U.S. Takes Home Silver from the Under-18 Women’s Worlds

VANTAA, Finland – It will take some time before the U.S. Under-18 National Team can appreciate the silver medal it won at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.

However, the Americans set several records during the tournament.

U.S. goalie Morgan Stickney, who started every game, led the tournament in both save percentage (.957) and goals against average (0.67). With her three blank sheets to start the tournament, she became the first to ever record three shutouts through the preliminary round, and her shutout streak of 183:01 minutes set a tournament record. 

Stickney’s assist on Bella Fanale’s shorthanded goal in Team USA’s quarterfinal win over Slovakia was the first by a goalie in this tournament as well. Haley Box’s goal just nine seconds into that quarterfinal game also set a record for fastest goal to open a game in the tournament’s history. 

Every regular starting skater tallied at least a point, and 11 different players scored a goal. With a roster loaded with young talent, the 3-0 loss in the gold-medal game against Canada stings, but it also offers important lessons and experiences that this team can build on in the coming years. 

“You have to grow and learn from it,” U.S. head coach Liz Keady Norton said. “The young kids on our team that do have another opportunity at this, I hope they remember it for long enough to learn from it. They’re young and it won’t be their first rodeo the next time around.”

Fanale played in her third and final U18 World Championship in Finland, but the U.S. captain said the experience she gained from her first two tournaments both on the ice and in the locker room made it so she was not nervous this time.

“You want to play in games like this,” Fanale said. “We knew it was going to be fast, we knew it was going to be physical. These are the best games to play in. We gave them a game, it just didn’t go our way.” 

Fanale admitted after the game that a lot of the emotions she was experiencing were from knowing she’d never play in the U18s again. 

“I’m going to miss it a lot,” she said. “There’s nothing like representing your country and putting on the USA jersey. You never know when you’re going to get to put it on again. I love the intensity and the fun of it. You prepare yourself the whole year just to perform in this tournament and try and bring home the gold medal.”

With 15 players who will be eligible for this tournament for another…