past.
Snap shots
- Team Sweden: so hot right now! The Swedes have won their first two games of the 2022 Worlds after being relegated just three years ago, defeating Team Germany 4–3 in a shootout on Saturday. It was a wild game which saw the Swedes blow a three-goal lead in the final eight minutes of the third period (!!!) before Hanna Olsson — fresh off a hat trick on Day 1 — saved the day with the shootout winner. Olsson also scored in regulation, bringing her goal total to a tournament-leading four in two games.
And there's the second for Hanna (Goal)sson!
Back to back goals 2:52 mins apart🚨
🇸🇪2-0🇩🇪#SWEGER #WomensWorlds@Trekronorse pic.twitter.com/zMkmZ0yDbt
- Team USA had no trouble at all getting past Team Finland, especially with Petra Nieminen unavailable. The Americans fired 72 shots on poor Anni Keisala, who had to deal with all of them and somehow still managed to post an excellent .923 save percentage (of course, she is the reigning top goaltender at the Worlds). Amanda Kessel scored a pair of goals for Team USA, and Abby Roque’s second tip-in goal in as many games stood as the difference-maker in the 6–1 win.
🤩 @Cayla_barnes27 with a sweet wrister from the blue line and the tip finish from @abby_roque!#WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/IASXPi7PWU
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) August 27, 2022- As expected, Team Czechia hasn’t had much trouble getting things done in Group B. After prevailing 7–1 over Team Hungary on Day 2, the Czechs came right back yesterday and dispatched the Danes by a 5–1 score. Klara Peslarova only had to face 13 shots in the victory, while the skaters in front of her peppered Team Denmark goaltender Lisa Jensen 49 times. Daniela Pejsova scored twice for the Czechs, and her first goal was a thing of beauty:
#4 Daniela Pejsova goes past the defender, and RIPS IT!🎯
🇨🇿3-1🇩🇰#WomensWorlds #CZEDEN
@narodnitymzen pic.twitter.com/QOX6b5pb4F
Day 3 Results
Team USA 6, Team Finland 1
Team Sweden 4, Team Germany 3 (SO)
Team Canada 4, Team Switzerland 1
Team Czechia 5, Team Denmark 1
Day 4 Schedule
Team Japan vs. Team Canada — 9:00 a.m. ET
Team Denmark vs. Team Hungary — 11:00 a.m. ET