Waterloo’s Caitlin Kraemer leads Canada to victory at U18 women's hockey worlds

Two local hockey players are making a big splash on the world stage.

Waterloo’s Caitlin Kraemer scored back-to-back goals to lead Canada to a 4-2 victory over host Sweden at the Under-18 Women's World Championship on Monday.

Kraemer, who plays for the Waterloo K-W Rangers, first scored the go-ahead goal on a power play early in the third period. Then with seconds left in the game, she scored an empty net goal.

News of the victory spread quickly at home.

“I texted her and said thanks for scoring two goals on my birthday,” said her K-W Rangers coach, Chad Campbell. “I’m proud of her. She's one of those girls that only comes around once in a while as a hockey player that I’m able to coach.”

Her teammates said they’re also proud of Kraemer.

“She's a natural goal scorer. She outworks her opponents. It's just the way she's set,” said Waterloo K-W Rangers player Avery Thurston.

During Monday’s game, Emma Pais and Alex Law scored the two other goals for Canada.

The latest win comes after a dominating victory against Finland on Sunday in the team’s tournament opener.

Kraemer opened the scoring with a pair of first-period goals and added an assist as Canada thumped Finland during an 8-0 win.

Kitchener's Ava Murphy, who is also representing Canada in the tournament, picked up an assist in that game.

Murphy is a Kitchener native who plays for the Oakville Junior Hornets.

“It's pretty awesome. Knowing they're representing Canada and our division here, Oakville and our team,” Thurston said.

On Wednesday, Canada will face off against the United States. The game will air 2 p.m. EST.