1997 IIHF Women's World Championship

1997 IIHF Women's World Championship

Tournament details
Host country	Canada
Venue(s)	Brantford, Brampton, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, North York (in 7 host cities)
Dates	March 31 – April 6, 1997
Opened by	Roméo LeBlanc
Teams	8
Final positions
Champions	Canada (4th title)
Runner-up	United States
Third place	Finland
Fourth place	China
Tournament statistics
Games played	20
Goals scored	129 (6.45 per game)
Attendance	60,418 (3,021 per game)
Scoring leader(s)	Riikka Nieminen 10 points
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The 1997 IIHF Women's World Championships was held March 31 – April 6, 1997, in seven Canadian cities all in the Province of Ontario.^[where?] Team Canada won their fourth consecutive gold medal at the World Championships defeating the United States, however this time the United States took Canada in the closest final so far, losing in overtime. Finland picked up their fourth consecutive bronze medal, with a win over China who made the Semi-Final for the second consecutive year.^[1]

This tournament also served as the qualifier for the Nagano Olympics, with the top five finishers joining host Japan. Sweden defeated first Switzerland, then Russia, in the consolation round to join the four semi-finalists in the Olympics.