Hockey roundup: Detroit goalie Bergmann blanks Canada 7-0 in historic U.S. win at U18 worlds

Detroit goaltender Annelies Bergmann recorded a 25-save shutout for Team USA in a historic 7-0 victory over rival Canada on Thursday at the IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.

The victory marks the first time the U.S. has blanked Team Canada in the 14-year history of the tournament. The U.S. heads into the playoff round as the top seed with a 3-0 record in preliminary-round play and earns a bye to the semifinal round on Sunday. The gold-medal game is Monday at 8:30 p.m.

“I thought we just played really well all over the ice,” U.S. head coach Katie Lachapelle told usahockey.com. “We talked about how we’re moving without the puck, being good defensively and smothering that player with the puck.

"We’ve got some fast kids and they play hard. They are really starting to gel. I think we keep getting better every game.”

Bergmann, a 16-year-old Cornell University commit who plays for the Oakland Grizzlies' U16 boys team, was named player of the game after stopping seven shots in the first period, 10 shots in the second period and eight shots in the third period. Bergmann has a 2-0 record in the tournament with a .978 save percentage.

Plymouth's Kirsten Simms had an assist with two shots and was plus-1, South Lyon's Cassandra Hall was scoreless and plus-2 and Franklin's Elyssa Biederman was scoreless and plus-1. The line of Simms, Laila Edwards and Tessa Janecke combined for four points and a tournament-leading 18 points in three games.

The game, which will be televised on Friday at noon on the Hockey Network, marked the 20th all-time meeting between the top two teams at the U18 worlds. The U.S. holds a 13-7 edge, including a 2-1 overtime victory in the 2020 gold-medal game in Slovakia and have won five of the last six world titles.

Canada, which has scored just three goals in two games, will face Slovakia in the quarterfinals.