Canada Beat Japan 9-0 at Women's Worlds as Gascon Earns Debut Shutout

Canada beat Japan 9-0 at the women's world hockey championship in Herning, Denmark, on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Nine different players scored, and goaltender Eve Gascon made 14 saves for a shutout in her first game at the tournament, The Canadian Press reported.

Canada opened the scoring midway through the first period. Chloe Primerano, a 19-year-old defender, scored her first goal at a women's world championship at 6:29 of the first period, The Hockey News reported. Erin Ambrose added a second goal in the first period, and Canada led 4-0 after two periods.

Five goals in the third

The game broke open in the third period. Canada scored five times, including three goals in a 92-second span late in the game, The Hockey News reported. Kendall Cooper and Daryl Watts each finished with a goal and an assist. Sophie Jaques scored on the power play, and Emma Maltais, Sarah Wozniewicz and Caitlin Kraemer also scored. Rosalie Tremblay, 18, scored her first goal at the tournament, and defenders scored four of Canada's nine goals.

Japan's goaltender Riko Kawaguchi stopped 49 shots. Canada outshot Japan 59 to 14, according to The Canadian Press. Gascon, 23, joins a short list of Canadian goaltenders with a shutout in their debut at a world championship or Olympics, The Hockey News reported.

What it means

Canada, the reigning silver medallists, top Group B at 2-0. Japan fell to 0-2. Canada stay in Herning and play host Denmark on Monday, November 9. Denmark are 0-1 in the group.

The United States also won on Sunday, beating Germany 5-0 in Esbjerg, with Emma Peschel scoring in her first game for the national team, the Associated Press reported. Canada and the United States remain on course to meet later in the tournament, as they usually do, but the early story in Herning is Canada's depth. Fifteen or more players recorded a point against Japan in some counts, and the scoring came from the defence as much as from the forwards.

Key numbers

Canada scored nine goals from nine different scorers. Gascon faced 14 shots and stopped all of them. Kawaguchi made 49 saves for Japan. Canada have won both of their group games and have yet to give up a goal in this game, finishing with a 59 to 14 edge in shots.