Abby Stonehouse will be coming home with a gold medal from the IIHF under-18 women’s world championship.
The 16-year-old forward from Blenheim helped Canada beat Sweden 10-0 in Sunday’s final in Ostersund, Sweden.
Stonehouse was held off the scoresheet in the gold-medal game, but she finished with two goals and two assists in five games. She tied for fifth in scoring on Team Canada.
Stonehouse is the first Chatham-Kent player to win gold at the U18 women’s worlds. Chatham’s Jessie McPherson and Hokey Langan won silver in 2020 and 2009, respectively.
Canada won gold for the second consecutive year and the seventh time overall.
Canada needed overtime to beat Finland 3-2 in a semifinal on Saturday. Stonehouse scored the game’s first goal.
The unbeaten Canadians made sure there would be no such drama in the final. Caitlin Kraemer of Waterloo scored two goals 25 seconds apart for an early 2-0 lead and completed her hat trick later in the first period for a 5-0 lead at the intermission.
“This team has been such a big part of my achievements, I could not have done it without them,” Kraemer said in a statement. “We wanted to leave the world knowing who we are. I am at a loss for words. You dream about this as a little kid, and to win is amazing.”
Kraemer finished with four goals in the game and 10 in the tournament. She set a Canadian record for the most goals at the U18 women’s championship.
Goalie Hannah Clark of Oshawa had the shutout as Canada outshot Sweden 50-21.
“Our team has so much heart. I love every one of these girls and I know we love each other,” Clark said. “You dream about (winning gold) since you are little, it is so special.”
The United States beat Finland 5-0 for the bronze medals after being upset by Sweden 2-1 in the other semifinal.