U.S. women’s hockey team reaches world championship semifinals

The U.S. women’s hockey team beat Germany 3-0 to reach the world championship semifinals in Brampton, Ontario, on Thursday.

The Americans scored once in each period (Amanda Kessel, Hannah Bilka and Abbey Murphy). Aerin Frankel got the shutout for the U.S., which made the final of each of the previous 21 world championships dating to the first edition in 1990.

The U.S. faces the Czech Republic in Saturday’s semifinals, barring a Sweden upset of Canada in a later Thursday quarterfinal.

Frankel has been the breakout American through the tournament’s first five games. She made the last two worlds, but played just 20 minutes total as the third goalie, and didn’t make the Olympic team in between.

Now she’s the No. 1 for coach John Wroblewski, overtaking the three Olympians Alex Cavallini, Maddie Rooney (both cut in a tryout camp) and Nicole Hensley (No. 2 U.S. goalie in Brampton).

Forward Taylor Heise (who also didn’t make the Olympic team) and defender Caroline Harvey (the youngest 2022 U.S. Olympian at age 19) share the team lead with eight points.

Heise, who led last year’s worlds in points (and was named MVP), has emerged to help fill a playmaker void left by the retired Brianna Decker and Olympic captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, who is missing worlds while pregnant.

The U.S. and Canada are expected to reach Sunday’s final. They met in 20 of the first 21 world championship finals, with Canada winning the last two, plus the 2022 Olympic final.

In group play, Canada beat the U.S. 4-3 on Monday after a nine-round shootout. Canada is on a five-game win streak over the U.S., its longest run in the rivalry in 13 years.

The U.S. last won a global title at the 2019 Worlds, making this its longest drought since winning its first