Czech Republic spoils Canada bid for 3-peat at U18 women's hockey worlds
Goaltender Aneta Senkova turns aside 45 of 47 Canadian shots in semifinal victory
Canada's dreams of a third-straight gold medal at the world women's under-18 hockey championship are over after a 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in the semifinals on Saturday in Zug, Switzerland.
Anezka Cabelova had two goals, and her linemate, captain Adela Sapovalivova, added a goal and an assist while Klaudie Slavickova had the go-ahead goal.
Sapovalivova's goal ended Canada's shutout streak which stretched back to right after the last time the two teams faced off.
Canada rallied back from a 2-0 second-period deficit to tie it up through goals from Chloe Primerano and Stryker Zablocki.
Czech netminder Aneta Senkova kept her team in the game, saving 45 of 47 shots she faced.
Canada's Hannah Clark stopped seven of the 10 shots that came her way.
Klaudie Slavickova nets in! 🚨‼️ Czechia gets in front again. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/U18WomensWorlds?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#U18WomensWorlds</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/narodnitymzen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narodnitymzen</a> <a href="https://t.co/iMs9VPU3cB">pic.twitter.com/iMs9VPU3cB</a>
—@IIHFHockeyThe Czechs have never beaten Canada or won a semi-final, and were previously comprehensively beaten 8-1 by the Canadians in preliminary play.
The result garnered praise from other Czech players and coaches.
Katerina Mrazova, who plays for Ottawa's PWHL team, says she's pleased for her countrymates.
Carla MacLeod, Ottawa's head coach, is also the Czech Republic's women's national team head coach, and said the win is a testament to the growth Czech hockey is undergoing.
"In Czechia we're trying to build that confidence and learn how to win," she said. "To see them reach that reward, and they played a heck of game, so it's fun to know they're learning to win too."
