By Canadian Press

Spooner, Daoust give Canada’s women’s hockey team a 7-0 quarterfinal win over Germany

Aug 28, 2021 | 7:36 PM

CALGARY — Natalie Spooner scored twice and had an assist to lead Canada to a 7-0 quarterfinal win over Germany in the women’s world hockey championship Saturday.

Melodie Daoust’s goal and two assists gave her a team-leading four goals and six assists in the tournament, ahead of Spooner with four goals and five assists.

The host Canadians awaited the outcome of a quarterfinal between Finland and the Czech Republic to know if they’ll face Switzerland or the Czechs in Monday’s semifinal.

Ashton Bell, Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Fillier each had a goal and an assist, and Brianne Jenner also scored for the Canadians.

Goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer faced just three shots for her shutout. German counterpart Franziska Albl stopped 22 shots over two periods of work. Sandra Abstreiter made 23 saves in the third.

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Poulin returned to Canada’s lineup Saturday. The captain sat out a 5-1 win over the United States to conclude the preliminary round after taking a hard shot in the chest earlier in the tournament.

Canada topped Pool A at 4-0 and crossed over to meet third-placed Germany (2-2) in Pool B.

Injuries had the German side down to 16 skaters in what was already going to be an uphill battle against Canada.

Nina Christof, Laura Kluge and Sonja Weidenfelder sustained various hurts in a preliminary round loss to Japan. Forward Anne Bartsch fractured her wrist before the tournament began.

The German ranks further thinned when Lena Dusterhoft was slapped with a game misconduct early in the third for checking from behind.

Fillier scored on a goal-mouth feed from Spooner at 13:34 of the third. Daoust generated Canada’s first power-play goal of the tournament on a feed from Poulin during Dusterhoft’s major.

Poulin swept a pass from Victoria Bach under Albl’s glove at 15:31 of the second period after Spooner notched her second from the high slot at 8:01.

Jenner and Spooner both scored on rebounds and Bell earned her first of the tournament banking the puck off Albl in the first.

As the highest-seeded semifinalist, Canada meets the lowest-seeded semifinalist Monday.

In Saturday’s other quarterfinals, the U.S. downed Japan 10-2 to advance. The Americans get either the Finns or the Swiss as a semifinal opponent.

Hilary Knight led the Americans with two goals and an assist to become her country’s all-time world championship points leader with a career 80.

Switzerland edged Russia 3-2 in overtime to reach the semifinals for the first time since winning bronze at the 2012 world championship in Burlington, Vt. 

Laura Zimmerman scored the OT winner for the Swiss.

The medal games are Tuesday at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre.

Since players, team personnel and officials arrived Aug. 10 in Calgary, no one had tested positive as of Friday among the 2,806 COVID-19 tests administered, the International Ice Hockey Federation said Saturday in a statement.

Hockey Canada had left the door open when the tournament began to sell tickets for the playoff round, but the organization and the host committee ultimately decided against it.

Up to 120 family members are allowed into a dedicated section at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre.

 Hungary (1-3) and Denmark (0-4) won’t be relegated from Pool B.

The IIHF wants to realign relegation and promotion because lower-division world championships weren’t held during the pandemic.

The IIHF also intends to introduce a women’s championship into Olympic years starting next August.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2021.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press