Russia W18 are the World Junior Championship bronze medalists

Today on the 14th of January, the under 18 Russian women's national team took on Sweden in the World Junior Championship third place playoff against Sweden. Despite having been pulled during the semi-final loss to the USA, goalkeeper Valeria Merkusheva kept her place in net. Nina Pirogova and Oksana Bratischeva, who missed that game with the Americans because of suspension, returned to the line-up.

With these two teams having gone all the way to the shootout in the group stage, this always promised to be a tight encounter. It was goalless until the third period, but that was when Russia took the match by the scruff of its neck. Two minutes in Elena Provorova opened the scoring, and in the dying moments, Daria Beloglazova netted a second to seal the 2:0 bronze medal triumph!

Match protocol:

Russia W18 - Sweden W18 - 2:0 (0:0, 0:0, 2:0)

Goals:

1:0 Provorova (Shatalova, Starovoytova), 41.45

2:0 Beloglazova (Bolgareva, Bratischeva), 59.20

Goalkeepers: Merkusheva - Amholt

Shots on target: 32 - 32

Penalty minutes: 12 - 14

14.01.2017. Czech Republic.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation