By Canadian Press

Poulin helps Canada to 4-0 win over Switzerland in women’s world hockey championship

Apr 11, 2025 | 8:48 AM

ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE — Marie-Philip Poulin was Canada’s catalyst with three assists in a 4-0 win over Switzerland at the women’s world hockey championship Friday.

Micah Zandee-Hart, Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey and Daryl Watts scored for Canada (2-0).

Ann-Renée Desbiens posted a 17-save shutout in her first start since suffering a lower-body injury March 18 in a Professional Women’s Hockey League game with the Montreal Victoire.

At 36 goals and 46 assists for 82 points, Poulin closed in on Hayley Wickenheiser’s Canadian tournament records for points (86) and assists (49).

Canada’s captain, who assisted on her country’s first three goals Friday, was also five goals away from breaking Jayna Hefford’s goals record of 40.

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Swiss goaltender Andrea Braendli made 36 saves in front of an announced 5,395.

Canada stepped back on the Ceske Budejovice Arena ice less than 18 hours after blanking Finland 5-0 the previous night.

The defending champions get a breather Saturday before another back-to-back against archrival United States on Sunday and the host Czechs on Monday.

The Swiss were feistier than the Finns and generated more forays into Canada’s zone.

Former Ohio State goalie Braendli was tough early, but the victim of porous defence during Canada’s three-goal burst in a span of two minutes 32 seconds in the second period.

Watts scored her first world championship goal at 9:46 by circling deep into the zone and unleashing a low sharp-angled shot far side on Braendli.

That was just 40 seconds after Poulin drove the net to send a backhand pass to Stacey to one-time by the Swiss goalie.

A second goal by Watts in the second period didn’t survive Switzerland’s successful challenge for offside.

Spooner produced Canada’s first power-play goal of the tournament when Poulin slid the puck to her on Switzerland’s doorstep at 7:14 of the second period.

Zandee-Hart shovelled a rebound off a Poulin shot from the slot over Braendli at 12:26 of the first period.

Desbiens was tested by a Swiss power play late in the period and repelled a half-dozen shots during it.

All top-five seeds in Pool A and the top three finishers in Pool B advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals. The semifinals and medal games are also back-to-backs on the final weekend April 19-20.

The women’s championship will revert to “snake” seeding in each of the two pools in 2026 to match the men’s under-20 and men’s and women’s under-18 championship.

In an attempt to reduce lopsided scores, the IIHF began seeding the top countries in one pool and lower seeds in the other in 2012.

A problematic optic was a team could go winless through the A pool, yet play a quarterfinal against a Pool B team that won four games to get there.

The IIHF increased roster sizes at this year’s world championship by two skaters to 25.

Watts stayed in lineup Friday despite skating to the bench in obvious pain late the previous night.

Defender Sophie Jaques drew in Friday for Claire Thompson for a world championship debut.

Desbiens’ activation bumped Eve Gascon, who was Kristin Campbell’s backup the previous night, to the scratched unit alongside forward Julia Gosling.

Canada improved to 21-0-0 all-time against the Swiss, currently coached by Toronto-born Colin Muller, since 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2025.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press