US to play Czechs at women’s ice hockey worlds. Canada vs. Finland in other semifinal game

CESKE BUDEJOVICE, Czech Republic (AP) — Jennifer Gardiner and Sarah Fillier both struck twice and Canada grabbed a spot in the semifinals at the women’s ice hockey world championship by routing Japan 9-1 on Thursday.

Canada will play Finland for a spot in the final, and the United States will meet host Czech Republic in Saturday's other last-four matchup.

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin assisted on Julia Gosling's power-play goal as she became the fourth player to reach 200 appearances for Canada.

Claire Thompson had a goal and two assists, and Ella Shelton, Emily Clark and Sophie Jaques also scored for Canada. Renata Fast had three assists.

Thompson opened the scoring and Gardiner doubled the lead late in the first period before Mei Miura scored for Japan to make it 2-1 in the second on a breakaway.

Canada, the defending champion, answered with goals from Shelton, Fillier and Gosling in a span of 3:14 later in the period to jump to a 5-1 lead.

Gardiner added her second early in the final period for her fifth overall at the tournament and a lead of the goal scoring table.

Fillier and Clark made it 8-1 with goals scored 48 seconds apart before Jaques finished the demolition with 59 seconds to go.

Earlier, the United States blanked Germany 3-0 to reach the semifinals.

Kelly Pannek, Lacey Eden and Alex Carpenter each scored and captain Hilary Knight registered an assist to extend her record at the worlds to 51.

Aerin Frankel made 12 saves in the shutout. Germany last scored against the U.S. at the worlds in 2008.

“Today was an important game, we battled and continued to fight,” U.S. coach John Wroblewski said. “Germany is a tough, physical team and we stuck to our game and got the win.”

Pannek one-timed a shot from the left circle for her third goal at the tournament 5:36 into the quarterfinal. Eden added the second midway through the opening period from the slot.

Carpenter scored from close range with 1:07 remaining in the second period.

The U.S. has reached the final in all 23 previous worlds and won 10 titles.

In the following game, Natálie Mlýnková scored a hat trick as the Czech Republic produced a five-goal opening period en route to a 7-0 rout of Switzerland and a fourth straight semifinal appearance.

Mlýnková scored two power-play goals and added another short-handed. Tereza Vanišová and Kristýna Kaltounková each had a goal and two assists, and Daniela Pejšov, and Denisa Křížová also scored for the Czechs, who claimed bronze in two of the previous three years of the championship.

Klára Peslarová stopped 14 shots for her shutout.

Earlier, Finland beat Sweden 3-2.

Jenniina Nylund and Ronja Savolainen put Finland, last year’s bronze medalist, 2-0 ahead in the opening period.

Sweden answered through goals from Ebba Hedqvist and Josefin Bouveng in the second.

Susanna Tapani gave the Finns the lead for good with 8:14 remaining in the frame.

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Japan's Mei Miura, right, scores her sides first goal past Kristen Campbell of Canada during the quarterfinal match between Canada and Japan at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Japan's Mei Miura, left, celebrates with Japan's Makoto Ito after scoring her sides first goal during the quarterfinal match between Canada and Japan at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Jennifer Gardiner of Canada, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides second goal during the quarterfinal match between Canada and Japan at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Japan's Miyuu Masuhara fails to make a save during the quarterfinal match between Canada and Japan at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Japan's Miyuu Masuhara, center, makes a save against Daryl Watts of Canada, right, and Laura Stacey of Canada during the quarterfinal match between Canada and Japan at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Claire Thompson of Canada, down, celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides first goal during the quarterfinal match between Canada and Japan at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Andrea Braendli of Switzerland sits on ice during the quarterfinal match between Czech Republic and Switzerland at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Kristyna Kaltounkova of Czech Republic, right, celebrates after scoring her sides fourth gola during the quarterfinal match between Czech Republic and Switzerland at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Kaleigh Quennec of Switzerland controls the puck during the quarterfinal match between Czech Republic and Switzerland at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Lara Stalder of Switzerland, right, challenges Aneta Tejralova of Czech Republic during the quarterfinal match between Czech Republic and Switzerland at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Sweden's Emma Soderberg, right, makes a save during the quarterfinal match between Finland and Sweden at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Sweden's Emma Soderberg fails to make a save during the quarterfinal match between Finland and Sweden at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Finland's Jenniina Nylund, 2nd left, celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides first goal during the quarterfinal match between Finland and Sweden at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Finland's Susanna Tapani celebrates after scoring her sides third goal during the quarterfinal match between Finland and Sweden at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Sandra Abstreiter makes a save during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Ronja Hark, right, chatges United States' Abbey Murphy during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Carina Strobel, back, checks United States' Hilary Knight during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Taylor Heise, back checks Germany's Laura Kluge during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Laura Kluge, down, collides with United States' Britta Curl during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Germany's Sandra Abstreiter, right, makes a save against United States' Lacey Eden during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Aerin Frankel makes a save during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Lacey Eden, right, celebrates after scoring her sides first goal during the quarterfinal match between United States and Germany at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — When U.S. President Donald Trump last came to Canada for a Group of Seven summit, the enduring image was of him seated with his arms folded defiantly as then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel stared daggers at him.

If there is a shared mission at this year’s G7 summit, which begins Monday in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, it is a desire to minimize any fireworks at a moment of combustible tensions.

The 2018 summit ended with Trump assailing his Canadian hosts on social media as he departed on Air Force One, saying he had instructed the U.S. officials who remained in Quebec to oppose the G7 joint statement endorsed by the leaders of Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and, of course, Canada.

“I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!” Trump posted on the site then known as Twitter.

This time, Trump already has hit several dozen nations with severe tariffs that risk a global economic slowdown. There is little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and now a new and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program.

Add to all of that the problems of climate change, immigration, drug trafficking, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and China's continued manufacturing superiority and chokehold on key supply chains.

Asked if he planned to announce any trade agreements at the G7 as he left the White House on Sunday, Trump said: “We have our trade deals. All we have to do is send a letter, ‘This is what you’re going to have to pay.' But I think we'll have a few, few new trade deals."

At stake might be the survival of the G7 itself at a time when the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about whether the president will attend the November Group of 20 summit in South Africa.

What Trump opposed at the 2018 summit in Quebec wasn't just tariffs, but a focus on having alliances with a shared set of standards seeking to shape policies.

“The big dispute in Quebec were the references to the rules-based international order and that’s where that famous photo comes from,” said Peter Boehm, Canada’s counselor at the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec and a veteran of six G7 summits. “I think it gave everyone the idea that G7s were maybe not business as usual.”

The German, U.K., Japanese and Italian governments have each signaled a belief that a friendly relationship with Trump this year can reduce the likelihood of outbursts.

“Well, I have got a good relationship with President Trump, and that’s important," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday as he flew to Canada.

There is no plan for a joint statement this year from the G7, a sign that the Trump administration sees no need to build a shared consensus with fellow democracies if it views such a statement as contrary to its goals of new tariffs, more fossil fuel production and a Europe that is less dependent on the U.S. military.

“The Trump administration almost certainly believes that no deal is better than a bad deal,” said Caitlin Welsh, a director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank who was part of Trump's team for the G7 in Trump's first term.

The White House has stayed decidedly mum about its goals for the G7, which originated as a 1973 finance ministers' meeting to address the oil crisis and steadily evolved into a yearly summit that is meant to foster personal relationships among world leaders and address global problems.

The G7 even briefly expanded to the G8 with Russia as a member, only for Russia to be expelled in 2014 after annexing Crimea and taking a foothold in Ukraine that preceded its aggressive 2022 invasion of that nation.

Trump will have at least three scheduled bilateral meetings during the summit with other world leaders while in Canada, staring on Monday morning with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The U.S. president is also expected to have bilateral meetings with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to an administration official.

The U.S. president has imposed 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos, all of which have disproportionately hit Japan. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire.

The United Kingdom reached a trade framework with the U.S. that included quotas to protect against some tariffs, but the 10% baseline would remain as the Trump administration is banking on tariff revenues to help cover the cost of its income tax cuts.

Canada and Mexico face separate tariffs of as much as 25% that Trump put into place under the auspices of stopping fentanyl smuggling, through some products are still protected under the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed during Trump's first term.

The Trump administration has insisted that its broad tariffs will produce trade agreements that box out China, though it's unclear how antagonizing trade partners would make them want to strengthen their reliance on the U.S. Carney, the Canadian leader, has been outspoken in saying his country can no longer look to the U.S. as an enduring friend.

That might leave Trump with the awkward task of wanting to keep his tariffs in place while also trying to convince other countries that they're better off siding with the U.S. than China.

“Trump will try to coordinate the group against China’s economic coercion,” Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council, wrote in an analysis. “But the rest of the leaders may turn back to Trump and say that this kind of coordination, which is at the heart of why the G7 works, would be easier if he weren’t imposing tariffs on his allies.”

Boak reported from Calgary, Alberta. Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, meets with President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, left, as the G7 gets under way in Calgary, Alberta, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of the G7 Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) west of Calgary, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Calgary International Airport, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Calgary, Canada, ahead of the G7 Summit. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Donald Trump, left, is greeted by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, right, and Dominic LeBlanc, center, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, as he arrives in Calgary, Alberta, Sunday, June 15, 2025, to attend the G7 Leaders meeting taking place in Kananaskis, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Calgary International Airport, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Calgary, Canada, ahead of the G7 Summit. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump arrives on Marine One to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, June 15, 2025, en route to the G7 Summit in Canada. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Donald Trump, second left, is saluted by escort by Air Force Col. Angela F. Ochoa, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, right, before walking from Marine One to board Air Force One, Sunday, June 15, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for a trip to Canada to attend the G7 Summit.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)