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The United States begins its quest for the gold medal on Saturday, as they prepare to take on Slovakia on the opening day of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

The U.S. enters this year’s tournament looking to avenge last year’s loss to Canada in the gold medal game. The Americans have made it to the championship game in all but one of the first 17 editions of the tournament.

The Americans have loads of familiarity, as 10 players are back from last year’s silver-medal squad. However, a lot of the team’s offense, including Minnesota star Bella Fanale, has aged out. Haley Box, who posted six points in 2025, is the team’s top returning scorer. The Wisconsin commit is another member of that strong team in Etobicoke, sitting sixth in the OWHL with 41 points thus far. Penn State commit Kylie Amelkovich and future Princeton star Christina Scalese are also going to be asked to carry the offense.

Defensively, the Americans are sitting pretty. Chyna Taylor and captain Maggie Averill lead a D-corps in front of the returning Morgan Stickney. Another future Nittany Lion, Stickney played all six games for the U.S. last year, and was named to the Media All-Star Team after posting a tournament-leading 0.67 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.

Slovakia has never medaled in the event, but has a rising superstar in its grasp. This is Nela Lopušanová’s last kick at the can. The Wisconsin commit is entering her fourth appearance at the U-18s, having been named tournament MVP twice. Last year, she finished second behind Zablocki in scoring with 11 points. She sits seven points and six goals behind Kendall Coyne Schofield for the most points and goals in tournament history.

That said, Lopušanová would probably hope for some more team success this time around. Despite being named MVP in Finland last year, Slovakia had to beat Japan to avoid relegation. The nation has never made it beyond the quarterfinals. There was a lot of turnover from last year’s team, with Lucia Lipcakova being one of the few notable returners.States

IIHF UNDER-18 WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPGroup B

Slovakia vs. United States

When: Saturday, January 10

Time: 9 a.m. ET

Where: Sport and Wellness Centre (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia)

Channel: NHL Network