Team USA beat Sweden 2-1 in the first semi-final at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship and will play for gold. Bella Fanale scored twice and Morgan Stickney made 17 saves for the US.
"I'm really excited to play in the final tomorrow, whoever we'll get," Fanale said.
Lovisa Engstrom scored for Sweden, and Maja Helge made 33 saves.
"For us it was about getting pucks deep and I think the more we hemmed them in the more the momentum went our way," Team USA head coach Liz Keady Norton said.
"We wanted to be compact, skate a lot, and be physical in front of the net. Maja Helge can take the rebounds if we take away their sticks. We had chances to score," Swedish coach Andreas Karlsson said.
The last time Sweden and Team USA played for a spot in the U18 Women’s Worlds final was in Sweden 2023. That time, Sweden, coached by Karlsson, won the game and forced a non-North American final for only the second time in tournament history. Keady Norton was an assistant in 2023.
In the preliminary round game in Vantaa, the Americans squeezed out a 3-0 win .
In the 2025 semi-final, the teams knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and in the early going both sides made sure they didn't make unnecessary mistakes. Sweden could control long stretches of the first period thanks to their power play opportunities. Team USA managed to kill both, and goaltender Stickney showed that her 180-minute shutout streak in the early games wasn’t a fluke.
Once the Americans had killed the penalties, the clawed their way back into the game, and rolled an attack after an attack towards Helge’s net. But just like her U.S. counterpart, Helge was flawless in the period, making several key saves. The Americans outshot Sweden 14-9 in the period.
The roles were reversed in the second period and the US got on a power play early on. Mary Derrenbacher fired a wrist shot from the right circle. Fanale was there for the rebound and she slammed it in from the doorstep at 1:56.
"I was screening the goalie on the power play, saw the puck loose, and I think it went through the five-hole," Fanale said.
An American penalty invited the Swedes back into the game. Tilde Grillfors had the puck in the corner. She sent a nice feed to Lovisa Engstrom in front of the net and she redirected it in for 1-1 at 7:27. Ebba Westerlind also picked up an assist.
Captain Fanale stepped up when the team needed her the most. With six minutes remaining in the period, she skated around the Swedish defence and fired a shot from the slot, beating Helge cleanly topshelf. It was her fifth goal and ninth point of the tournament.
"I was climbing up the wall contemplating whether to pass or not, when I noticed the Swedish defender drift over and I took a step and shot. I was going to the right so I wanted to shoot across and pick the left corner and it went through a few people," Fanale said.
"She's a player I can put out there and know I'll get her best effort. She puts the logo before the ego every time, and that's what makes her special," Keady Norton said.
The third period was a battle from beginning to end. Sweden had trouble getting to the best scoring areas and the US outshot Sweden 10-0 in the first 12 minutes of the period, but Helge and the Swedish defense stood tall and could weather the storm.
"A lot of grinding it out," Keady Norton said with a smile.
With 66 seconds remaining, Karlsson took a timeout to set up the strategy for their push. A US penalty with 24 seconds remaining gave the Swedes their last chance, but it slipped away,
Team USA goes to the final, while Sweden will play for bronze.
"We¨re chasing excellency, and for us, it's about growth and with that comes confidence, " Keady Norton said.
