# 2008 IIHF Women's World Championship

The 2008 IIHF Women's World Championships were held from 4 to 12 April 2008, in Harbin, People's Republic of China. The games took place at the event's main arena, Baqu Arena. It was the 11th holding of the IIHF Women's World Championship and was organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The Division I tournament was played in Ventspils, Latvia, at the Ice Hall of the Ventspils Olimpiskais Centrs from 10 to 16 March 2008. The Division II tournament was held from 25 to 30 March 2008 at the Suomen urheiluopisto ('Sports Institute of Finland') in Vierumäki, Finland.
For the 11th-straight Top Division tournament, Canada met the United States in the gold medal match and, for only the second time, the American team defeated the Canadians for the gold medal. This tournament was the first IIHF Women's tournament in which the host nation (in this case, China) failed to medal. Switzerland competed for a medal for the first time, losing to Finland in the bronze medal game.

## Top Division
### Preliminary round

All times are local (China Standard Time – UTC+8).

#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Canada | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | +18 | 6 | Group D |
| 2 | Russia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 3 | Group E |
| 3 | China | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 0 | Group F |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 6 | Group D |
| 2 | Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | Group E |
| 3 | Germany | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | Group F |

#### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Finland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 5 | Group D |
| 2 | Sweden | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 4 | Group E |
| 3 | Japan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | Group F |

### Qualifying round

All times are local (China Standard Time – UTC+8).

#### Group D (1st–3rd place)

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | United States | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | Final |
| 2 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | Final |
| 3 | Finland | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | 3rd place match |

#### Group E (4th–6th place)

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 | 3rd place match |
| 2 | Sweden | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Russia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 | |

### Consolation round

All times are local (China Standard Time – UTC+8).

#### Group F (7th–9th place)

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
| 1 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | |
| 2 | China | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Germany | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | Relegated to the 2009 Division I |

### Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| | United States |
| | Canada |
| | Finland |
| 4 | Switzerland |
| 5 | Sweden |
| 6 | Russia |
| 7 | Japan |
| 8 | China |
| 9 | Germany |
* Relegated to the 2009 Division I
Source:
* 2008 IIHF Women's World champions
* United States Second title

### Awards and statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Natalie Darwitz | United States | 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | +7 | 2 |
| 2 | Hayley Wickenheiser | Canada | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +2 | 6 |
| 3 | Jennifer Botterill | Canada | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +4 | 4 |
| 4 | Jayna Hefford | Canada | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | +4 | 8 |
| 5 | Cherie Piper | Canada | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | +2 | 0 |
| 6 | Jenny Potter | United States | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | +5 | 2 |
| 7 | Julie Chu | United States | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | +2 | 2 |
| 8 | Yekaterina Smolentseva | Russia | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +4 | 33 |
| 9 | Kathrin Lehmann | Switzerland | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +5 | 8 |
| 9 | Stefanie Marty | Switzerland | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +6 | 10 |
| 9 | Sarah Vaillancourt | Canada | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +1 | 8 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF.com

#### Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| Pos | Player | Country | TOI | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO |
| 1 | Noora Räty | Finland | 243:42 | 6 | 1.48 | 92.59 | 1 |
| 2 | Florence Schelling | Switzerland | 305:00 | 15 | 2.95 | 91.89 | 1 |
| 3 | Azusa Nakaoku | Japan | 179:31 | 8 | 2.67 | 91.01 | 0 |
| 4 | Charline Labonté | Canada | 138:29 | 3 | 1.30 | 90.91 | 1 |
| 5 | Jessie Vetter | United States | 243:42 | 7 | 1.72 | 88.14 | 0 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF.com

#### Directorate Awards

* Goaltender: Noora Räty, Finland
* Defenseman: Angela Ruggiero, United States
* Forward: Natalie Darwitz, United States
Source: IIHF.com

#### Media All-Stars

* Goaltender: Noora Räty
* Defensemen: Julie Chu, Emma Laaksonen
* Forwards: Jayna Hefford, Hayley Wickenheiser, Natalie Darwitz
* MVP: Noora Räty
Source:

## Division I

The Division I tournament was played in Ventspils, Latvia, at the Ice Hall of the Ventspils Olimpiskais Centrs, from 10 to 16 March 2008.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 12 | Promoted to the 2009 Top Division |
| 2 | Slovakia | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 11 | |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 8 | |
| 4 | France | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 6 | |
| 5 | Norway | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 4 | |
| 6 | Latvia (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 4 | Relegated to the 2009 Division II |
All times are local (Eastern European Time – UTC+2).

### Awards and statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Zarina Tukhtiyeva | Kazakhstan | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +5 | 10 |
| 2 | Line Bialik Øien | Norway | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | +1 | 4 |
| 2 | Olga Potapova | Kazakhstan | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | +6 | 6 |
| 4 | Sophie Serre | France | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −1 | 4 |
| 5 | Lyubov Ibragimova | Kazakhstan | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | +6 | 14 |
| 6 | Inese Geca-Miljone | Latvia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +2 | 2 |
| 6 | Martina Veličková | Slovakia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +6 | 10 |
| 8 | Jana Kapustová | Slovakia | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +6 | 8 |
| 8 | Iveta Koka | Latvia | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +2 | 6 |
| 8 | Simona Studentová | Czech Republic | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF.com

#### Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| Pos | Player | Country | TOI | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO |
| 1 | Darya Obydennova | Kazakhstan | 300:00 | 8 | 1.60 | 93.98 | 0 |
| 2 | Lolita Andriševska | Latvia | 303:38 | 12 | 2.37 | 93.72 | 0 |
| 3 | Zuzana Tomčíková | Slovakia | 305:00 | 11 | 2.16 | 93.68 | 0 |
| 4 | Christine Smestad | Norway | 184:52 | 7 | 2.27 | 92.78 | 0 |
| 5 | Radka Lhotská | Czech Republic | 304:44 | 11 | 2.17 | 92.76 | 0 |
| 6 | Orane Leenders | France | 239:10 | 10 | 2.51 | 91.74 | 1 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF.com

#### Directorate Awards

* Goaltender: Zuzana Tomčíková, Slovakia
* Defenseman: Tatyana Shtelmaister, Kazakhstan
* Forward: Iveta Koka, Latvia
Source: IIHF.com

## Division II

The Division II tournament was played from 25 to 30 March 2008 at the Suomen urheiluopisto ('Sports Institute of Finland') in Vierumäki, Finland.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Austria | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 15 | Promoted to the 2009 Division I |
| 2 | Denmark | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 12 | |
| 3 | North Korea | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 10 | +11 | 9 | |
| 4 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 5 | |
| 5 | Netherlands | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 4 | |
| 6 | Australia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 39 | −34 | 0 | Relegated to the 2011 Division III |
All times are local (Eastern European Time – UTC+2; on 30 March Eastern European Summer Time – UTC+3).

### Awards and statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Denise Altmann | Austria | 5 | 10 | 5 | 15 | +9 | 8 |
| 2 | Marie Linander Henriksen | Denmark | 5 | 8 | 6 | 14 | +10 | 0 |
| 3 | Josefine Jakobsen | Denmark | 5 | 6 | 7 | 13 | +10 | 2 |
| 4 | Eva Schwarzler | Austria | 5 | 6 | 5 | 11 | +7 | 8 |
| 5 | Esther Kantor | Austria | 5 | 2 | 8 | 10 | +7 | 2 |
| 6 | Ri Sol Gyong | North Korea | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +8 | 4 |
| 7 | Henriette Funch Østergaard | Denmark | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +8 | 2 |
| 8 | Saskia Admiraal | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +3 | 4 |
| 8 | Choe Kum Son | North Korea | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +5 | 6 |
| 8 | Marie Olausson | Denmark | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +4 | 2 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF.com

#### Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| Pos | Player | Country | TOI | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO |
| 1 | Nanna Holm Glaas | Denmark | 240:00 | 6 | 1.50 | 93.55 | 1 |
| 2 | Nina Geyer | Austria | 120:00 | 4 | 2.00 | 93.44 | 0 |
| 3 | Sandra Borschke | Austria | 180:00 | 6 | 2.00 | 92.59 | 1 |
| 4 | Hong Kum Sil | North Korea | 275:33 | 9 | 1.96 | 91.74 | 2 |
| 5 | Claudia van Leeuwen | Netherlands | 304:29 | 15 | 2.96 | 90.38 | 0 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF.com

#### Directorate Awards

* Goaltender: Sandra Borschke
* Defenseman: Linda de Rocco
* Forward: Denise Altmann
Source: IIHF.com

## Division III

The Division III tournament was played in Miskolc, Hungary, at the Miskolc Ice Hall, from 6 to 12 April 2008.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Great Britain | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | +22 | 14 | Promoted to the 2009 Division II |
| 2 | Slovenia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 6 | +21 | 13 | |
| 3 | Croatia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 20 | −8 | 7 | |
| 4 | Belgium | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 6 | |
| 5 | Hungary (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 20 | −16 | 3 | |
| 6 | South Korea | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 22 | −15 | 2 | Relegated to the 2011 Division IV |
All times are local (Central European Summer Time – UTC+2).

### Awards and statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Jasmina Rošar | Slovenia | 5 | 15 | 3 | 18 | +13 | 8 |
| 2 | Pia Pren | Slovenia | 5 | 4 | 14 | 18 | +15 | 4 |
| 3 | Diana Krušelj-Posavec | Croatia | 5 | 10 | 1 | 11 | −6 | 4 |
| 4 | Beth Kavanagh | Great Britain | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | +9 | 0 |
| 5 | Emily Turner | Great Britain | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +10 | 2 |
| 6 | Angela Taylor | Great Britain | 5 | 6 | 2 | 8 | +9 | 6 |
| 7 | Danila Tominc | Slovenia | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | +17 | 6 |
| 8 | Katherine Wiggins | Great Britain | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | +6 | 2 |
| 9 | Hwangbo Young | South Korea | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −6 | 6 |
| 10 | Nicola Bicknell | Great Britain | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +2 | 2 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF.com

#### Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| Pos | Player | Country | TOI | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO |
| 1 | Ksenija Božnar | Slovenia | 185:00 | 4 | 1.30 | 95.74 | 1 |
| 2 | Kirsten Schönwetter | Belgium | 299:26 | 16 | 3.21 | 91.16 | 0 |
| 3 | Shin So-jung | South Korea | 303:40 | 22 | 4.35 | 88.94 | 0 |
| 4 | Monika Gyömber | Hungary | 210:55 | 13 | 3.70 | 86.32 | 0 |
| 5 | Kelly Herring | Great Britain | 209:03 | 5 | 1.44 | 85.71 | 0 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF.com

#### Directorate Awards

* Goaltender: Ksenija Božnar
* Defenseman: Diana Krušelj-Posavec
* Forward: Angela Taylor
* MVP: Jasmina Rošar
Source: IIHF.com

## Division IV

The Division IV tournament was played in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, at Lajos Vákár Ice Hall, from 23 to 29 March 2008.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
| 1 | Iceland | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 | +25 | 15 | |
| 2 | New Zealand | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 9 | +28 | 12 | |
| 3 | Romania (H) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 16 | +9 | 7 | |
| 4 | Estonia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 17 | −6 | 6 | |
| 5 | South Africa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 5 | |
| 6 | Turkey | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 50 | −47 | 0 | Relegated to the 2011 Division V |
* ↑ In the end, Iceland was not promoted as 2009 Division III tournament was cancelled.
All times are local (Eastern European Time – UTC+2).

### Awards and statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Tara Tissink | New Zealand | 5 | 10 | 7 | 17 | +16 | 6 |
| 2 | Magdolna Dobondi | Romania | 5 | 7 | 9 | 16 | +8 | 0 |
| 3 | Csilla Ilyés | Romania | 5 | 6 | 7 | 13 | +9 | 4 |
| 4 | Flosrún Jóhannesdóttir | Iceland | 5 | 6 | 5 | 11 | +12 | 2 |
| 5 | Sheree Haslemore | New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +11 | 4 |
| 6 | Kiri Langford | New Zealand | 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | +9 | 4 |
| 7 | Angelique Mawson | New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 7 | 10 | +9 | 4 |
| 7 | Ibolya Sándor | Romania | 5 | 3 | 7 | 10 | +8 | 0 |
| 9 | Megan Gilchrist | New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +14 | 6 |
| 10 | Sigrún Árnadóttir | Iceland | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +11 | 18 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF.com

#### Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| Pos | Player | Country | TOI | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO |
| 1 | Karítas Halldórsdóttir | Iceland | 240:00 | 5 | 1.25 | 95.15 | 1 |
| 2 | Monika Janis | Estonia | 271:24 | 14 | 3.10 | 90.07 | 0 |
| 3 | Mary McCutcheon | New Zealand | 145:12 | 2 | 0.83 | 90.00 | 1 |
| 4 | Angelique Otto | South Africa | 203:29 | 7 | 2.06 | 89.39 | 0 |
| 5 | Andreea Herescu | Romania | 243:06 | 12 | 2.96 | 88.12 | 0 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF.com

#### Directorate Awards

* Goaltender: Karítas Halldórsdóttir
* Defenseman: Annabelle Lewis
* Forward: Magdolna Dobondi
Source: IIHF.com