The women's ice hockey world championship opened on Friday in Denmark, with tournament favorites the United States and Canada both earning decisive opening victories. The defending champion Americans defeated Switzerland 7–0 after a competitive start, while Canada eased past Sweden 5–1.
In Esbjerg, the United States had to work hard before pulling away. Hannah Bilka opened the scoring nine minutes into the game, but Swiss goaltender Andrea Brändli kept the score at 1–0 through the first period. The Americans took complete control in the second period, outshooting Switzerland 15–3 and adding two more goals before scoring four in the third. American veteran Hilary Knight scored in the final period to extend her tournament records to 68 goals and 121 points across 16 world championships. Goaltender Aerin Frankel stopped all eight shots she faced to earn a shutout, meaning she did not allow a single goal.
In Herning, Canada took early control against Sweden. Featuring their youngest world championship roster since 2013 with an average age of 26, the Canadians built a 3–0 lead in the opening period on goals from Eldridge, Emily Clark, and Rebecca Leslie. Kendall Cooper added a power-play goal in the second period. Sweden pulled one goal back in the final period, but Eldridge scored her second of the game to seal the 5–1 win. Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 13 shots for Canada.
The United States and Canada have dominated women's international hockey for decades, winning all 24 previous world titles between them. This year's 10-nation tournament in Denmark is the first to take place in November, moved earlier so players can compete before their professional league season begins. The top teams will now battle through the group stage, hoping to reach the final on November 16.