Hungarian players celebrate a goal against the Czech Republic.
photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
When Hungary qualified for the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, it became the 16th nation to play in the top level at some time. They were shut out in their first game, but Reka Dabasi scored the team’s first-ever top-level goal late in the second period of their second game, a goal that will go down in Hungary’s hockey history.
So let’s take a look back at the first goals for every team to have played at the Women’s Worlds, from 1990 to 2021.
First off, there’s a bit more history to the question, “Who scored the first goal in Women’s Worlds history”? All eight teams were in action on opening night in Ottawa on 19 March 1990. Although the Canada-Sweden game is listed first in all records for the tournament, that game was actually played at 7.30pm as the official tournament opener. But by the clock the other three games all started earlier, at 1.00pm.
So who scored the first-ever goal in World Women’s history? Read on…you’ll be surprised!
Canada & Sweden – 19 March 1990
How fitting that in Game 1 of the first ever Women’s World Championship (according to IIHF records) that Angela James scored, just 1:26 into the game, giving Canada an early lead. It was her first of four goals on the day in a 15-1 route of Sweden. All the same, the Swedes tied the score three minutes later when Lisa Plahn scored on the power play, the first ever goal for her country in WW play.
Germany & Japan – 19 March 1990
Elvira Saager scored early in the first period, staking West Germany to a lead it never relinquished in a 4-1 win over Japan. Saager’s goal came at 4:13, earlier than the other games that started at 1pm, and is thus the first-ever Women’s Worlds goal! Kaori Takahashi gave up the historic marker which was scored at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena in Ottawa. The only Japanese goal came off the stick of Ayako Okada.
Finland & Norway – 19 March 1990
Norway got the first goal, but Finland romped to an easy 10-1 win in a game played at the Kanata Recreation Complex. Norway’s historic marker was scored by Inger Lise Fagernes at 4:59. Just 18 second later, however, Marianne Ihalainen made a little “herstory” by tying the game on Suomi’s first ever WW goal.
Switzerland & United States – 19 March 1990
It was an easy 16-3 win by the Americans over the Swiss, and, not surprisingly, the U.S. scored first. That historic marker was scored by Tina Cardinale at 4:53. She went on to record eight points in the game (three goals, five assists). But that isn’t a single-game record. Her teammate Cindy Curley had nine points (5+4) two days later against Norway. The Swiss’s first goal was scored by captain Kim Urech late in the first period.
Denmark – 20 April 1992
The Danes played right after China on opening day in 1992, and they managed to score in a 4-1 loss to Sweden. Their goal was scored by left winger Tina Christoffersen. It was her one and only career goal in WW play.
China – 21 April 1992
China was shut out by Canada, 8-0, in the team’s first ever WW game, but the next day they managed to score twice in a closer 6-2 loss to Sweden. That first Chinese goal was credited to Hongmei Liu, who went on to become the highest scorer at the WW in China’s history with 23 goals in 30 career games.
Russia – 31 March 1997
Two political superpowers collided in a Women’s Worlds game on the first night of the 1997 tournament in Kitchener, Ontario – China, and newcomers Russia. China won the game, 6-2, but Yekaterina Pashkevich scored just six seconds into the second period, the first ever score for Russia. That was the second-fastest goal from the start of a period after Fagernes’s four-second marker back in 1990.
Kazakhstan – 3 April 2001
The Kazakhs got right to business after entering their first Women’s World tournament in 2000, winning B Pool with a perfect 5-0 record to earn promotion for 2001 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were hammered by Canada in their first game, 11-0, but managed a goal in their second outing in a 3-1 loss to Sweden. Nadezhda Losyeva got the goal late in the second to make it a 2-1 game, but the Kazakhs couldn’t get the tying goal. Losyeva was named Best Player for her team in the game, but Kazakhstan finished in last place and was demoted.
Slovakia – 20 April 2011
Slovakia’s slow and methodical rise to the top pool started in 1999 in B Pool, when it first joined the women’s program. It went down to Division II in 2003, and it wasn’t until 2008 that it moved up to Division I. Two years later, the Slovaks made their top-level debut. But still, it wasn’t until their third game that they scored a goal after being shut out by the U.S., 5-0, and by Sweden, 3-0. That first one came off the stick of Jana Kapustova, late in the third period of a 4-1 loss to Russia. The Slovaks remained in the top pool one more year and then have been in lower divisions ever since. Kapustova played in all 10 games over these two years and scored three of the team’s 12 all-time goals.
Czech Republic – 2 April 2013
Like the Slovaks, the Czechs were a bit late registering for women’s hockey. They, too, started in 1999 but remained in B Pool/Division I for more than a decade. They took a step back in 2011, being relegated to Division II, but then moved up two years in a row and landed in the top division in 2013. Once there, they wasted no time getting their first goal. Lucie Povova got the goal midway through the opening period on the power play, helping her team win its debut, 3-2, over Sweden.
France – 5 April 2019
The French were a solid Division I team for the better part of two decades, but in 2018 they finally beat all comers in I-A and moved up to the top level for 2019 in Finland. They were shut out in their debut game against Japan, 3-0, but 24 hours later they got their first goal midway through the third period. Emmanuelle Passard got the goal on a 5-on-4, but the Czechs prevailed, 3-1. In all, France scored only five times and was demoted.
Hungary – 22 August 2021
It took nearly two decades for the Hungarians to earn promotion to the top level, and then the pandemic forced them to wait longer for their top-level debut. They were shut out in their first game, 3-0 by Germany, and in their second game it wasn’t looking good. They fell behind 4-0 to the Czechs, but Reka Dabasi finally scored with a single second remaining in the second period. They scored again in the third but lost, 4-2.
So let’s take a look back at the first goals for every team to have played at the Women’s Worlds, from 1990 to 2021.
First off, there’s a bit more history to the question, “Who scored the first goal in Women’s Worlds history”? All eight teams were in action on opening night in Ottawa on 19 March 1990. Although the Canada-Sweden game is listed first in all records for the tournament, that game was actually played at 7.30pm as the official tournament opener. But by the clock the other three games all started earlier, at 1.00pm.
So who scored the first-ever goal in World Women’s history? Read on…you’ll be surprised!
Canada & Sweden – 19 March 1990
How fitting that in Game 1 of the first ever Women’s World Championship (according to IIHF records) that Angela James scored, just 1:26 into the game, giving Canada an early lead. It was her first of four goals on the day in a 15-1 route of Sweden. All the same, the Swedes tied the score three minutes later when Lisa Plahn scored on the power play, the first ever goal for her country in WW play.
Germany & Japan – 19 March 1990
Elvira Saager scored early in the first period, staking West Germany to a lead it never relinquished in a 4-1 win over Japan. Saager’s goal came at 4:13, earlier than the other games that started at 1pm, and is thus the first-ever Women’s Worlds goal! Kaori Takahashi gave up the historic marker which was scored at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena in Ottawa. The only Japanese goal came off the stick of Ayako Okada.
Finland & Norway – 19 March 1990
Norway got the first goal, but Finland romped to an easy 10-1 win in a game played at the Kanata Recreation Complex. Norway’s historic marker was scored by Inger Lise Fagernes at 4:59. Just 18 second later, however, Marianne Ihalainen made a little “herstory” by tying the game on Suomi’s first ever WW goal.
Switzerland & United States – 19 March 1990
It was an easy 16-3 win by the Americans over the Swiss, and, not surprisingly, the U.S. scored first. That historic marker was scored by Tina Cardinale at 4:53. She went on to record eight points in the game (three goals, five assists). But that isn’t a single-game record. Her teammate Cindy Curley had nine points (5+4) two days later against Norway. The Swiss’s first goal was scored by captain Kim Urech late in the first period.
Denmark – 20 April 1992
The Danes played right after China on opening day in 1992, and they managed to score in a 4-1 loss to Sweden. Their goal was scored by left winger Tina Christoffersen. It was her one and only career goal in WW play.
China – 21 April 1992
China was shut out by Canada, 8-0, in the team’s first ever WW game, but the next day they managed to score twice in a closer 6-2 loss to Sweden. That first Chinese goal was credited to Hongmei Liu, who went on to become the highest scorer at the WW in China’s history with 23 goals in 30 career games.
Russia – 31 March 1997
Two political superpowers collided in a Women’s Worlds game on the first night of the 1997 tournament in Kitchener, Ontario – China, and newcomers Russia. China won the game, 6-2, but Yekaterina Pashkevich scored just six seconds into the second period, the first ever score for Russia. That was the second-fastest goal from the start of a period after Fagernes’s four-second marker back in 1990.
Kazakhstan – 3 April 2001
The Kazakhs got right to business after entering their first Women’s World tournament in 2000, winning B Pool with a perfect 5-0 record to earn promotion for 2001 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were hammered by Canada in their first game, 11-0, but managed a goal in their second outing in a 3-1 loss to Sweden. Nadezhda Losyeva got the goal late in the second to make it a 2-1 game, but the Kazakhs couldn’t get the tying goal. Losyeva was named Best Player for her team in the game, but Kazakhstan finished in last place and was demoted.
Slovakia – 20 April 2011
Slovakia’s slow and methodical rise to the top pool started in 1999 in B Pool, when it first joined the women’s program. It went down to Division II in 2003, and it wasn’t until 2008 that it moved up to Division I. Two years later, the Slovaks made their top-level debut. But still, it wasn’t until their third game that they scored a goal after being shut out by the U.S., 5-0, and by Sweden, 3-0. That first one came off the stick of Jana Kapustova, late in the third period of a 4-1 loss to Russia. The Slovaks remained in the top pool one more year and then have been in lower divisions ever since. Kapustova played in all 10 games over these two years and scored three of the team’s 12 all-time goals.
Czech Republic – 2 April 2013
Like the Slovaks, the Czechs were a bit late registering for women’s hockey. They, too, started in 1999 but remained in B Pool/Division I for more than a decade. They took a step back in 2011, being relegated to Division II, but then moved up two years in a row and landed in the top division in 2013. Once there, they wasted no time getting their first goal. Lucie Povova got the goal midway through the opening period on the power play, helping her team win its debut, 3-2, over Sweden.
France – 5 April 2019
The French were a solid Division I team for the better part of two decades, but in 2018 they finally beat all comers in I-A and moved up to the top level for 2019 in Finland. They were shut out in their debut game against Japan, 3-0, but 24 hours later they got their first goal midway through the third period. Emmanuelle Passard got the goal on a 5-on-4, but the Czechs prevailed, 3-1. In all, France scored only five times and was demoted.
Hungary – 22 August 2021
It took nearly two decades for the Hungarians to earn promotion to the top level, and then the pandemic forced them to wait longer for their top-level debut. They were shut out in their first game, 3-0 by Germany, and in their second game it wasn’t looking good. They fell behind 4-0 to the Czechs, but Reka Dabasi finally scored with a single second remaining in the second period. They scored again in the third but lost, 4-2.