In the biggest upset in tournament history, the Czechs dethroned Canada with an historic 4-2 semi-final win. Klaudie Slavickova scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, lifting her team into the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship gold medal game.

The Canadians fought back from a 2-0 second-period deficit to tie it up, but their bid for a third consecutive gold medal ends in Zug. Few foresaw it ending this way.

For Czechia, Anezka Cabelova stepped up with two goals, and her linemate, captain Adela Sapovalivova, added a goal and an assist.

"I'm so happy and so proud of our team," said Sapovalivova. "We put all our energy into the game and we won. We blocked many shots and we played with heart."

Tournament scoring leader Chloe Primerano and Stryker Zablocki replied for Canada.

"We did everything we could," Zablocki said. "We played hard and we just didn't end up on top. We had lots of momentum, but the puck just didn't bounce the right way."
 

The previous biggest shocker was last year when eventual silver medalist Sweden edged the U.S. 2-1 in the semi-final. But this result, coming against the two-time defending champions, eclipses all others.

It was a thrilling, tense hockey game. Outshot 47-12, the Czechs got world-class goaltending from Aneta Senkova and went hard at Canada instead of respecting their opponents too much. It paid off. Ecstasy doesn't begin to describe the feelings of coach Dusan Andrasovsky's players.

"I never had the chance to play against Canada until this tournament first," said Cabelova. "And to have the chance to win against them? Oh my God, I never dreamed of that!"

Never before have the Czechs beaten Canada or won a semi-final. This guarantees them at least a silver medal, their two best previous finishes being bronze (2008, 2014). In a sign of the growing parity in international women's hockey, this also marks the first time in history that the WW18 final includes a European team two years in a row.

In the 2024 preliminary round, Canada hammered the Czechs 8-1, establishing a new record with three shorthanded goals in one game. Abby Stonehouse led the way with five points. But this was a completely different story.

The Czechs leaned heavily on their top line with Sapovalivova, Cabelova, and Tereza Plosova. That trio had combined for 20 points through the first four games.

In the early going, the Czechs countered Canada’s speed and strength with close checking. Twice Senkova stood tall to deny Stonehouse. At the other end, Canadian starting goalie Hannah Clark’s mask popped off when she collided with Sapovalivova in a race for the puck in the left faceoff circle.

"Their goalie played really well," Stonehouse said. "We had a hard time getting it by her. I tried everything I could."

Off an intense forecheck, Plosova fed Madlen Chladova at the point, and Sapovalivova was Johnny-on-the-spot in front to tip it in for a 1-0 lead at 13:16. The lift it gave the Czech bench was palpable.

"We are a team together and we are really good friends," Sapovalivova said. "And I think you can see it on the ice. If we didn't play together, nothing would happen."

That goal ended Canada's shutout streak at 155:38, dating back to Aneta Paroubkova's second-period goal in Czechia's 8-1 preliminary-round loss to Canada.

It also gave the Czechs just their second lead ever over Canada in WW18 history. Michaela Pejzlova got the opening goal when Canada beat the Czechs 7-1 at the 2015 tournament in Buffalo, New York.

Passion ramped up as pounding Czech drums competed with "Go Canada go!" chants. The Czechs came out determined to force the play. The ever-slippery Sapovalivova cut back from the side boards, skated behind the net and centred the puck on her backhand to Cabelova, who scored from the doorstep at 3:32.

The Canadians started to press. Maxine Cimoroni stickhandled into the Czech zone and set up a pinching Rosalie Breton, who had a wide-open net but was blocked by defender Adela Fromova. Primerano raced down left wing, got tripped up and slid heavily into the end boards.

Primerano recovered and cut the deficit to 2-1 with a wicked power-play wrister at 8:45. It was her tournament-leading 13th point (6+7=13), tying Brigette Lacquette's record for most points at a U18 Women's Worlds (2+11=13, 2010).

"It was a good pass from Gracie [Graham] and I was able to put it in the net," Primerano said. "I think it was good for us, getting some energy there."

At 2:03 of the third period, Canada finally drew even thanks to a brilliant play by Morgan Jackson. The Shawnigan Lake School forward knocked down Paroubkova's flip pass behind the Czech net and centred the puck to Zablocki, who one-timed the puck past Senkova's left skate.

"It's always a weird feeling on the bench [when that happens], like everyone gets sad and kind of starts overthinking," Cabelova said about the Canadian comeback. "But I think we got up really quickly and answered really quickly. That was good!"

At 6:08, the Czechs regained the lead with a broken play on the rush. Barbara Jurickova's shot deflected off Primerano's skate to a wide-open Slavickova, who zinged the puck over Clark's blocker.

"It was nice that she scored to make it 3-2," said Sapovalivova. "And it was unbelievable, the feeling on the bench. The whole team was jumping again!"

Thirty seconds later, Canadian coach Tara Watchorn pulled Clark, who shares the WW18 career shutout record (three) with the U.S.'s Sidney Peters and Alex Cavallini, in favour of backup Rhyah Stewart. Senkova continued to shine, robbing D'Alessandro on the doorstep with a lunging glove save.

Canada nearly tied it up on the power play when Claire Murdoch tipped Primerano's long shot off the post. Watchorn pulled Stewart for the extra attacker with under two minutes left in regulation and used her timeout with a faceoff in the Czech end.

However, Cabelova got loose and rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter with 25 seconds left.

"I think my pace slowed down a little bit," Cabelova said. "Everything slowed down. I just couldn't believe it, and I was a little scared to score the goal. But it happened! I'm very, very grateful for that."