ZUG, Switzerland – Following the team’s second consecutive shutout, the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team defeated Germany, 4-0, in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship at Bossard Arena on Thursday.
With the victory, Team USA advances to the semifinals and will face Finland on Saturday (Jan. 13) at 7 p.m. CET (1 p.m. ET). Team USA has made the semifinals in all 16 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championships competed.
“It’s nice to get the win. I thought we generated a lot of shots and opportunities,” said Liz Keady Norton (Boston, Mass.), head coach of the 2024 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team. “As the game went on, I thought our net-front presence really improved and honestly, I thought their goalie had a tremendous game.”
Team USA opened the scoring 1:04 into the game, when Josie St. Martin (Stillwater, Minn.) deflected a puck off the German goaltender from behind the goal line. Just three minutes later St. Martin recorded her second of the game, winning the faceoff in the defensive end and carrying the puck the entire length of the ice before lifting the puck over the goalie’s catcher.
Early in the second, Haley Box (Eden Prairie, Minn.) added Team USA’s third goal. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) won a faceoff on the right dot, shooting on the goaltender, whose rebound corralled to a wide open Box.
Heading into the final minutes of the middle frame, Germany drew two consecutive penalties to have around a minute of 5-on-3 play. Team USA’s defense was stout, killing off both extra-skater opportunities as time expired in the period.
Maggie Scannell (Wynantskill, N.Y.) posted the fourth U.S. goal of the game, a snipe to the top right of the net on a shot taken from the right faceoff dot.
After Scannell’s goal, the U.S. kept the pressure on in the final period, but the score remained 4-0 as the clock expired.
NOTES: Josie St. Martin (Stillwater, Minn.) was named Team USA’s Player of the Game… The U.S. outshot Germany, 58-7.
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