Lina Ljungblom scored a hat trick in the first period and a fourth goal in the second as Sweden clinched their first win of the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship by a score of 6-2 over Hungary.

Hilda Svensson—the 16-year-old debutant playing on Sweden’s top line—set up Ljungblom’s first three goals, and has now scored or assisted on six of Sweden’s eight goals this tournament. The two young forwards combined to give Sweden a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes of play. Ljungblom jumped on a puck sent to the slot by Svensson mid-fall to score her first. Her second was a one-timer, with Svensson feeding the puck to the front of the net from along the goal line.

"I think we find each other out there," Ljungblom said of her and her linemates. "Hilda, I feel like she finds me everywhere on the ice, she passes to me and I shoot as quick as I can."
 

The game was tied by the 10 minute mark however. Veteran Sara Grahn, playing in her first World Championship game since 2019, stopped an initial shot from Hungary’s Fanni Gasparics, but was unable to move across the crease in time to stop Mira Seregely from scoring off the rebound.

With Lova Blom in the box for interference, Hungary then got an opportunity to move the puck around Sweden’s zone. Reka Dabasi parked herself in front of Grahn, and a shot through traffic from Alexandra Huszak tied the score at two all.

"I think after Sweden leading by two goals we really showed our character and we stayed together. We weren’t really ready at the beginning, I don’t know why, but we’re going to fix that for the next few games," said Gasparics. "I think the two goals kind of gave us a wake-up call, and it was really good to come back. We stayed together and just did the right things at the right time."

Ljungblom responded in kind with her own power play goal, clinching the hat trick with a slap shot while Hungary’s Lotti Odnoga sat for an illegal hit.

Sweden scored once more before the intermission (yes, this was all in the first period alone!). Aniko Nemeth appeared to have stopped a shot from Linnea Andersson on the point, but the puck trickled across the line behind her.

"I think we bounced back really well after losing the first game, which shows some good character from us," said Sweden's Fanny Rask. "It’s important to get back to winning. We got used to the rink a bit more and learned how to push forward with our defence and get the timing right. We want to put pressure on our opponents but we have to be careful not to put pressure on ourselves. We are a hard, forechecking team. We want to get in there with speed and have an impact that way."

Up until Brampton, Ljungblom only had one goal through two senior World Championships. She scored her fourth of the game just under five minutes in to the second period with a shot along the ice that snuck under Nemeth’s pads. With Sweden up 5-2, Hungary opted to swap goalies, and Zsuzsa Revesz took over for Nemeth.

"Keys to this game were be strong, be smart and be together, and when we did those, we were successful and we created chances and we won the battles," said Gasparics. "Unfortunately there were areas and moments in the game where we didn’t execute our plan."

Revesz kept the puck out of Hungary’s net for 27 minutes, with neither team generating the same high quality scoring chances seen in the first period until a power play for Sweden in the third. This time it was Svensson’s turn to score, and Sweden took a 6-2 lead, which they maintained until the final buzzer.

"I think we need to be stronger on the puck," Ljungblom said of what still lies ahead for Sweden. "I feel like we just throw away passes and especially when we’re going to play against Finland next game, I think that’s going to be so important."

Now at the halfway mark of Group B preliminary play, the fight for the top three spots in the group is tight, with Sweden, Hungary, and Germany each with three points (one win, one loss). Finland sits at the top with two wins, and France at the bottom with two losses.