photo: Andre Ringuette / IIHF
At just 17 years old, Nela Lopusanova added another incredible chapter to her already-stunning hockey career. With a four-goal game, she led Slovakia to a 5-2 upset win over Finland to open Group B play on Day 2 of the 2026 IIIHF Women’s World Championship at the Sport and Wellness Centre in Membertou, Nova Scotia.
Lopusanova scored her first two goals of the tournament in the first period, then added two more in the third.
Still, her focus on Sunday was more on earning three important points for her team in the Group B standings.
"Yes, 100 per cent all I’m thinking about is to help the team," she said. "I don’t care about the points. It will be amazing if I break the records, but it’s the team that comes first."
Alexandra Hirjakova also scored for Slovakia, while Tinja Tapani and Netta Siitonen replied for Finland.
Final shots were 29-22 in favor of Slovakia.
Slovak coach Michal Kobezda didn't hesitate to sing his captain's praises on Sunday.
"She’s an unbelievable player," he said of Lopusanova. "She plays hard both ways. She backchecks. She tries to get every puck. She’s a huge help for our team. Of course, she scored four goals today. This is really great for us because we need a player like this to be successful."
Determined not to dwell on their Day 1 outcome against the United States, Slovakia's coaching staff was able to pinpoint ways to get the better of the Finns.
"We did a pre-scout for Finland, watched the game against the Czechs," Kobezda said. "We tried to focus on this game and forget about yesterday. We tried to stay positive, and I think it worked out for us."
Returning to action barely 24 hours after facing 52 shots in two periods against the Americans on Saturday, Slovak goaltender Mariana Sumegova was steady in earning the win, making 20 saves. Eerika Kujala stopped 24 shots.
Coach Mira Kuisma has led Finland's WW18 team since 2019, but was at a loss on Sunday when asked to explain why her group has struggled to get good results. After finishing sixth in 2025, the Finns are off to an 0-2 start in 2026.
"I think it’s confidence and courage," Kuisma said. "I really don’t know what happens when they step on the ice. We have good moments and periods when we play well but then something happens."
Lopusanova served notice early that she would be a force to be reckoned with. Seven minutes into the first period, she beat Kujala between the pads with a sharp shot, but the puck slid wide, just past the far post.
At 9:38, the Slovak bench erupted when their captain did ripple the twine, scoring Slovakia’s first goal of the tournament by shooting 5-hole again after winning an offensive-zone face-off following an icing call on Finland.
With 2:57 remaining in the first period and Finland’s Jannika Sten serving a minor penalty for an illegal hit, Lopusanova’s second goal came off a sharp shot from the left boards that hit iron before landing behind Kujala.
The Finns started the second period with a redoubled effort. That paid off just 90 seconds in, when captain Senja Siivonen collected a weak clearing attempt by Sumegova and fed the goal-scorer, Tapani. With the margin narrowed to one, both teams played hard for most of the period before Hirjakova restored the two-goal cushion on the power play with 3:21 left in the middle frame.
At 1:52 into the third, Lopusanova restored the three-goal lead as she skated down the slot and fired the puck past Kujala for her hat trick. Siitonen got the Finns within two at 12:14 of the third, then Lopusanova added an empty-netter for her fourth of the day.
Luposanova was named Slovakia's best player, while Vivi-Maija Ruonakoski earned the honour for Finland.
After the Slovak national anthem played at the game's conclusion, the players formed a line in front of their small-but-mighty cheering section that had been banging their drums and sounding their horns from start to finish in the team's first two games. After acknowledging their supporters, the players dove as one toward the boards, bringing their fans into their historic celebration.
The only time these two teams met previously in WW18 play, Finland shut out Slovakia 2-0 on 11 Jan 2024 in Zug, Switzerland. The Slovaks’ only win of the 2025 tournament was a 5-1 victory over Japan in the relegation round which allowed them to return for the top level in Lopusanova’s final window of eligibility, this year.
On Day 1, Slovakia was shut out 13-0 by the United States, while Finland dropped a 9-1 decision to Czechia.
Lopusanova will have at least two more games to chase the record here on Cape Breton.
Both teams will close out round-robin play on Tuesday, with Slovakia starting the day against Czechia, then Finland facing the United States.
Kuisma will be looking to unlock her team's potential before what could be the toughest game in their round-robin schedule.
"We try to talk every period," she said. "The potential is here, but they can put out much more than what they do. We’re going to have a meeting tonight to find out what went wrong."
Tuesday’s results will determine seeding for Thursdays quarterfinals, where all eight teams will be in action for sudden-death elimination from medal contention.
Lopusanova scored her first two goals of the tournament in the first period, then added two more in the third.
"I think about it every day," she said after the game. "I want to score a lot of goals and help the team. I just want to do my best on the ice and be a good leader."
Now with 30 points over four WW18 tournaments, Lopusanova has passed Alex Carpenter and Haley Skarupa of the United States and tied Amanda Kessel for second all-time in tournament scoring. She is just three points back of the 33 points from all-time leader Kendall Coyne Schofield.
Still, her focus on Sunday was more on earning three important points for her team in the Group B standings.
"Yes, 100 per cent all I’m thinking about is to help the team," she said. "I don’t care about the points. It will be amazing if I break the records, but it’s the team that comes first."
Alexandra Hirjakova also scored for Slovakia, while Tinja Tapani and Netta Siitonen replied for Finland.
Final shots were 29-22 in favor of Slovakia.
Slovak coach Michal Kobezda didn't hesitate to sing his captain's praises on Sunday.
"She’s an unbelievable player," he said of Lopusanova. "She plays hard both ways. She backchecks. She tries to get every puck. She’s a huge help for our team. Of course, she scored four goals today. This is really great for us because we need a player like this to be successful."
Determined not to dwell on their Day 1 outcome against the United States, Slovakia's coaching staff was able to pinpoint ways to get the better of the Finns.
"We did a pre-scout for Finland, watched the game against the Czechs," Kobezda said. "We tried to focus on this game and forget about yesterday. We tried to stay positive, and I think it worked out for us."
Returning to action barely 24 hours after facing 52 shots in two periods against the Americans on Saturday, Slovak goaltender Mariana Sumegova was steady in earning the win, making 20 saves. Eerika Kujala stopped 24 shots.
Coach Mira Kuisma has led Finland's WW18 team since 2019, but was at a loss on Sunday when asked to explain why her group has struggled to get good results. After finishing sixth in 2025, the Finns are off to an 0-2 start in 2026.
"I think it’s confidence and courage," Kuisma said. "I really don’t know what happens when they step on the ice. We have good moments and periods when we play well but then something happens."
Lopusanova served notice early that she would be a force to be reckoned with. Seven minutes into the first period, she beat Kujala between the pads with a sharp shot, but the puck slid wide, just past the far post.
At 9:38, the Slovak bench erupted when their captain did ripple the twine, scoring Slovakia’s first goal of the tournament by shooting 5-hole again after winning an offensive-zone face-off following an icing call on Finland.
With 2:57 remaining in the first period and Finland’s Jannika Sten serving a minor penalty for an illegal hit, Lopusanova’s second goal came off a sharp shot from the left boards that hit iron before landing behind Kujala.
The Finns started the second period with a redoubled effort. That paid off just 90 seconds in, when captain Senja Siivonen collected a weak clearing attempt by Sumegova and fed the goal-scorer, Tapani. With the margin narrowed to one, both teams played hard for most of the period before Hirjakova restored the two-goal cushion on the power play with 3:21 left in the middle frame.
At 1:52 into the third, Lopusanova restored the three-goal lead as she skated down the slot and fired the puck past Kujala for her hat trick. Siitonen got the Finns within two at 12:14 of the third, then Lopusanova added an empty-netter for her fourth of the day.
Luposanova was named Slovakia's best player, while Vivi-Maija Ruonakoski earned the honour for Finland.
After the Slovak national anthem played at the game's conclusion, the players formed a line in front of their small-but-mighty cheering section that had been banging their drums and sounding their horns from start to finish in the team's first two games. After acknowledging their supporters, the players dove as one toward the boards, bringing their fans into their historic celebration.
The only time these two teams met previously in WW18 play, Finland shut out Slovakia 2-0 on 11 Jan 2024 in Zug, Switzerland. The Slovaks’ only win of the 2025 tournament was a 5-1 victory over Japan in the relegation round which allowed them to return for the top level in Lopusanova’s final window of eligibility, this year.
On Day 1, Slovakia was shut out 13-0 by the United States, while Finland dropped a 9-1 decision to Czechia.
Lopusanova will have at least two more games to chase the record here on Cape Breton.
Both teams will close out round-robin play on Tuesday, with Slovakia starting the day against Czechia, then Finland facing the United States.
Kuisma will be looking to unlock her team's potential before what could be the toughest game in their round-robin schedule.
"We try to talk every period," she said. "The potential is here, but they can put out much more than what they do. We’re going to have a meeting tonight to find out what went wrong."
Tuesday’s results will determine seeding for Thursdays quarterfinals, where all eight teams will be in action for sudden-death elimination from medal contention.
Finland vs Slovakia - 2026 IIHF U18 Women's Worlds Championship
OF