1997 IIHF Women's World Championship
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |
 Canada
|
| Dates | March 31 - April 6 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | Brantford, Brampton, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, North York (in 7 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
Champions 
|
Canada (4th title)
|
Runner-up 
|
 United States
|
Third place 
|
 Finland
|
| Fourth place |
 China
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 129 (6.45 per match) |
| Attendance | 60,418 (3,021 per match) |
| Scoring leader(s) |
Riikka Nieminen 10 points
|
|
← 1994
1999 →
|
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The 1997 IIHF World Women's Championships was held March 31-April 6, 1997, in seven Canadian cities all in the Province of Ontario. Team Canada won their 4th consecutive gold medal at the World Championships defeating the United States in a repeat of the previous three finals, 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.
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.
The following teams participated in the championship. Qualification was the top three from the 1996 Pacific Rim Championship, and the top five from the 1996 European Championship.
The eight participating teams were divided up into two seeded groups as below. The teams played each other once in a single round robin format. The top two teams from the group proceeded to the Final Round, while the remaining teams played in the Consolation Round.
All times local
All times local
The following was selected as the All-Star team of the tournament:
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