Aerin Frankel stops 15, Laila Edwards scores 3 as US wins 5

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — Aerin Frankel stopped 15 shots for her fourth shutout in five games, and Laila Edwards scored a natural hat trick as the United States beat Finland 5-0 in the semifinal round on Saturday, advancing the defending champions to their 23rd women’s world hockey championship gold-medal game.

Hannah Bilka and Savannah Harmon also scored for the Americans, who kept their perfect run intact in having appeared in every world championship final since the tournament was established in 1990. Edwards, one of four Americans making their tournament debuts, now has five goals to match tournament-leading teammate Alex Carpenter’s total.

The win sets up what could potentially be yet another familiar rematch against the U.S.‘s cross-border rival, Canada, in the gold-medal game on Sunday. The Canadians, who lost a 1-0 overtime decision to Team USA in preliminary round play on Monday, face the Czech Republic in the other semifinal later in the day.