Canada downs Finland 6-1 to gain women’s world hockey semifinal berth

Mar 31, 2016 | 10:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Jennifer Wakefield led Canada into the semifinals at the women’s world hockey championship with two goals and two assists in a 6-1 win over Finland on Thursday.

The host country concluded the preliminary round 2-1 ranked second behind the United States at 3-0 in Pool A.

Canada and the defending champions have Friday off while the Finns face the Czech Republic and Russia takes on Sweden in the quarter-finals.

Sunday’s semifinal winners advance to Monday’s championship game at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C.

Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Rebecca Johnston, Brianne Jenner and Jill Saulnier also scored. Emerance Maschmeyer earned the win with 18 saves.

Petra Nieminen replied for the Finns. Meeri Raisanen took the loss allowing five goals on 32 shots. She was replaced after two periods by Anni Keisala, who stopped eight of nine shots.

The Americans downed Russia 8-0 to go undefeated in the round robin. Sweden topped Pool B with three wins, including Thursday’s 2-1 overtime win over Switzerland.

The Czechs, who edged Japan 3-2 in a shootout Thursday, were the surprise of Pool B with two wins and a loss.

The Czechs earned promotion from the ‘B’ world championship last year and opened with a 3-1 upset win over Olympic bronze medallist Switzerland.

The Swiss (1-2) and Japan (0-3) will play a best-of-three relegation round with the loser dropping to the ‘B’ championship in 2017.

Raisanen had a heroic 49 saves in a 2-1 loss to the U.S. earlier in the round-robin, but Canada solved her early with Poulin scoring 64 seconds after puck drop.

Canada’s Johnston and Finland’s Nieminen traded power-play goals and then Jenner, Saulnier and Wakefield rattled off unanswered three goals in the second period. Wakefield scored a power-play goal in the third for her second of the game.

Finland has never beaten Canada at the most senior level of international women’s hockey. The closest the Finns have come is a 6-6 tie in an exhibition game back in 1999.

Finland has upset the U.S. at a world championship. The Americans lost 1-0 in a preliminary-round game in Harbin, China, in 2008, but recovered to win the title.

Canadian team alumni from the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 world champion teams were honoured after the first period. Danielle Goyette, Sami Jo Small, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Geraldine Heaney, Sami Jo Small and Therese Brisson were among those recognized.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press