Team USA Advances To U18 WWC Semifinals, Topping Slovakia, 9-1
U.S. records four power-play goals in quarterfinals win
VANTAA, Finland – Team USA recorded four power play goals, tying an IIHF single-game record, in a 9-1 victory over Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship at Tikkurilan Areena on Thursday.
“Our special teams were firing on all cylinders today,” said Liz Keady Norton (Boston, Mass.), head coach of the 2025 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team. “We played our game from puck drop to final whistle.”
Team USA opened the scoring early, just nine seconds into the game, when Haley Box (Eden Prairie, Minn.) deflected a pass from Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.), who pickpocketed the Slovakian player deep in the zone, before sending a pass to an open Box in front of the net.
The goal set a new IIHF tournament record for fastest goal from the start of the game. The record was previously 10 seconds, held by Adela Sapovalivova of Czechia, who scored 10 seconds into a game against Slovakia on January 14, 2023.
Slovakia answered, recorded the first goal of the tournament against Team USA on a power play 3:01 into the first by Ema Tothova, knotting the game at 1-1.
Doyle posted the second goal of the game for the United States, giving the U.S. a 2-1 advantage, on a power play tally off a loose puck in the crease at the 7:33 mark in the first.
Team USA’s third goal came 2:07 into the second period. Kylie Amelkovich (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) raced a breakaway in from the right side before lifting the rebound off her own shot over Mariana Sumegova’s outstretched pad.
The 4-1 lead came off Doyle’s stick when she tapped a loose puck sitting at the top of the crease just through the Sumegova’s five hole with 10:51 remaining in the second. The goal was Team USA’s third power-play score of the contest.
Sloane Hartmetz (Phoenixville, Pa.) got in on the action with 6:04 elapsed in the third, taking a shot from the middle of the blue line that bounced off a Slovakian defender and past the goalie for a 5-1 lead.
Box’s second of the game came just 1:40 after, ripping a rising shot to the top corner from the high slot to extend the lead to 6-1, while the seventh of the afternoon came off Annabelle Lovell’s (Hingham, Mass.) stick just seconds after a power play expired.
In the closing minutes of the game, Bella Fanale (Webster, N.Y.) tallied a shorthanded goal and Mary Derrenbacher (Raleigh, N.C.) added the eighth and ninth goals of the game to finish with a 9-1 victory.
Goaltender Morgan Stickney (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) made 13 saves in net.
Tournament play continues for the U.S. on Saturday (Jan. 11) with a trip to the semifinals. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. EET (8 a.m. ET) on NHL Network. Team USA’s opponent will be determined after the conclusion of all quarterfinal games.
NOTES: Evelyn Doyle was named U.S. Player of the Game … The U.S. outshot Slovakia 49-14 … The U.S. was 3-5 on the power play, while Slovakia was 0-6.
For more information contact Melissa Katz ([email protected]/908.208.2146)