A quick look at the Canada-Finland women’s world hockey championship semifinal

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – A quick look at Canada’s semifinal against Finland at the women’s world hockey championship Thursday:

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Canada

Haley Irwin — Adept at tip-ins and redirects, which is how you score on Finland goaltender Noora Raty.

Marie-Philip Poulin — If the semifinal comes down to the wire, look for Canada’s captain and Olympic golden goaler to ride to the rescue.

Shannon Szabados — Must win the goaltending dual with Raty.

FINLAND

Noora Raty — Veteran goaltender has always been able to steal a game, but now has a stronger supporting cast in front of her.

Susanna Tapani — Leads tournament in scoring with three goals and five assists in eight games.

Michelle Karvinen — Creative, smart and experienced, Karvinen is Finland’s top playmaker.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Canada — Short, smart passes and forwards coming back to help move puck quickly out of the defensive zone. Pay the physical price to score dirty goals on Raty.

Finland — Keep forcing Canada to take shots from the perimeter and pressure them for a turnover in the offensive zone. Tournament’s most penalized team has to stay out of the box.