Heise, U.S. take unbeaten record into World Championships pool play finale vs. Canada
Apr. 7—UTICA, N.Y. — Taylor Heise is on the board at the 2024 Women's hockey World Championships, and the United States is unbeaten heading into its final — and biggest — pool play game.
After being held off the score sheet in Team USA's 4-0 win against Switzerland in Wednesday's tournament opener, Heise has scored in back-to-back games as the Americans beat Czechia 6-0 on Friday and Finland 5-3 on Saturday.
That gives the U.S. a 3-0 record as it heads into Monday's 6 p.m. CDT game against rival Canada, which will be broadcast on the NHL Network.
The United States and Canada are the top two teams in Group A and will both qualify for the quarterfinals, regardless of Monday's outcome. The top four teams from the two Groups will reach the quarterfinal round, which is set for Thursday. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., with the bronze- and gold-medal games to be played Sunday, April 14, at noon and 6 p.m.
The U.S. and Canada have met in the gold-medal game at 21 of the 22 Women's World Championships, the exception occurring in 2019, when Finland reached the title game on its home ice, but fell to the U.S. 2-1 in a shootout.
This time, the U.S. is on its home ice, a year after winning gold against Canada, in Canada.
Heise, a Lake City native and former Red Wing and University of Minnesota star, hasn't been as statistically dominant this time around — she had 30 points in 14 total games in her first two World Championships appearances, in 2022 and 2023 — but she hasn't needed to be, as the U.S. has used its depth to win its first three games.
Heise scored one goal in Friday's shutout of Czechia. Saturday, she scored one goal and assisted on another as Team USA held off Finland. Her assist came late in the first period, when she set up a Hillary Knight slapshot that put the U.S. up 2-1.
Then, at the 12:18 mark of the second, Heise stepped out of the penalty box just as the puck was coming her direction. She entered Finland's zone with speed, faked a cross-ice pass, then snapped a quick shot far-side, just inside the post, to give the Americans a 3-2 lead. The U.S. didn't trail from that point on.
The U.S. has won six of the past eight Women's World Championships gold medals.
