By Canadian Press

Sarah Fillier strikes twice, Canada downs Swiss 4-1 in women’s world hockey

Aug 27, 2022 | 1:17 PM

HERNING, Denmark — Sarah Fillier scored twice for Canada in a 4-1 win over Switzerland at the women’s world hockey championship Saturday.

Blayre Turnbull scored and had an assist and Emily Clark also scored for Canada at Herning’s Kvik Hockey Arena. Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped seven shots in her second win of the tournament.

Her Swiss counterpart Andrea Braendli, who also tends Ohio State’s goal, turned away 42 shots in the loss. Alina Marti foiled Desbiens’ shutout bid with just under minutes remaining in the third period.

Canada and the U.S. were tied atop Pool A with two wins apiece. The Canadians had less than 24 hours to recover for their next game Sunday afternoon against winless Japan.

Despite 66 saves by Finland’s goaltender Anni Keisala, the U.S. prevailed 6-1 earlier Saturday. With a win and a loss, the Swiss ranked ahead of the winless Finns.

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Defending champion Canada caps the preliminary round Tuesday against the Americans.

Sweden edged Germany 4-3 in a Pool B shootout Saturday in Frederikshavn.

Switzerland’s best world championship result was a bronze medal in 2012, followed two years later by an Olympic bronze medal in Sochi, Russia.

Saturday’s game was the closest between the two countries since Canada beat the Swiss 3-1 in the 2014 Olympic semifinal.

Canada improved to 16-0 all-time versus Switzerland.

Turnbull drove in from the neutral zone and beat Braendli between the pads with a wrist shot at 18:46 of the third period.

Fillier, Canada’s youngest player at 22, scored eight goals and had three assists in her Olympic debut in Beijing in February. 

She notched her first two goals of the world championship Saturday to give her team a 2-0 lead by the second period.

Marti scored at 12:32 of the third from the slot on a feed from Laura Zimmerman. The Swiss argued they’d scored a power-play goal with five minutes remaining in the game, but officials didn’t agree. 

Just 32 seconds after Fillier’s second of the game on a quick release from close range, Clark dropped to her knee to rifle the puck home on a feed from Turnbull at 11:12 of the second period. 

Despite almost five minutes of power-play time, and a vocal group of Swiss fans ringing cowbells, their team mustered just three shots on Desbiens in the opening period. 

Switzerland went 0-for-6 overall with an extra player. Canada’s power play was 0-for-2.

Fillier skated the puck from behind the net and scored from the high slot on a wrist shot to finish a give-and-go with defender Ella Shelton at 10:15 of the first period.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2022.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press