OTTAWA, Ont. – Canada’s National Women’s Team will face off against the United States for the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship following an 8-1 semifinal win over Russia on Monday night at SBP Arena in Ottawa. The U.S. shutout Finland 3-0 in the other semifinal.

This will mark the 15th time Canada and the U.S. will meet for the gold medal since the first world championship in 1990. The gold medal game will air live on TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters, at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday, April 9. Please check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.

In Monday’s semifinal against Russia, Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) opened the scoring late in the first period before Canada scored five goals in the second, including two from Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./Boston University, HE), to make it 6-1 going into intermission. Meghan Agosta-Marciano (Ruthven, Ont./Montreal, CWHL) and Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) added goals in the third period. Shannon Szabados (Edmonton, Alta./Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, ACAC)  made 17 saves for the win, while Jayna Hefford (Kingston, Ont./Brampton, CWHL) scored a goal in her 250th career game with Canada’s National Women’s Team.
 
Single-game tickets for the bronze medal game and gold medal games are now on sale, with tickets for the final starting at just $35. To purchase tickets, please visit the box office at SBP Arena, CLICK HERE or call 613-599-FANS (3267).

Canada and the U.S. met one week ago in the opening preliminary round game for both. The Canadians erased a two-goal deficit in the third period on goals from Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) and Catherine Ward (Montreal, Que./Montreal, CWHL), while Jennifer Wakefield (Pickering, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) scored the shootout winner in a 3-2 victory.

Canada finished first in Group A during the preliminary round with a 3-0 record, defeating Switzerland 13-0 on Wednesday and Finland 8-0 on Friday, in addition to the win over the U.S.

The 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship is the 15th since the tournament’s 1990 inception. Canada’s National Women’s Team has appeared in every world championship gold medal game, winning 10 gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2012) and four silver (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011).

NOTE TO MEDIA: Francis Dupont, Hockey Canada’s manager of media relations, is on site with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ottawa. Please contact him for interview requests at [email protected] or 587-999-5681.

For more information on Canada’s National Women’s Team and Hockey Canada, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/nwt, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_women.