2025 saw a continuation of closer parity in international women’s hockey, with the juggernauts of the United States and Canada continuing to set the tone in the lead-up to the 2026 Milan Olympics, competing for World Championship, Rivalry Series and International Hockey Lineal Championship glory.

The IHLC started its 2025 with the final leg of the Rivalry Series, featuring a two-game set in Atlantic Canada. Canada lost the IHLC in the first match in a narrow U.S. shootout win in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but recaptured the title two days later in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, giving Canada the 3-2 overall series victory dating back to November 2024, winning their fourth straight (and fifth overall) Rivalry Series title since the series’ inception in 2019.

Canada brought the title to April’s World Championships in České Budějovice, Czechia for the fourth straight year, handily defeating Finland and Switzerland before dropping a narrow 2-1 loss to the Americans, who shut out the Swiss to wrap the preliminary round. Defeating Germany and Czechia in tighter games than they should have been, the stage was once again set for a Canada-USA Gold medal final, with Team USA bucking the trend of the preliminary round winner losing in the final, notching a tight 4-3 victory on a Tessa Janecke overtime goal. The U.S. won their eleventh World Championship in the 23rd World Championship final between these two historic rivals.

Thanks to the PWHL and Olympic calendars, 2025 ended with a truncated Rivalry Series of only four games, two in the United States in November and two in Edmonton, Canada in December. The Americans, looking to win just their second Series and first since 2019-20, and looking to save face after two embarrassing “reverse sweeps” by Team Canada, instead trounced Canada by a combined score of 24-7 in four straight victories, ending Canada’s winning streak at the Rivalry Series, marking the first clean sweep in Series history.

The following games were contested over the women’s IHLC in 2025 (click for game recaps and boxscores):
449. 🇺🇸 USA 2-1 CAN 🇨🇦 (SO) – 06 Feb 2025 – RS – Halifax 🇨🇦
450. 🇨🇦 CAN 3-1 USA 🇺🇸 – 08 Feb 2025 – RS – Summerside 🇨🇦
451. 🇨🇦 CAN 5-0 FIN 🇫🇮 – 10 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿
452. 🇨🇦 CAN 4-0 SUI 🇨🇭 – 11 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿
453. 🇺🇸 USA 2-1 CAN 🇨🇦 – 13 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿
454. 🇺🇸 USA 5-0 SUI 🇨🇭 – 15 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿
455. 🇺🇸 USA 3-0 GER 🇩🇪 – 17 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿
456. 🇺🇸 USA 2-1 CZE 🇨🇿 – 19 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿
457. 🇺🇸 USA 4-3 CAN 🇨🇦 (OT) – 20 Apr 2025 – WWC – České Budějovice 🇨🇿 🏅
458. 🇺🇸 USA 4-1 CAN 🇨🇦 – 06 Nov 2025 – RS – Cleveland 🇺🇸
459. 🇺🇸 USA 6-1 CAN 🇨🇦 – 08 Nov 2025 – RS – Buffalo 🇺🇸
460. 🇺🇸 USA 10-4 CAN 🇨🇦 – 10 Dec 2025 – RS – Edmonton 🇨🇦
461. 🇺🇸 USA 4-1 CAN 🇨🇦 – 13 Dec 2025 – RS – Edmonton 🇨🇦

The IHLC Rankings for 2025 were as follows (total all-time wins and rankings in parentheses):
01. 🇺🇸 UNITED STATES – 10 wins (168, 2nd)
02. 🇨🇦 CANADA – 3 wins (274, 1st)

The IHLC will remain with Team USA until they head to Italy this February, whether in a pre-Olympic exhibition game, or for their proper opener against Czechia on 05 February in Milan. Looking to avoid the disappointing Bronze at their previous Italian Olympics in 2006, Team USA will instead look to take this hot streak all the way to the program’s third Olympic Gold in history, and first since 2018.

Photo Credit: 2025 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC