USA crowned first-ever Women’s World Champions in Dolny Kubin

USA put their name in the history books as the inaugural champions of the World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships, defeating Canada 7–1 in a thrilling final on Sunday (31 August) at the Dolny Kubin Winter Stadium in Slovakia.

Tournament MVP Kelsey DiClaudio led the charge with a spectacular four-goal performance, including a historic moment that will be remembered for years to come.

For the first time all week, the USA faced real resistance in a high-intensity opening period. But at 13:29, DiClaudio broke the deadlock with a moment of brilliance – scoring the first-ever “Michigan” goal in Women’s World Championships history. Coming from behind the net, she lifted the puck onto her stick and tucked it in at close range to give the USA a 1–0 lead.

Canada nearly equalised during a 4-on-4 late in the period, but Raphaelle Tousignant’s close-range effort was denied by USA goaltender Gabby Graves-Wake.

USA was ruthless in the second period shifting into high gear. At 18:47, DiClaudio delivered a powerful pass to Catherine Faherty, who fired it into the top right corner to double the lead. Just 17 seconds later, Lera Doederlein set up Jamie Benassi for her second goal of the tournament. DiClaudio then completed her hat-trick in just 40 seconds, scoring the USA’s fourth and fifth goals in rapid succession.

After three shutouts in the tournament, Graves-Wake finally conceded her first goal when Alanna Mah scored during a 5-on-3 power play, with both Doederlein and captain Erica McKeen in the penalty box.

But the USA quickly restored their five-goal cushion through Kaden Herchenroether, before DiClaudio capped off her fairytale performance with the final goal of the tournament, scoring with 1:15 left on the clock.

🤯🤯 Who are you really, Kelsey DiClaudio?! A Michigan in the World Championships final, simply exceptional!#ParaIceHockey #DolnyKubin2025 pic.twitter.com/3v8DhHOuRn

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) August 31, 2025

Part of history

“This tournament was just amazing. The city was so receptive, you don’t see that in a lot of places. To come here with my team, to get what we came here to do, to get the gold and stay on the top of the world, it means a lot to me,” DiClaudio said, hoping the tournament will bring more visibility to women’s Para ice hockey: 

“I just love this game so much. I hope we can get to the Paralympic Games. We need more exposure and more teams out there.”

Faherty echoed the sentiment of being part of history of their sport.

“I think as a team we played really well, we had fun and we made history. The gold medal represents all the hard work our team has put on and off the ice,” she said.

USA Head Coach Rose Misiewicz praised the performances of both teams, especially in the opening period of the final against Canada.

“The first period was unbelievable, it was a great period of Para ice hockey, great to be part of,” said Misiewicz. “This gold means a lot, it is another step in the ultimate journey to get to the Paralympics, hopefully in 2030. This is a huge milestone and we hope to continue the sport.”

On Canada’s side, Head Coach Tara Chisholm felt that the score did not make justice to her team’s efforts.

“I hope the fans back home watched the game. The score didn’t tell the tale of how the team played, especially in the third period. USA is obviously really good, but our team stayed with them for the majority of the game and, in the future, as we grow together, it will be a different story.”

USA campaign

Preliminary round
Australia 0-8 USA
USA 10-0 Norway

Semi-final
USA 10-0 Great Britain

Gold-medal game
USA 7-1 Canada

Click here to watch again all matches of the Dolny Kubin 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships. 

Complete results and statistics from the first-ever Women's World Championships are available here.