Canada to face Czechs in semifinals at women's U18 worlds after crushing Switzerland
Undefeated Canadians looking for 3rd straight gold medal at the tournament
Sienna D'Alessandro scored two goals and Canada advanced to the semifinals of the world women's under-18 hockey championship with a 6-0 win over host Switzerland on Thursday in Zug.
Gracie Graham had a goal and two assists for Canada, while Maxine Cimoroni, Morgan Jackson and Caitlin Kraemer also scored in the quarterfinal showdown.
Chloe Primerano, who became the first defender to score a hat trick in Canada's 10-0 win over Finland on Tuesday, had three assists to give her a tournament-leading 12 points (five goals, seven assists).
"Everybody is contributing every night," Canada assistant coach Stefanie McKeough said. "What I'm most impressed with is the commitment to playing as a team, regardless of the score. The girls are using each other, upgrading chances and always looking at every option, not just trying to score or get points themselves."
Rhyah Stewart picked up the shutout for Canada, which outshot Switzerland 54-3.
Talina Benderer stopped 48 shots for Switzerland.
Canada, looking for a third straight gold medal at the tournament, will face the Czech Republic in the semifinals. The Czechs advanced with a 4-2 win over Sweden.
"We have one goal, and we've been focused on it all along," D'Alessandro said. "We're not worried about individual points in that room.
"We came here to do a job and we're one step closer today. I think Czechia is a great team that played us hard, but if we stick to our game plan and what has been working, I'm confident in our group."
The United States will face Finland in the other semifinal. The U.S. blanked Germany 4-0 on Thursday while Finland shut out Slovakia 2-0.
