The 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 19th edition of the Top Division of the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was contested in Espoo, Finland from 4 to 14 April 2019 at the Espoo Metro Areena.
The United States won their fifth consecutive and ninth overall title, after a shootout win over Finland. Canada claimed the bronze medal by defeating Russia 7âÂÂ0.
After the 2017 tournament, it was announced that tournament would expand to ten teams for 2019, having been played with eight teams since the first tournament in 1990, except in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009, where nine teams played. The 2004 edition featured nine teams when Japan was promoted from Division II but no team was relegated from the top division in 2003, due to the cancellation of the top division tournament in China because of the outbreak of the SARS disease. Two teams were relegated from the top division in 2004, going back to eight teams for 2005, but due to the success of the 9-team pool in 2004, IIHF decided to expand again to nine teams for 2007. Reverting to eight teams after the 2009 tournament. To bring the tournament to ten teams, Czech Republic which had lost the 2017 Relegation Round, stayed in the top division. Joined by Division I Group A Champions, Japan (2017) and France (2018)
23 games were played in the main arena, while six games were played at a secondary rink.
The ten teams were split into two groups according to their rankings. In Group A, all teams advanced to the quarterfinals and three teams from Group B advanced. The bottom two Group B teams were relegated. From the quarterfinals on, a knockout system was used.
12 referees and 10 linesmen are selected for the tournament.
Each team's roster consists of at least 15 skaters (forwards, and defencemen) and 2 goaltenders, and at most 20 skaters and 3 goaltenders. All ten participating nations, through the confirmation of their respective national associations, had to submit a "Long List" roster no later than two weeks before the tournament.
The schedule was released on 20 August 2018.
All times are local (Eastern European Summer Time â UTC+3).
During the final between the United States and Finland, it appeared Finland had won 2âÂÂ1 in overtime after a game-winning goal to win its first World Championship. However, Finland celebrated on the ice before the Video Goal Judge initiated a video review. The goal was reviewed for over ten minutes and eventually overturned. In a press statement released the next day, stating that despite the US goaltender propelling herself out of the crease and directly into the onrushing Finnish player, for which the goaltender was assessed a tripping penalty, the IIHF retroactively defended the decision of its video review personnel by simply citing rules 186 and 183iiwith no further elaborationas the reasons for overturning the goal. The United States went on to defeat Finland 2âÂÂ1 in shootout. It was later announced that Finnish Ice Hockey Association would pay the Finnish team the bonus allotted for winning a gold medal, instead of the silver medal bonus.
<section begin=FS/><section end=FS/>
<small>Source: IIHF.com</small>
<small>Source: IIHF.com</small>
List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
<small>GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/â = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes; POS = Position<br> Source: IIHF.com</small>
Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.
<small>TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts<br> Source: IIHF.com</small>