The final day of preliminary round action at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship saw a couple of teams lock in quarterfinal seeding while the two group winners built momentum heading into the quarterfinals.

Having already clinched the top spot in Group B for the first time in nine years, Sweden looked to keep things even-keeled against Norway. They did that and then some on Tuesday. Damkronorna took the play right to Norway from the get-go, jumping out to a two-goal lead in the first period. Sweden never looked back, scoring the most goals in a single game in the group stage, beating Norway 8-0.

12 different Swedes registered points in the win, including Ebba Hedqvist, who led the charge with a hat trick. The victory marked the first time Sweden went undefeated in the group stage since they won Group B in 2016 (when the opening round was only three games).

The only meaningful game on Tuesday was between Japan and Germany, with both teams trying to lock up second in Group B. It was a very tight-checking game, with Japan pulling ahead early in the second period with a goal from Rui Ukita. That ended up being the only marker in the contest, as Japanese netminder Miyuu Masuhara stood on her head, securing second place with a 1-0 win. It’s the first time that Japan has won three games in the group stage since 2021.

The win was bittersweet for the Japanese, as they lost star forward Akane Shiga. Late in the Luleå HF/MSSK forward slammed hard into the endboards after getting tripped up by German goaltender Sandra Abstreiter. She was stretchered off the ice and was taken to a nearby hospital to further evaluate a leg injury.

The final game of the group stage ended up being a historic one. Group A winners USA met with winless Switzerland. While the Americans didn’t need to give it their all, they certainly didn’t let up in the first period, putting three goals on the board. Switzerland’s Andrea Brändli did her best to limit the Americans, but it didn’t stop Hilary Knight from picking up three assists, breaking Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser’s all-time record with her 50th career assist at the Women’s Worlds.

Team USA went on to win 5-0. The game also saw Wisconsin netminder Ava McNaughton make her Women’s Worlds debut, coming in relief for Gwyneth Philips.

In the seven days of preliminary round action, not a single game required extra time, which hasn’t happened since 2021.

Here are the top players from Tuesday’s action:

Sweden

Ebba Hedqvist, RW: How about the game for the 18-year-old? Hedqvist had been playing further down the lineup for most of the group stage but was tossed on the top line with Sara Hjalmarsson and seemed to be unstoppable. The MoDo Hokey forward scored her first hat trick at the Women’s Worlds, giving her four points in the group stage.

While the lineup was shuffled around to give certain players rest heading into the knockout stage, head coach Ulf Lundberg has to appreciate knowing that he has that type of scoring depth heading into a tough quarterfinal matchup.

Sara Hjalmarsson, C: Hjalmarsson certainly didn’t take the game easy. The Linköping star picked up three assists against Norway, offensively her best game of the opening round. It’s been tough for Hjalmarsson to get going offensively so far in the tournament, but maybe some confidence for the international veteran might give her the opportunity to flourish and be the impact player she can be on Thursday.

Norway

Andrine Furulund, D: Norway’s first appearance at the Women’s Worlds was swift, but that doesn’t mean some players didn’t have the chance to shine. In Tuesday’s loss, Furulund saw a lot of ice time and did her best to limit Sweden from finding the back of the net. The 26-year-old logged 21:20 of ice time, finishing as a -2. Furulund was on the Färjestad team which earned them promotion from the Women’s HockeyAllsvenskan league to the SDHL this past season.

Japan

Rui Ukita, RW: When Akane Shiga left the arena, you almost thought the life was going to get sucked out of the Japanese locker room. However, even with their top player absent, the team powered on. Most notably, Rui Ukita, who took the reins as the team’s top offensive threat. She scored her second goal of the tournament, which ended up being the decider in getting Japan into second place.

Akita led Japan in both shots on goal (8), while finishing third in ice time (25:07). With Shiga most likely out for the rest of the tournament, Ukita and Makoto Ito are going to have to play their best hockey if Japan wants to have a competitive game on Thursday.

Miyuu Masuhara, G: Of course, Miyuu Masuhara will also need a stellar performance to keep things close in the quarterfinals. The 5-foot-2 netminder stood tall again on Tuesday, outdueling the reigning Best Goaltender of the Women’s Worlds, Sandra Abstreiter. Germany really brought the heat in the third period, firing 17 shots on goal. Yet, Masuhara was sensational, turning every German chance away. She picked up her second shutout of the tournament with a 34-save outing.

Germany

Daria Gleissner, D: One thing that’s been noticeable about the Germans’ game in the opening stage is how active their defense has been offensively. Nina Jobst-Smith has been at the forefront of the cause. Daria Gleissner was noticeable in trying to help Träger der Adler find the tying goal. The ECDC MEmmingen defender registered three shots on goal in 23:03 of ice time.

USA

Tessa Janecke, RW: I’ve been really impressed with how Tessa Janecke has fit in on the line with veterans Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter. The Penn State star was able to flex a little bit of her scoring muscle against Switzerland, scoring twice, including the team’s lone power-play goal to open the scoring.

Janecke ended up scoring twice in the first 20 minutes of the game and had some good chances to score her first hatty at the world championships in the third. Yet, seeing how the young star has gelled with two of the best in the game spells trouble for their opponents moving forward.

Kendall Coyne Schofield, LW: With Knight’s performance and other names standing out, Kendall Coyne Schofield was kind of pushed out of the spotlight. Granted, that means the team as a whole is playing well. Yet, the Minnesota Frost captain had a standout performance on Tuesday, scoring a pair of goals, including a marker that led to Anna Wilgren’s first point at the Women’s Worlds.

With the two tallies, Coyne Schofield moved into second all-time in scoring by an American at the world championships.

Switzerland

Andrea Brändli, G: It’s hard not to give Andrea Brändli some props after another long game. I will say, though, whenever Switzerland plays the United States, she seemingly always finds a way to play out of her mind, keeping a game that could end up being an 8-0 or 9-0 loss to a reasonable final score. With 48 saves, she was undoubtedly Switzerland’s player of the game. Brändli will need that sort of effort if the Swiss want any chance of sneaking into the semifinals.

Standings

Group A

1. United States (4-0-0-0), 12 points
2. Canada (3-0-0-1), 9 points
3. Finland (2-0-0-2), 6 points
4. Czechia (1-0-0-3), 3 points
5. Switzerland (0-0-0-4), 0 points

Group B

1. Sweden (4-0-0-0), 12 points
2. Japan (3-0-0-1), 9 points
3. Germany (2-0-0-2), 6 points
4. Norway (1-0-0-3), 3 points*
5. Hungary (0-0-0-4), 0 points*

*relegated to 2026 IIHF D1A Women’s World Championship

Coming up…

Everyone gets a day off before quarterfinal action on Thursday. Here are the matchups:

Germany vs. USA
Japan vs. Canada
Switzerland vs. Czechia
Sweden vs. Finland

Date and times are TBD. Each game will be broadcast on NHL Network, TSN1 and TSN4.

MORE WOMEN’S HOCKEY

• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 6
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• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 4
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 3
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 2
• 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 1

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