Sweden pulls away from Germany in 3rd period to take women’s hockey worlds opener

Sweden kicked off the women’s hockey world championship in the Czech Republic with an impressive 5-2 victory over Germany. Hanna Thuvik set the tone for Sweden by scoring the first goal of the tournament in the opening period, followed by Mira Hallin extending the lead in the second period.

Germany fought back with a goal from Luisa Welcke to bring the score to 2-1, but Sweden quickly responded with goals from Anna Kjellbin and Thea Johansson in the third period. Emily Nix managed to score on a power play for Germany, but Hanna Olsson sealed the win for Sweden with an empty-net goal.

In other matches on Wednesday, the United States took on Finland in a Group A clash, while the host Czech Republic faced Switzerland. The tournament favorites, the U.S. and Canada, are expected to continue their longstanding rivalry as they vie for the world title. Canada, with 13 world championships, holds a slight edge over the U.S., who have 10 titles to their name.

Finland remains the only other team besides Canada and the U.S. to have reached the final, achieving this feat in 2019. Canada will begin their title defense against Finland on Thursday.

The women’s hockey world championship in Ceske Budejovice features 10 nations competing over 12 days. Teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary round, with all five teams from Group A and the top three from Group B advancing to the playoffs. The bottom two teams from Group B, including Japan, Norway, and Hungary, face relegation.

This championship serves as a crucial international tune-up ahead of the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, providing teams with valuable experience and preparation for the upcoming Olympics. Fans can expect thrilling matches and fierce competition as the world’s top female hockey players battle for supremacy on the ice.