WINTERTHUR – Rebecca Johnston’s goal midway through the first period was the game-winner as Canada beat Finland 2-0 to earn a bye directly to the semi-finals. Finland must now wait until tonight to see where it finishes in the Group B standings and then wait until tomorrow to see who it will play in the crossover quarter-finals. Jayna Hefford added an empty-netter with 26.8 seconds left. The last time Canada had a one-goal game against a team other than the United States was April 8, 2000, when it beat Finland, 3-2. "They did a really good job forechecking us and created havoc in our own end," Johnson acknowledged. "We had a little bit of trouble breaking out. That was the main thing they did well against us tonight." Goalie Noora Raty was sensational for the Finns, stopping all but one of 49 shots she faced. Shannon Szabados, starting for the first time since the gold-medal game at the 2010 Olympics, got the shutout by stopping just 14 shots. It was the third straight shutout for Canada here in Switzerland--by the third different goalie, no less--and the team has yet to allow a goal. The Finns proved remarkably resilient, playing solid defence and keeping the Canadians to the outside. Neither side generated many scoring chances in the opening period despite a series of penalties that had teams playing 3-on-3 for nearly two minutes at one point. Canada had an early two-man advantage but produced few shots, and late in the period another 5-on-3 produced little in the way of good chances. The Finns tested goalie Shannon Szabados, the hero from the 2010 Olympic who was making her 2011 WW debut in this game, only once in the opening 20 minutes. Johnston scored at 12:46 of the first, coming out of the corner through a maze of players and roofing a shot over the glove of Noora Räty. "I was just able to get out of the corner and there was this one girl in front. I managed to get in the middle and put it upstairs." Canada gave the Finns an up-tempo game in the second period, and the Finns responded with a determined defensive effort, getting in the lanes of passes, blocking shots, and protecting Räty. Canada turned it on in the third, but for every great chance, the Finns had an answer. Marie-Philip Poulin-Nadeau hit the post, and Hayley Wickenheiser was stopped in close on a brilliant pad save from Räty. "We just wanted to stick with our game plan, no matter what the score," Johnston said. "If you start thinking about them scoring, you might grip your stick a little tighter. We just focused on getting shots on net and getting traffic in front." But what can you say about the Canadians? They played flawless defence again. It seems like they could put a basket of eggs in goal and 60 minutes later none would be broken, such is the fortification-like mentality they play with in their own end. ANDREW PODNIEKS