More than 5,000 fans packed Centre 200 in Sydney for the gold-medal game.
photo: IIHF / Matt Zambonin
After nine days of competition, the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship is in the books. Here’s a look at some of the memories that will live on as the players and organizers head back to their home bases after an exhilarating run in Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Was A First-Class Host
Sunday’s gold-medal game was the social event of the season in Sydney. Centre 200 was packed to the rafters with 5,039 exuberant fans, many decked out in red and white to cheer on the home side.
And even though Canada couldn’t trigger even one final spin of Great Big Sea’s ‘Heave Away’ in their 2-0 loss to the United States, the fans delivered a heartfelt round of applause after the final buzzer — showing respect for a game well played and the impressive talent level that both Team Canada and Team USA brought to the ice.
All told, the total attendance for the tournament came in at 26,710 — an average of 1,272 fans per game. Credit should also go to the travelling fans from the European nations, decked out in their team gear and supporting their players. As a couple of examples, the Slovaks banged their drums relentlessly from start to finish, and the ‘Let’s Go Sweden’ chants were loud and proud.
First Goals Matter
Team USA’s ‘Perfect Gold’ run was historic in many ways. It was the first time ever that a U18 team — women or men — went all the way through the tournament without ever trailing or being tied 0-0.
It’s also the first time that a U.S. team has run the table at any level, and just the fourth time that any women’s team has achieved the feat. The Canadian women did it at the 1992 Women’s Worlds and at the Olympics in 2006 and 2010.
The Americans weren’t the only team in Cape Breton turned first goals into victories. Across the 21 games in the tournament, 17 were won by the teams that scored first.
The four exceptions: the Czechs’ 9-1 win over Finland on the opening day of the preliminary round, where Finland’s Tinja Tapani opened the scoring, the Swedes scoring first in their 7-2 preliminary-round loss to Canada, Czechia coming back to beat Switzerland 2-1 in their round-robin wrap-up in Membertou on Thursday and Hungary falling behind Finland 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before coming back to earn the win in Saturday’s seventh-place game.
The Next Generation of Goalies Looks Great
Only two teams in the entire tournament had goalies on their rosters who played in 2025: the United States, with Morgan Stickney, and Slovakia, with Mariana Sumegova and Zuzana Tomeckova.
Stickney was excellent, delivering shutouts in both her starts. But when the stakes rose, U.S. coach Courtney Kennedy handed the keys to the crease to 17-year-old first-timer Bianca Birrittieri. The native of Flower Mound, Texas rewarded that faith with a player-of-the-game performance and a 38-save shutout in the gold-medal game.
Birrittieri won’t be eligible to return next year, but many of the other fresh goalie standouts are. The list includes Directorate Award winner and Media All-Star Norina Schrupkowski of Switzerland, who’s 16, Czechia’s 15-year-old Lili Chmelarova and Sweden’s 16-year-old Thea Holmberg.
Sharpshooters Will Be Back For More
Jane Daley insists that she’s more of a playmaker. But after logging no goals and four assists in her first Women’s U18s in 2025, the Medfield, Mass. native carved her place in history with her three-straight hat tricks and 12 goals in total to earn MVP honours in 2026.
Now with 12 goals and 21 points across her two events, Daley is eligible to return next year. She'll be chasing the all-time tournament records of 22 goals (Kendall Coyne Schofield) (USA) and Nela Lopusanova (SVK) and 33 points (Coyne Schofield and Lopusanova).
Other underage skaters who impressed in 2026 include Canadian tournament all-stars Adrianna Milani and Megan Mossey, USA’s Chyna Taylor and Annabelle Lovell, Czechia’s Lucie Sindelarova and 14-year-old Adela Krenkova and Swedish forwards Ebba Hesselvall, Tilia Lindegren and 15-year-old Moa Stridh.
Hungary Seized The Moment
One year ago, Hungary punched its ticket to return to WW18 top level with an undefeated run at home in Budapest in the 2025 Division I-A tournament. Once the players arrived in Canada, they proved that they should not be taken lightly when they opened with a tightly contested 4-1 result against Sweden. Then, they wrapped up their schedule by coming back to stun Finland with a 7-5 win.
Icing a roster that included just seven players born in 2008 and three 14-year-olds born in 2011, the Hungarians built a foundation for future events during their time in Nova Scotia. Now 16, goalie Csenge Csordas stood tall when called upon and will be eligible to return in 2027.
WW18 Comes of Age
The U18 Women’s World Championship debuted in 2008, the same year that the oldest players that suited up in Cape Breton were born. This generation of girls that has never known a world where they wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn a chance to play hockey for their country while still in high school.
These days, the women’s game is growing by leaps and bounds on both sides of the Atlantic. Rising registration across all age groups means that more top athletes are entering the hockey system. If you thought the speed and skill on display in Membertou and Sydney was impressive, buckle up. Things are only going to get better!
Cape Breton Was A First-Class Host
Sunday’s gold-medal game was the social event of the season in Sydney. Centre 200 was packed to the rafters with 5,039 exuberant fans, many decked out in red and white to cheer on the home side.
And even though Canada couldn’t trigger even one final spin of Great Big Sea’s ‘Heave Away’ in their 2-0 loss to the United States, the fans delivered a heartfelt round of applause after the final buzzer — showing respect for a game well played and the impressive talent level that both Team Canada and Team USA brought to the ice.
All told, the total attendance for the tournament came in at 26,710 — an average of 1,272 fans per game. Credit should also go to the travelling fans from the European nations, decked out in their team gear and supporting their players. As a couple of examples, the Slovaks banged their drums relentlessly from start to finish, and the ‘Let’s Go Sweden’ chants were loud and proud.
First Goals Matter
Team USA’s ‘Perfect Gold’ run was historic in many ways. It was the first time ever that a U18 team — women or men — went all the way through the tournament without ever trailing or being tied 0-0.
It’s also the first time that a U.S. team has run the table at any level, and just the fourth time that any women’s team has achieved the feat. The Canadian women did it at the 1992 Women’s Worlds and at the Olympics in 2006 and 2010.
The Americans weren’t the only team in Cape Breton turned first goals into victories. Across the 21 games in the tournament, 17 were won by the teams that scored first.
The four exceptions: the Czechs’ 9-1 win over Finland on the opening day of the preliminary round, where Finland’s Tinja Tapani opened the scoring, the Swedes scoring first in their 7-2 preliminary-round loss to Canada, Czechia coming back to beat Switzerland 2-1 in their round-robin wrap-up in Membertou on Thursday and Hungary falling behind Finland 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before coming back to earn the win in Saturday’s seventh-place game.
The Next Generation of Goalies Looks Great
Only two teams in the entire tournament had goalies on their rosters who played in 2025: the United States, with Morgan Stickney, and Slovakia, with Mariana Sumegova and Zuzana Tomeckova.
Stickney was excellent, delivering shutouts in both her starts. But when the stakes rose, U.S. coach Courtney Kennedy handed the keys to the crease to 17-year-old first-timer Bianca Birrittieri. The native of Flower Mound, Texas rewarded that faith with a player-of-the-game performance and a 38-save shutout in the gold-medal game.
Birrittieri won’t be eligible to return next year, but many of the other fresh goalie standouts are. The list includes Directorate Award winner and Media All-Star Norina Schrupkowski of Switzerland, who’s 16, Czechia’s 15-year-old Lili Chmelarova and Sweden’s 16-year-old Thea Holmberg.
Sharpshooters Will Be Back For More
Jane Daley insists that she’s more of a playmaker. But after logging no goals and four assists in her first Women’s U18s in 2025, the Medfield, Mass. native carved her place in history with her three-straight hat tricks and 12 goals in total to earn MVP honours in 2026.
Now with 12 goals and 21 points across her two events, Daley is eligible to return next year. She'll be chasing the all-time tournament records of 22 goals (Kendall Coyne Schofield) (USA) and Nela Lopusanova (SVK) and 33 points (Coyne Schofield and Lopusanova).
Other underage skaters who impressed in 2026 include Canadian tournament all-stars Adrianna Milani and Megan Mossey, USA’s Chyna Taylor and Annabelle Lovell, Czechia’s Lucie Sindelarova and 14-year-old Adela Krenkova and Swedish forwards Ebba Hesselvall, Tilia Lindegren and 15-year-old Moa Stridh.
Hungary Seized The Moment
One year ago, Hungary punched its ticket to return to WW18 top level with an undefeated run at home in Budapest in the 2025 Division I-A tournament. Once the players arrived in Canada, they proved that they should not be taken lightly when they opened with a tightly contested 4-1 result against Sweden. Then, they wrapped up their schedule by coming back to stun Finland with a 7-5 win.
Icing a roster that included just seven players born in 2008 and three 14-year-olds born in 2011, the Hungarians built a foundation for future events during their time in Nova Scotia. Now 16, goalie Csenge Csordas stood tall when called upon and will be eligible to return in 2027.
WW18 Comes of Age
The U18 Women’s World Championship debuted in 2008, the same year that the oldest players that suited up in Cape Breton were born. This generation of girls that has never known a world where they wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn a chance to play hockey for their country while still in high school.
These days, the women’s game is growing by leaps and bounds on both sides of the Atlantic. Rising registration across all age groups means that more top athletes are entering the hockey system. If you thought the speed and skill on display in Membertou and Sydney was impressive, buckle up. Things are only going to get better!