Canada recharging ahead of sprint to finish at women's hockey worlds

Rested bodies, but prepared minds, was the goal for the Canadian women's hockey team Friday.

The Canadians stayed off the ice, but engaged in intensive boardroom chalk talks ahead of Saturday's world championship semifinal against the Czech Republic, as well as a Sunday game they want to be for the gold medal.

"You always have gold-medal day in mind," Canada's head coach Troy Ryan said. "It's always a juggling match between what's best for you today and tomorrow and how does it impact or potentially impact your gold medal?"

Defending champion United States meets Finland in Saturday afternoon's semifinal followed by Canada versus 2022 and 2023 bronze medallist Czechs in the evening.

With the medal games Sunday, Canada will end the tournament the way it began, which is playing back-to-back games in less than 24 hours.

WATCH | Canada beats Sweden to lock up spot in semis:

The Canadians will also play two games in as many days for a third time in the tournament. Friday was their fourth no-skate day since the 12-day tournament began.

"If you're tired, your head's not in it," the head coach said. "You can get more out of having a well-rested athlete that's mentally clear, who understands the concepts we're trying to teach, or trying to get out of our games, than a tired athlete that had a chance to practice it for 20 minutes."

Instead of a team meeting, coaches met with forward lines and defensive pairings separately for more detailed breakdowns.

"It can be a little bit more directed, so the situations we're talking about aren't just team concepts, but they're things that line has experienced throughout this event," Ryan said.

The Czechs are coached by former Canadian team defender Carla MacLeod.

The two-time Olympic gold