Former University of Maine teammates Tereza Vanisova and Vendula Pribylova and their Czechia teammates can win a medal during the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Utica, NY this weekend.
Czechia will square off against Canada in one semifinal at 7 p.m. on Saturday after the United States and Finland face off in the 3 p.m. semi.
The semifinal losers will play for the bronze medal at 1 p.m. on Sunday with the winners meeting in the gold medal game at 7 p.m.
The fifth-place game between Switzerland and Germany will kick off Saturday’s three-game day at 11 a.m. The winner will be in the A pool for next year’s World Championships in Czechia and the loser will be in the B pool.
Germany was the top finisher in the B pool and the Swiss wound up last in the A Pool.
There are five teams apiece in the A pool and the B pool. All of the A pool teams qualify for the quarterfinals after four games in pool play along with the top three finishers in the B pool
Czechia advanced to the semifinals with a 1-0 win over Germany in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Finland beat Switzerland 3-1, Canada topped Sweden 5-1 and the United States blanked Japan 10-0 in the other quarterfinals.
Vanisova, UMaine’s all-time leading scorer with 129 career points on 63 goals and 66 assists in 129 games, has a goal and an assist in five games at the World Championships. The goal was a game-winner in the 6-1 pool play victory over Switzerland.
She has been among the leaders in minutes played among the Czechia forwards.
Pribylova has an assist in five games and has also seen plenty of ice time.
The Germany-Switzerland game will involve three former Black Bears.
German twins Lilli and Luisa Welcke transferred from UMaine to Boston University after the 2022-23 season. Lilli Welcke has a goal and two assists in five games and Luisa has a goal and an assist.
Rahel Enzler played for UMaine this past season and has an assist in five games for the Swiss.
All three have received significant ice time.
Former UMaine defenseman-forward Amalie Andersen and incoming UMaine freshman Frederikke Foss played for Denmark but the Danes failed to reach the quarterfinals.
Neither registered a point in four games but Foss did score one of the two shootout goals that gave Denmark a 2-1 win in a pool play game. The Swiss won the shootout 2-0.
It was the Danes’ only win.
Both logged a lot of ice time with Andersen being one of the leaders in minutes played.
China also failed to qualify for the quarterfinals.
