Canada edged the United States 3-2 to clinch the title Monday night at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships.

With the victory, Canada claimed its sixth title and stopped its rival from defending its 2019 title. Canadian goaltender Mari Pietersen stopped 29 shots – including 10 in the final period – to clinch the win.

The game presented a stark turnaround from the meeting between the teams in group play, which Team USA won 7-0.

Ava Murphy and Alexia Aubin each had a goal and an assist while Jocelyn Amos added one more goal for Canada.

The Canadian national teams have had a good run of late, with the senior national team beating the U.S. 3-2 to win gold at the Beijing Olympics in February. The national team beat the U.S. by the same score at the world championships last August.

After the Canadian junior team went up 3-0 on Monday, Team USA rallied with goals by Finley McCarthy and Claire Enright in the second period. But it wasn’t enough, as the tournament leaders in goals scored (21) managed just two goals on 31 shots in the loss.

Earlier, Finland beat Sweden 3-0 to claim its third bronze medal. Sanni Vanhanen had all three goals to secure the hat trick while Emilia Kyrkko stopped 35 shots on goal.

The most recent iteration of the tournament before this took place more than two years ago, in January 2020. The 2022 tournament certainly delivered, even six months after its originally scheduled starting date.

The competition was set to take place in Sweden in January, but it was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. After an outcry, in which many pointed out the IIHF men’s tournaments were still on the schedule for later in the year, the organization changed gears, shifting the tournament to Wisconsin in June.

Full IIHF U18 Schedule

Monday, June 6

• Group A:
  • United States 6, Sweden 1: Cassandra Hall scored back-to-back goals and four other players got on the board for the U.S. Ebba Hedqvist scored the lone goal for Sweden.
  • Finland 2, Canada 0: Finland scored its first-ever win against Canada with goals from Ada Eronen and Oona Havana.
• Group B:
  • Czech Republic 4, Slovakia 0: The Czech Republic got the tournament started with a bang. Adela Sapovalivova scored twice while Andrea Trnkova and Eliska Hotova also got on the board.
  • Germany 1, Switzerland 0: Lola Liang was the lone scorer.

Tuesday, June 7

• Group A:
  • United States 5, Finland 0: Laila Edwards and Tessa Janecke each scored twice for Team USA as they blanked Finland. With the win, the U.S. sits atop Group A with one final matchup against Canada set for Thursday.
  • Canada 3, Sweden 1: Canada got one back thanks to a two-goal performance from Rhea Hicks plus a goal from Reichen Kirchmair. Canada and Finland are now tied for second in Group A.
• Group B:
  • Czech Republic 6, Germany 2: The Czech Republic had a strong showing over Germany, with Tereza Plosova notching the hat trick. Lucie Gruntova also scored twice, back-to-back goals in the second period. With one game left to play in group play, the Czech Republic leads Group B while Germany and Switzerland are tied for second.
  • Switzerland 3, Slovakia 1: After going down 1-0 to Slovakia, Switzerland responded by scoring three unanswered goals. Nina Harju, Elena Gaberell and Jade Surdez all found the back of the net.

Thursday, Jun 9

• Group A: 
  • United States 7, Canada 0: This one was a doozy as seven different Americans found the back of the net for Team USA. Canada had no answer, and U.S. goalkeeper Annelies Bergmann stopped all 25 shots she faced.
  • Sweden 4, Finland 3: After going up 2-1, Sweden found itself in a 3-2 hole. Goals from Emma Pfeffer and Jenna Raunio helped the Swedes secure the comeback win against Finland. They managed to salvage three points with the win.
• Group B:
  • Czech Republic 2, Switzerland 0: The Czech Republic took care of business against Switzerland. Anna Vanickova got things started in the second period before Dominika Malicka buried the finisher. Czech goalie Michaela Hesova stopped all 21 shots she faced.
  • Slovakia 6, Germany 2: Barbora Kapicakova and Hana Fancovicova each found the back of the net twice as Slovakia easily handled Germany. Lola Liang got the scoring started as Germany went up 1-0 but couldn’t find a response for Slovakia’s offense.

Friday, June 10

• Quarterfinals
  • Canada 7, Slovakia 0: Canada cruised past Slovakia, securing their place in Sunday’s semifinal against Finland. Seven different players got on the board for Canada, with Sarah MacEachern notching three assists. Madison Chantler kicked off the offensive onslaught, scoring 52 seconds into the matchup, opening the floodgates for Canada, who outshot their opponents 65-5.
  • Sweden 2, Czech Republic 1: Sweden battled to a narrow 2-1 win to clinch a matchup against the U.S. in Sunday’s semifinal. Jenna Raunio logged the go-ahead goal for Sweden, sealing a hard-fought victory for her side.

Sunday, June 11

• Semifinals
  • Canada 2, Finland 1: After Jade Iginla broke open the scoring for Canada, Finland’s Tilli Keranen evened up the score to make it 1-1. It would stay that way until Madison Chantler notched the game-winning goal in the third.
  • United States 3, Sweden 2: After going up 1-0 on a goal from Sydney Morrow, the U.S. found themselves down 2-1 after two unanswered goals from Mira Jungaker and Stella Lindell. But Team USA didn’t show any panic. Margaret Scannell and Grace Dwyer ended up providing the tie-maker and the tie-breaker, respectively, in the third period to secure the win. The U.S. advances to play Canada in the gold medal game while Sweden will play Finland for bronze.

Monday, June 13

• Bronze medal game: Finland 3, Sweden 0
• Gold medal game: Canada 3, United States 2

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury went the distance on Tuesday night, overcoming a 20-point deficit against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx to secure an 89-83 Game 2 win in overtime — and sending the 2025 WNBA semifinals to Arizona tied at 1-1.

Even more, Phoenix's come-from-behind victory set records as the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history.

Mercury forward Satou Sabally led the team with 24 points, while guard Sami Whitcomb added 13 points off the bench — including the game-tying three-pointer that propelled the matchup into overtime.

"Just pride, toughness, grit. I couldn't be more proud of our group for doing that," Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said afterwards. "I'm fired up. Phoenix is going to be rocking on Friday and Sunday."

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After dominating Game 1, Tuesday's defeat marked the first time in Lynx franchise history that they lost a postseason game after holding a double-digit halftime lead.

"Suddenly, we lost our way," said Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve. "We didn't respond. Then when we needed to go get buckets and we had good opportunities, we weren't strong enough."

"I think we beat ourselves," forward Napheesa Collier added. "Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us, just keeping our composure in those situations is huge."

How to watch the Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury will host the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx for Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN2.

The No. 2 Las Vegas Aces reclaimed their contender status in Game 2 on Tuesday night, taking down the No. 6 Indiana Fever in a 90-68 blowout victory to tie their best-of-five 2025 WNBA semifinals at 1-1.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson fueled the Aces' bounce-back performance with 25 points and nine rebounds, backed by 10 points apiece from reserves Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

"I just think we came to work," Wilson said following the win. "We didn't come to work in Game 1, and that's on all of us. I think Game 2, we just decided to come to work."

Physicality on the court — as well as the referees' response to it — has played a major role in the Aces vs. Fever series, with Las Vegas clearly upping the intensity to keep Indiana at bay on Tuesday.

"It's playoffs — very physical games," said Aces forward NaLyssa Smith afterwards. "I feel like we've got to match the energy, day in and day out."

"It's hard for us to find flow when there's a foul called every 10 seconds," Fever head coach Stephanie White lamented. "When they're at the free throw line, we can't get up and down the floor, and that's a challenge."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever in Game 3

The 2025 WNBA semifinals next travels to Indiana for Game 3, with the No. 6 Fever hosting the No. 2 Aces at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ESPN2.

Despite finishing at the bottom of the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 12 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Dallas Wings will not be moving on from their current head coaches according to a report from Front Office Sports this week.

Dallas sideline leader Chris Koclanes and Chicago manager Tyler Marsh led their sides to identical 10-34 records in their first year at the helm — the worst in the league this season.

In contrast, 2025 playoff participants Seattle and New York are already making aggressive coaching changes, dismissing Storm boss Noelle Quinn and Liberty leader Sandy Brondello following first-round postseason exits.

While some fans criticized the presumed decision, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings stars spoke out in support of their head coaches.

"Obviously the season didn't go how we expected, but being able to have a coach like Tyler, it was amazing through the ups and downs," Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso told reporters. "He always showed up every day with the same energy, no matter what the record was."

"The team embodies the attitude of your leader," echoed Dallas guard Paige Bueckers. "And for [Koclanes] to show up every single day at work and pour into all of us…it means a lot to us as a team."

With the 2025 WNBA Playoffs in full swing, many big-name players are shifting their focus to the winter, joining the 2026 roster for offseason leagues like 3×3 upstart Unrivaled and 5×5 Athletes Unlimited.

Connecticut Sun rookie Aneesah Morrow officially signed with AU Pro Basketball this week, joining WNBA veteran teammate Tina Charles, Las Vegas Aces standout and 2023 AU champion NaLyssa Smith, as well as fellow pro first-years in guards Kaitlyn Chen (Golden State Valkyries) and Te-Hina PaoPao (Atlanta Dream) on the AU court.

The 2026 Athletes Unlimited Basketball season also boasts several returning stars among its 40-player league roster, including Chicago Sky guard Kia Nurse, Washington Mystics forward Alysha Clark, Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown, and New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison.

Tipping off its fifth season in February 2026, the month-long Nashville-based competition features rotating teams and individual leaderboards, offering an alternative to both overseas play and Unrivaled's 3×3 team format.

"It's player-driven," Charles said in her own AU Basketball signing announcement earlier this month. "I think that's really neat, you know, something that I've never been a part of, nor have I seen on men's or women's side."

How to watch the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Basketball season

The upcoming 2026 season of AU Pro Basketball runs from February 5th through March 2nd, with all 24 games airing live across several different broadcasters.