Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at the Winter Olympic Games 2018

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Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at the Winter Olympic Games 2018

 

Gangneung (KOR) - 14 February 2018 - 25 February 2018

 

 

Totallympics Results Thread

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Qualified Nations:

 

•  Canada
• Czech Republic
•  Finland
• Germany
• Norway
•  Russia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
•  South Korea
• Sweden
• Switzerland
•  United States

 

Total Nations: 12

Total Athletes: 300

 

 

TEAM ROSTERS

 

TEAM CANADA

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Justin Peters (Kolner Haie, )
• Kevin Poulin (Medvescak Zagreb, EBEL, )
• Ben Scrivens (Salavat Yulaev Ufa, KHL, )

Defencers:

• Stefan Elliott (HV 71, )
• Chay Genoway (Lada Togliatti, KHL, )
• Cody Goloubef (Stockton Heat, AHL, )
• Marc-Andre Gragnani (Dinamo Minsk, KHL, )
• Chris Lee (Metallurg Magnitigorsk, KHL, )
• Maxim Noreau (SC Bern, )
• Mat Robinson (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Karl Stollery (Dinamo Riga, KHL, ) 

Forwards:

• René Bourque (Djurgardens IF, )
• Gilbert Brulé (Kunlun Red Star, KHL, )
• Andrew Ebbett (SC Bern, )
• Quinton Howden (Dinamo Minsk, KHL, )
• Chris Kelly (Belleville Senatores, AHL )
• Rob Klinkhammer (Ak Bars Kazan, KHL, )
• Brandon Kozun (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL, )
• Maxim Lapierre (HC Lugano, )
• Eric O’Dell (HK Sochi, KHL, )
• Mason Raymond (SC Bern, )
• Derek Roy (Linköping HC, )
• Christian Thomas (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL, )
• Linden Vey (Barys Astana, KHL, )
• Wojtek Wolski (Kunlun Red Star, KHL, ) 

 

 

TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Patrik Bartošák (HC Vítkovice Steel)
• Pavel Francouz (Traktor Chelyabinsk, KHL, )
• Dominik Furch (Avangard Omsk, KHL, ) 

Defencers:

• Michal Jordán (Amur Khabarovsk, KHL, )
• Jan Kolář (Amur Khabarovsk, KHL, )
• Ondřej Němec (Kometa Brno)
• Tomáš Kundrátek (Torpedo Nizhniy Novgorod, KHL, )
• Vojtěch Mozík (Vityaz Podolsk, KHL, )
• Jakub Nakládal (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL, )
• Adam Polášek (HK Sochi, KHL, )
• Ondřej Vitásek (Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, KHL, ) 

Forwards:

• Milan Gulaš (HC Škoda Plzeň)
• Tomáš Mertl (HC Škoda Plzeň)
• Michal Birner (Fribourg-Gottéron, )
• Roman Červenka (Fribourg-Gottéron, )
• Martin Erat (Kometa Brno)
• Petr Koukal (HK Mountfield Hradec Králové)
• Michal Vondrka (Piráti Chomutov)
• Roman Horák (Vityaz Podolsk, KHL, )
• Jan Kovář (Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL, )
• Dominik Kubalík (Ambri-Piotta, )
• Lukáš Radil (Spartak Moscow, KHL, )
• Michal Řepík (Slovan Bratislava, KHL, )
• Jiří Sekáč (AK Bars Kazan, KHL, )
• Tomáš Zohorna (Amur Khabarovsk, KHL, ) 

 

TEAM FINLAND

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Mikko Koskinen (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Karri Rämö (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL)
• Juha Metsola (Amur Khabarovsk, KHL, ) 

Defencers:

• Sami Lepistö (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL)
• Tommi Kivistö (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL)
• Lasse Kukkonen (Kärpät Oulu)
• Mikka Koivisto (Kärpät Oulu)
• Mikko Lehtonen (Tappara Tampere)
• Atte Ohtamaa (AK Bars Kazan, KHL, )
• Juuso Hietanen (Dinamo Moscow, KHL, )
• Miro Heiskanen (IFK Helsinki)

Forwards:

• Joonas Kemppainen (Salavat Yulaev Ufa, KHL, )
• Teemu Hartikainen (Salavat Yulaev Ufa, KHL, )
• Oskar Osala (Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL, )
• Eeli Tolvanen (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL)
• Marko Anttila (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL)
• Veli-Matti Savinainen (Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, KHL, )
• Jonas Enlund (Sibir Novosibirsk, KHL, )
• Julius Junttila (Kärpät Oulu)
• Jani Lajunen (HC Lugano, )
• Petri Kontiola (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL, )
• Jarno Koskiranta (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Mika Pyörälä (SC Bern, )
• Sakari Männinen (Örebro, )
• Jukka Peltola (Tappara Tampere)

 

TEAM GERMANY

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Danny aus den Birken (EHC RB Munich)
• Dennis Endras (Adler Mannheim)
• Timo Pielmeier (ERC Ingolstadt)

Defencers:

• Sinan Akdag (Adler Mannheim)
• Daryl Boyle (EHC Red Bull Munich)
• Christian Ehrhoff (Kolner Haie)
• Yannic Seidenberg (EHC RB Munich)
• Björn Krupp (Grizzlys Wolfsburg)
• Jonas Müller (EHC Eisbären Berlin)
• Frank Hördler (EHC Eisbären Berlin)
• Moritz Müller (Kolner Haie)

Forwards:

• Brooks Macek (EHC RB Munich)
• Marcus Kink (Adler Mannheim)
• Matthias Plachta (Adler Mannheim)
• Frank Maurer (EHC RB Munich)
• Patrick Reimer (Ice Tigers Nurnberg)
• Yasin Ehliz (Ice Tigers Nurnberg)
• Gerrit Fauser (Grizzlys Wolfsburg)
• Patrick Hager (EHC RB Munich)
• Felix Schütz (Kolner Haie)
• Marcel Goc (Adler Mannheim)
• Dominik Kahun (EHC RB Munich)
• Leonhard Pföderl (Ice Tigers Nurnberg)
• David Wolf (Adler Mannheim)
• Marcel Noebels (EHC Eisbären Berlín)

 

TEAM NORWAY

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Lars Haugen (Färjestad BK, )
• Henrik Haukeland (Timrå IK, )
• Henrik Holm (Stavanger Oilers)

Defencers:

• Aleksander Bonsaksen (Iserlohn Roosters, )
• Stefan Espeland (KAC Klagenfurt, EBEL, )
• Jonas Holøs (Fribourg-Gotteron, )
• Johannes Johannesen (Stavanger Oilers)
• Erlend Lesund (Mora IK, )
• Mattias Nørstebø (Frölunda Indians, )
• Daniel Sørvik (HC Verva Litvinov, )
• Henrik Ødegaard (Frisk Asker)

Forwards:

• Anders Bastiansen (Frisk Asker)
• Kristian Forsberg (Stavanger Oilers)
• Ludvig Hoff (University of North Dakota, NCAA, )
• Tomm Kristiansen (Sparta Sarpsborg)
• Ken André Olimb (Linköping HC, )
• Mathis Olimb (Linköping HC, )
• Mats Rosseli Olsen (Frölunda Indians, )
• Aleksander Reichenberg (Sparta Prague, )
• Niklas Roest (Sparta Sarpsborg)
• Martin Røymark (Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik, )
• Eirik Salsten (Stavanger Oilers)
• Patrick Thoresen (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Steffen Thoresen (Storhamar Dragons)
• Mathias Trettenes (Krefeld Pinguine, )

 

OLYMPIC ATHLETES FROM RUSSIA

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Vasili Koshechkin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL, )
• Ilya Sorokin (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Igor Shestyorkin (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )

Defencers:

• Vladislav Gavrikov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Bogdan Kiselevich (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Alexei Marchenko (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Nikita Nesterov (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Vyacheslav Voinov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Artyom Zub (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Andrei Zubarev (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )

Forwards:

• Sergei Andronov (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Alexander Barabanov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Pavel Datsyuk (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Mikhail Grigorenko (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Nikita Gusev (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Ilya Kablukov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Sergei Kalinin (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Kirill Kaprizov (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )
• Ilya Kovalchuk (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Sergei Mozyakin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL, )
• Nikolai Prokhorkin (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Vadim Shipachyov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Sergei Shirokov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL, )
• Ivan Telegin (CSKA Moscow, KHL, )

 

 

TEAM SLOVAKIA

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Ján Laco (HC Sparta Prague, )
• Branislav Konrád (HC Olomouc, )
• Patrik Rybár (HK Mountfield Hradec Králové, ) 

Defencers:

• Ivan Baranka (HC Vitkovice Ridera, )
• Michal Čajkovský (HC Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, KHL, )
• Dominik Graňák (HC Škoda Plzeň, )
• Marek Ďaloga (HC Sparta Prague, )
• Tomáš Starosta (HK Dukla Trenčín)
• Juraj Valach (Piráti Chomutov, )
• Peter Čerešňák (HC Škoda Plzeň, )
• Juraj Mikuš (HC Sparta Prague, ) 

Forwards:

• Martin Bakoš (Bílí Tygři Liberec, )
• Miloš Bubela (HC '05 iClinic Banská Bystrica)
• Marcel Haščák (HC Kometa Brno, )
• Lukáš Cingeľ (HK Mountfield Hradec Králové, )
• Tomáš Marcinko (HC Oceláři Třinec, )
• Patrik Lamper (HC '05 iClinic Banská Bystrica)
• Ladislav Nagy (HC Košice) 
• Tomáš Surový (HC '05 iClinic Banská Bystrica)
• Andrej Kudrna (HC Sparta Prague, )
• Peter Ölvecký (HK Dukla Trenčín)
• Michal Krištof (HK Nitra)
• Matej Paulovič (HK Nitra)
• Matúš Sukeľ (MHk 32 Liptovský Mikuláš)
• Marek Hovorka (HC Košice)  

 

TEAM SLOVENIA

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Luka Gracnar (Red Bull Salzburg, EBEL, )
• Gasper Kroselj (Rodovre Mighty Bulls, )
• Matija Pintaric (Rouen Dragons, ) 

Defencers:

• Blaz Gregorc (Mountfield Hradec Králové, )
• Sabahudin Kovacevic (Energie Karlovy Vary, )
• Ales Kranjc (Eispiraten Crimmitschau, )
• Ziga Pavlin (Motor České Budějovice, )
• Matic Podlipnik (Energie Karlovy Vary, )
• Jurij Repe (Rytíři Kladno, )
• Mitja Robar (KAC Klagenfurg, EBEL, )
• Luka Vidmar (Fehervar AV19, EBEL, )

Forwards:

• Bostjan Golicic (Grenoble Bruleurs de Loups, )
• Andrej Hebar (Olimpija Ljubljana)
• Ziga Jeglic (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, KHL, )
• Anze Kuralt (Amiens Gothiques, )
• Jan Mursak (Frolunda Gothenburg, )
• Ales Music (Fehervar AV19, EBEL, )
• Ken Ograjensek (Graz 99ers, )
• Ziga Pance (Dornbirner EC, EBEL, )
• David Rodman (Grenoble Bruleurs de Loups, )
• Marcel Rodman (EC Bad Tolz, )
• Robert Sabolic (Torpedo Nizhni Novgorod, KHL, )
• Rok Ticar (Sibir Novosibirsk, KHL, )
• Jan Urbas (Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, )
• Miha Verlic (Villacher SV, EBEL, ) 

 

TEAM SOUTH KOREA

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Matt Dalton (Anyang Halla)
• Park Kye-Hoon (Sangmu)
• Park Sung-Je (High1 Chuncheon)

Defencers:

• Cho Hyung-Gon (Sangmu)
• Kim Won-Jun (Anyang Halla)
• Lee Don-Ku (Anyang Halla)
• Oh Hyon-ho (Daemyung Killer Whales)
• Alex Plante (Anyang Halla)
• Eric Regan (Anyang Halla)
• Seo Yeong-Jun (Daemyung Killer Whales)
• Bryan Young (Daemyung Killer Whales)

Forwards:

• Ahn Jin-Hui (Sangmu)
• Cho Min-Ho (Anyang Halla)
• Jeon Jung-Woo (Sangmu)
• Kim Ki-Sung (Anyang Halla)
• Kim Sang-Wook (Anyang Halla)
• Kim Won-Jung (Anyang Halla)
• Lee Young-Jun (Daemyung Killer Whales)
• Park Jin-Kyu (Sangmu)
• Park Woo-Sang (Anyang Halla)
• Brock Radunske (Anyang Halla)
• Shin Sang-Hoon (Sangmu)
• Shin Sang-Woo (Anyang Halla)
• Michael Swift (High1 Chuncheon)
• Mike Testwuide (High1 Chuncheon)

 

TEAM SWEDEN

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Jonas Enroth (Dynamo Minsk, KHL  )
• Viktor Fasth (Växjö)
• Magnus Hellberg (Kunlun Red Star, KHL  )

Defencers:

 

• Staffan Kronwall (Lokomotiv Jaroslavl, KHL ) 
• Mikael Wikstrand (Färjestad)
• Patrik Hersley (Ska S:t Petersburg, KHL  )
• Johan Fransson (Geneve-Servette,  )
• Simon Bertilsson (Brynäs)
• Rasmus Dahlin (Frölunda)
• Erik Gustafsson (Neftechimik, KHL  )
• Jonas Ahnelöv (Avangard Omsk, KHL  ) 

Forwards:

• Joakim Lindström (Skellefteå)
• Fredrik Pettersson (ZSC Lions  ) 
• Pär Lindholm (Skellefteå)
• Dennis Everberg (Avangard Omsk, KHL ) 
• Joel Lundqvist (Frölunda)
• Alexander Bergström (Sibir Novisibirsk, KHL )
• Viktor Stålberg (Zug  )
• Dick Axelsson (Färjestad)
• Oscar Möller (Skellefteå)
• Carl Klingberg (Zug  )
• Anton Lander (Ak Bars Kazan, KHL  )
• Linus Omark (Salavat Julaev, KHL  )
• Patrik Zackrisson (Sibir Novosibirsk, KHL  )
• John Norman (Jokerit, KHL  )

 

TEAM SWITZERLAND

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Leonardo Genoni (SC Bern)
• Jonas Hiller (EHC Biel)
• Tobias Stephan (EV Zug)

Defencers:

• Eric Blum (SC Bern)
• Raphael Diaz (EV Zug)
• Felicien Du Bois (HC Davos)
• Philippe Furrer (HC Lugano)
• Patrick Geering (ZSC Lions Zurich)
• Romain Loeffel (Geneve-Servette)
• Dominik Schlumpf (EV Zug)
• Ramon Untersander (SC Bern)

Forwards:

• Cody Almond (Geneve-Servette)
• Andres Ambuhl (HC Davos)
• Simon Bodenmann (SC Bern)
• Enzo Corvi (HC Davos)
• Gaetan Haas (SC Bern)
• Fabrice Herzog (ZSC Lions Zurich)
• Denis Hollenstein (EHC Kloten)
• Simon Moser (SC Bern)
• Vincent Praplan (EHC Kloten)
• Thomas Rufenacht (SC Bern)
• Reto Schappi (ZSC Lions Zurich)
• Tristan Scherwey (SC Bern)
• Pius Suter (ZSC Lions Zurich)
• Joel Vermin (Lausanne HC)

 

  TEAM UNITED STATES 

Spoiler

Goaltenders:

• Ryan Zapolski (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL, )
• David Leggio (Red Bull Munchen, ) 
• Brandon Maxwell (Mlada Boleslav, )  

Defencers:

• Chad Billins (Linkoping HC, )
• Jonathon Blum (Admiral Vladivostok, KHL, )
• Will Borgen (St. Cloud State University, NCAA)
• Matt Gilroy (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL, )
• Ryan Gunderson (Brynäs Gävle, )
• Bobby Sanguinetti (HC Lugano, )
• Noah Welch ( Växjö Lakers, )
• James Wisniewski (EC Kassel, )

Forwards:

• Mark Arcobello (SC Bern, )
• Chris Bourque (Hershey Bears, AHL)
• Bobby Butler (Milwaukee Admirals, AHL)
• Ryan Donato (Harvard University, NCAA)
• Bryan Gionta (No Club)
• Jordan Greenway (Boston University, NCAA)
• Chad Kolarik (Adler Mannheim, )
• Broc Little (HC Davos, )
• John McCarthy (San Jose, AHL)
• Brian O´Neill (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL, )
• Garrett Roe (EV Zug, )
• Jim Slater (Fribourg-Gotteron, )
• Ryan Stoa (Spartak Moscow, KHL, )
• Troy Terry (University of Denver, NCAA)

 

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IIHF MEN ' S FINAL RANKING 2015

as of 17th May 2015

 

RANK	NATION	POINTS
1	Canada	3690
2	Russia	3675
3	Sweden	3630
4	Finland	3575
5	United States	3540
6	Czech Republic	3495
7	Switzerland	3235
8	Slovakia	3160
9	Belarus	3075
10	Latvia	3015
11	Norway	2990
12	France	2930
13	Germany	2920
14	Slovenia	2795
15	Denmark	2775
16	Austria	2745
17	Kazakhstan	2680
18	Italy	2565
19	Hungary	2415
20	Japan	2345
21	Ukraine	2310
22	Poland	2275
23	South Korea	2230
24	Great Britain	2225
25	Netherlands	2065
26	Lithuania	2035
27	Croatia	1930
28	Romania	1895
29	Estonia	1870
30	Serbia	1645
31	Spain	1645
32	Mexico	1400
33	Israel	1375
34	Belgium	1280
35	Iceland	1270
36	Australia	1230
37	New Zealand	1045
38	China	1020
39	Bulgaria	890
40	South Africa	855
41	Turkey	815
42	North Korea	770
43	Luxembourg	700
44	United Arab Emirates	510
45	Georgia	495
46	Hong Kong	455
47	Bosnia and Herzegovina	200

 

 

• Black Bold - Nations Qualified for Winter Olympic Games 2018 Tournament
• Silver Bold Italic - Host Nations of Final Olympic Qualifying Round
• Blue Bold - Nations Qualified for Final Qualifying Round
• Gold Bold - Nations Qualified for 3rd Qualifying Round
• Purple Bold - Nations Qualified for 2nd Qualifying Round
• Green Bold - Nations Qualified for 1st Qualifying Round
• Red Bold - Nations that decided to not enter the Qualifications

Edited March 23, 2016 by hckosice

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1st PRELIMINARY QUALIFICATION ROUND

Sofia (BUL) - 10th October 2015

 

Qualification Match

2 Nations, 1 Direct Qualification Match, winning Nation will Qualify to the 2nd Preliminary Olympic Qualifying Round

 

Bulgaria  9 - 1  Georgia  

(Score by Period: 2-1, 3-0, 4-0)

10th October 2015, h. 19:30 (GMT +3), Winter Sports Palace, Sofia

 

 

Following Nation Have Qualified to 2nd Preliminary Olympic Qualifying Round

• Bulgaria

 

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Bulgaria advances

Captain Boyadjiev collects 8 points against Georgia

Bulgaria got its expected win against Georgia and gets a chance in the Olympic Qualification.

 

Bulgaria won decisively 9-1 (2-1, 3-0, 4-0) against Georgia in the Olympic Qualification Game played Saturday night in the Winter Palace to earn a spot in the next stage on the road to PyeongChang 2018.

Next month from 5 to 8 November, Bulgaria (39th in the IIHF World Ranking) will compete with host Estonia (29), Mexico (32) and Israel (33) in the Olympic Qualification Preliminary Round 1 in Tallinn. At the same time the other group in this round will be staged in Valdemoro with host Spain (31), Serbia (30), Iceland (35) and China (38). Each tournament winner then advances to the second preliminary round in February before the Final Olympic Qualification tournaments will be played next September.

Despite missing half of its top players Bulgaria was the clear favourite in the game against Georgia. One-and-a-half years ago the team was in full strength and scored 10 goals in the first period for a 19-1 win. This time around it wasn’t that easy, at least in the beginning, something that the opponents boldly predicted the day before the game.

Bulgaria opened the scoring on a great shorthanded breakaway by captain Martin Boyadjiev at 3:37. Vitali Dumbadze showed good puck-handling skills and with individual breakthrough four minutes later he tied the game. The hosts took the lead again at 12:24 after Boyadjiev had redirected a shot by Nikolay Bozhanov from the blue line – 2-1. Until the end of the period Dumbadze had two excellent scoring chances but found the crossbar on the first one and later couldn’t capitalize on a breakaway.

“We weren’t surprised by the Georgian team. It’s the same since we beat them in 2014. I don’t think the players underestimated the opponent either. In the beginning the players were nervous, which is normal when you don’t have many practices,” said Bulgaria head coach Kiril Hodulov after the game.

The second period started with two quick goals by his team. Boyadjiev again was flying on the ice, went behind the net and passed the puck to the oncoming 18-years-old Yanaki Gatchev, who beat Georgian goalie Andrei Ilienko for the 3-1 goal. The Russian-born netminder was out of position seconds later and Kristian Semkov extended the score to 4-1. This was the home team’s only goal of the game without the contribution of Boyadjiev, who finished with eight points (2+6). In the end Gatchev did a hat trick, Petar Mihov scored two goals and Bogdan Stefanov one.

“These two goals in the first two minutes of the second period calmed down the team and then everything went into places. Boyadjiev showed that he is a true captain and without doubt was the best player on the ice today. In the difficult moments he took charge of the play and his teammates. It’s no coincidence that this line made almost every goal. Gatchev keeps growing in presence and confidence on the ice,” Hodulov revealed his positive feelings.

His colleague on the opposite bench, the Russian Dmitri Afanasyev, was realistic about the difference in the level of the two teams: “Bulgaria has a good team that competes in the Division II and we are in Division III. I had to use just two lines and with the time these players had difficulties keeping the same level with the hosts. Every period became worse than the previous one. I just came to Georgia last month and we didn’t have time for practices – we had two in Batumi and two in Sofia. So there were some moments in which we were counting too much on individual skills instead of passes. But there are good young players in Georgia and with the project for three new arenas in the country we can only get better.”

In the same time the future for the Bulgarian team is quite unclear at the moment. “With this team we don’t have any chances in the next stage. We need our players who are competing abroad,” Hodulov said and hopes that the missing players will become available during the November event in Estonia.

 

Edited March 23, 2016 by hckosice

[hckošice 14,787]

2nd PRELIMINARY QUALIFICATION ROUND

Tournament 1

Tallinn (EST) - 05.11.2015 - 08.11.2015

 

Participating Nations:

• Bulgaria
• Estonia
• Israel
• Mexico

 

 

Round-Robin

4 Nations, Round-Robin Tournament, 1st Nation will Qualify to the 2nd Olympic Preliminary Quailfication Round

 

Mexico  8 - 2  Bulgaria

(Score by Period: 1-0, 3-2, 4-0)

5th November 2015, h. 15:00 (GMT +2), Tondiraba Icehall, Tallinn

 

Israel  1 - 19  Estonia      

(Score by Period: 0-6, 0-5, 1-8)

5th November 2015, h. 19:00 (GMT +2), Tondiraba Icehall, Tallinn

 

Mexico  5 - 0  Israel  

(Score by Period: 2-0, 1-0, 2-0)

6th November 2015, h. 15:00 (GMT +2), Tondiraba Icehall, Tallinn

 

Estonia  26 - 0  Bulgaria

(Score by Period: 10-0, 8-0, 8-0)

6th November 2015, h. 19:00 (GMT +2), Tondiraba Icehall, Tallinn

 

Bulgaria  2 - 5  Israel      

(Score by Period: 1-0, 0-1, 1-4)

8th November 2015, h. 13:00 (GMT +2), Tondiraba Icehall, Tallinn

 

Estonia  13 - 3  Mexico    

(Score by Period: 3-1, 3-2, 7-0)

8th November 2015, h. 17:00 (GMT +2), Tondiraba Icehall, Tallinn

 

 

Round-Robin Standing

RANK	NATION	GAME	WINS	W(OT)	L(OT)	LOSE	SCORE	POINTS
1	Estonia	3	3	0	0	0	58:4	9
2	Mexico	3	2	0	0	1	16:15	6
3	Israel	3	1	0	0	2	6:26	3
4	Bulgaria	3	0	0	0	3	4:39	0

 

 

 

Following Nation Have Qualified to 3rd Preliminary Olympic Qualifying Round

• Estonia

 

 

[hckošice 14,787]

2nd PRELIMINARY QUALIFICATION ROUND

Tournament 2

Valdemoro (ESP) - 06.11.2015 - 08.11.2015

 

Participating Nations:

• China
• Iceland
• Serbia
• Spain

 

 

Round-Robin

4 Nations, Round-Robin Tournament, 1st Nation will Qualify to the 3rd Olympic Preliminary Quailfication Round

 

Iceland  4 - 5 (GWS)  Serbia

(Score by Period: 2-2, 0-1, 2-1, OT: 0-0, GWS: 0-1)

6th November 2015, h. 16:00 (GMT +1), Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, Valdemoro

 

Spain  10 - 1  China      

(Score by Period: 2-0, 6-1, 2-0)

6th November 2015, h. 19:30 (GMT +1), Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, Valdemoro

 

Serbia  5 - 1  China  

(Score by Period: 4-0, 1-1, 0-0)

7th November 2015, h. 16:00 (GMT +1), Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, Valdemoro

 

Spain  5 - 3  Iceland

(Score by Period: 2-1, 2-1, 1-1)

7th November 2015, h. 19:30 (GMT +1), Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, Valdemoro

 

China  3 - 11  Iceland      

(Score by Period: 0-7, 1-2, 2-2)

8th November 2015, h. 16:00 (GMT +1), Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, Valdemoro

 

Serbia  5 - 3  Spain    

(Score by Period: 0-2, 2-0, 3-1)

8th November 2015, h. 20:00 (GMT +1), Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, Valdemoro

 

 

Round-Robin Standing

RANK	NATION	GAME	WINS	W(OT)	L(OT)	LOSE	SCORE	POINTS
1	Serbia	3	2	1	0	0	15:8	8
2	Spain	3	2	0	0	1	18:9	6
3	Iceland	3	1	0	1	1	18:13	4
4	China	3	0	0	0	3	5:26	0

 

 

 

Following Nation Have Qualified to 3rd Preliminary Olympic Qualifying Round

• Serbia

[hckošice 14,787]

Easy workout for Estonia

OQ Gr. K : Hosts and Mexico start with wins

The Estonian players sing the national anthem after crushing Israel 19-1 in their first Olympic Qualification game.

 

Estonia and Mexico rack up opening day victories at the 2015 Olympic Qualification Preliminary Round Group K held in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.

With the first round of games done and dusted at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Estonia's capital, Mexico got into gear as the game wore on vanquishing Bulgaria 8-2, while Estonia set the tone from the outset in their first game to run away with a lopsided 19-1 win against Israel.

Jet-lagged after their long haul across the Atlantic, the Mexicans started their first game against Bulgaria slow on pace, but thanks to the attacking prowess of Jorge Perez they got in front after 11:20. Refusing to give in against their higher ranked opponents, the Bulgarians battled back with Georgi Iskrenov equalizing 14 seconds into the second period. But as the game progressed, Mexico got more into their stride and soon the game started to tilt over in the Latin American team's favour.

Nikola Nikolov had replaced starting netminder Dimitar Dimitrov half-way through the middle match and the 22-year-old got off to an unlucky start conceding only 13 second after stepping out on the ice, as Carlo Tommasi's effort sneaked in at 30:27 to put the Mexicans back into the lead 2-1. The feisty Bulgarians once fought back to equalize thanks to a Kristian Semkov effort, but as Mexico turned up the heat they got their reward with two late goals at the end of the middle frame. Perez scored his second of the afternoon at 19:26 of the second period and with ten second to go Carlos Gomez gave Mexico a two-goal cushion.

Gomez’ scoring spree continued in the final frame as he netted two consecutive power-play goals for a hat-trick to stretch the lead to 6-2 and put the game beyond their Balkan opponents. Perez followed, by netting his third with 5:12 to go before Guillermo Diaz added further gloss to the scoreline with 15 seconds to score the final goal of a 8-2 win for Diego de la Garma's men.

While Mexico needed to work hard before the goals finally started to fly in, Estonia had no problem finding the net from the outset in their first game against an inexperienced Israel team.

Piling up the pressure, the home crowd of 850 got on their feet for the first time at 1:52 into the game as Alexandr Kuznetsov opened the scoring in what was to be a very long and gruesome evening for Israel.

Robert Rooba scored Estonia's unanswered sixth goal with 2:08 to go in the first frame in a game which in the end saw Estonia dominate in emphatic fashion, winning shots on goals with 87-9 and steam ahead to a 19-1 win on the scoreboard.

 

[hckošice 14,787]

Spain’s super start

OQ Gr. L: Hosts net ten, SO win for Serbia

 

Nemanja Jankovic netted the shoot-out winner for Serbia to end a tight game against Iceland.

 

Day 1 of Olympic Qualification Group L produced a pulsating battle between Iceland and Serbia before Spain delighted the home crowd with a crushing win over China.

Spain – China 10-1 (2-0, 6-1, 2-0)

Spain got off to the perfect start, delighting the home crowd with two goals in the space of a minute early in the first period.

Head coach Luciano Basile had promised a team full of enthusiasm and that was evident from the start as Spain set a high tempo. China had already killed a penalty before taking the lead on 5:27 when Ignacio Solorzano fired low into the unguarded corner of Zhiwei Liu’s net.

And the celebrations had barely stopped when Adrian Ubieto unleashed an absolute thunderbolt from the blue line to bring Spanish fans to their feet once again.

Spain was pressing hard, giving China no time to settle into its game, as Alejandro Carbonell acknowledged after the game.

“We knew China skates fast but we played a really good game, we got to them even faster and that’s how we got the result,” the forward said. “We did what the coach told us, we played very well and when we got the puck to the net we scored many goals.”

China, reflecting the Russian influence on its hockey, tried to play its way into contention with the kind of neat passing that Spanish sports fans might recognise as tiki-taka. Some neat interplay between Xijun Cui and Cheng Zhang sent the latter in on the home net. But goalie Ander Alcaine has a bit of a reputation in these parts and he responded to the danger with a fine sprawling save.

By the end of the second period the ‘Ole’s were heard for the first time – and small wonder as Spain stretched its lead to 8-1. Jordy Angles, one of just two players based outside of Spain, scored from close range at the second attempt and within a minute Guillermo Bertan shot from the left-hand boards and captain Pablo Puyuelo put away the rebound. A power play goal in the 29th minute saw Carbonell add to his two assists in the opening stanza with a neat finish high on the backhand to make it 5-0.

China got on the board at last a minute later when Tianziang Xia finished off a nice passing move but there was no stopping the home team. Pablo Munoz made it six, prompting China to replace starting goalie Liu with Shengrong Xia. The goals kept flowing: defenseman Alejandro Vea scored the seventh from the point and Solorzano got his second of the night to make it eight as a party atmosphere rolled around the arena.

The third period saw Spain continue to press but Xia provided a bit more resistance in goal. Juan Munoz and Patricio Fuentes added two further goals to bring up double figures and crown a powerful performance that gives the team great confidence going into Saturday’s game against Iceland.

Iceland 4 Serbia 5 (SO) (2-2, 0-1, 2-1, 0-0, 0-1)

Serbia and Iceland got the Spanish crowd warmed up in Valdemoro with a high-scoring game that eventually went to the Balkan nation thanks to Nemanja Jankovic’s shoot-out winner.

The teams shared eight goals in regulation, with Iceland coming from behind four times in an absorbing encounter.

And Serbia’s experienced forward Pavel Popravka admitted that the team had ridden its luck after facing 52 shots from an opponent that was keen to test goalie Arsenije Rankovic at every opportunity.

“It’s always hard to say much about the first game,” Popravka said after the game. “It was interesting to get out and play at last. Maybe we had a bit of luck, but we got the result.”

Serbia struck first after just 90 seconds, turning over the puck on its own blue line before Ivan Glavonjic combined with Jankovic to present captain Marko Milovanovic with his first goal of the night. But Iceland hit back on the power play: a wayward shot from Bjorn Sigurdarson had Serbia scrambling behind the net and the puck dropped for Arnthor Bjarnason to tie it up in the eighth minute.

The teams traded two more quick-fire goals in the opening frame: Nemanja Vucurevic profited from a positional error in Iceland’s defence, but just 17 seconds later Ulfar Andresson forced home the rebound from Johan Leifsson’s shot.

A speculative effort from Serbia was the only marker in the second stanza. Dimitrije Filipovic’s shot seemed comfortable for Snorri Sigurbergsson but somehow squeezed through his pads to make it 3-2.

In the third period Iceland again tied the scores, this time with a well-executed penalty shot by Johann Leifsson after a slashing call against Marko Brkusanin. Milovanovic got his second of the night for the Serbs on the power play, but a short-handed strike from Olafur Bjornsson, swatting an airborne puck into the net, took the game into the extras.

 

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Goals galore in Tallinn

OQ Gr. K: Estonia v Mexico for next round

The Estonian players celebrate one of the 26 goals against Bulgaria

 

Mexico and Estonia continued their winning streaks during the second day of Olympic qualification in Group K. Prolific powerplay was the key as Mexico blanked Israel 5-0 while Estonia steamed ahead to beat Bulgaria 26-0 and falling just short of their all-time scoring record. With a couple of wins each, Mexico and Estonia now go head-to-head in a Sunday night showdown where the winner progress to the next round in February.

Mexico vs. Israel 5-0 (2-0, 1-0, 2-0)

Penalty calls proved costly for Israel as Mexico got their power play in tune during a solid second consecutive win. Roberto Chabat led the way with three goals in one-man advantage for the Latin Americans while netminder Alfonso de Alba recorded a shutout.

Bundling in the first goal of the game on a power play from close range saw Chabat bring the Mexicans in front after 8:43 after fine work by Brian Arroyo from the left side. A well-worked move at 16:58 once again proved to be a productive way for finding the net. Israel's captain Ilya Spektor sat out a tripping call when Fernando Ugarte moved the puck to Arroyo, who once again picked out Chabat in front of the net as Mexico doubled their lead.

When Christian Smithers scored Mexico's third at 4:36 of the second period it looked like the game would be well and truly over, but a dogged Israel worked itself more into the game led by Spektor and lively Roey Aharonovich, who both came close for Israel as they were denied by fine goaltending from Mexico's Alfonso de Alba. With Mexico already serving a minor penalty for too many players on the ice, Israel got their golden opportunity with a 5-on-3 after Jorge Perez's interference call for Mexico at 15:03. Israel coach Derek Eisler took a time-out to give his players a breather and requesting more traffic, but Mexico's able netminder Alfonso de Alba kept out any Israeli attempts on goal.

Any chance for an Israeli fightback faced an even steeper uphill task when at 10:25 of the third period Chabat scored his third of the afternoon. Maxim Gokhberg in the Israeli net can take a lot of credit for his performance before Mexico's captain Ugarte's solo effort at 16:25 closed the scoring in a 5-0 win, which pleased Mexico head coach Diego de La Garma.

"We are content with the victory, but we should have scored way more goals. Their goalie was pretty good, but we managed to get an okay win," he said as his young team is getting ready for the decider against Estonia, which proves to be of another calibre.

"It's going to a tough one as Estonia is way better than any of the other teams in this group. Their speed, experience and shooting ability are really good. But if we play a very solid defensive game we might have a chance to be able to compete with them, we'll see," said de La Garma.

As for Israel, despite two straight defeats, Derek Eisler, in second season at the helm of the senior national team found signs of promise compared to the opening day loss against Estonia.

"Compared to Estonia, Mexico is a little bit more like we are, but they scored a lot more on power play. They scored early and if we scored on ours in the second period, it could have been pretty even, but we just didn't score," said Eisler, whose team is now up against fellow winless Bulgaria in their final day, where Israel will be aiming to redeem themselves from their last meeting at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A in South Africa last spring.

"I would like to see us rebound from the 10-5 loss we had against Bulgaria in South Africa and I think that should be good motivation for us going into it," he said.

Estonia vs. Bulgaria 26-0 (10-0, 8-0, 8-0)

Estonia recorded their second emphatic scoreline in a blowout win, which in the end turned into a battle for the young Estonian team to enter the history books.

When Robert Arrak scored his fifth of the night and Estonia's 25 unanswered goal, the scoreboard showed 5:17 to go of the game. To beat a 27-1 win against South Africa from 16 March 1994 was in the minds of many of the Estonian players as they relentlessly surged forward at the end of their second match against Bulgaria.

With 102-9 in shots in Estonia's favour, and Robert Rooba leading the scoring with 5+6, closely followed by his line-mate Vassili Titarenko on 5+4, credit must be given to Bulgaria's netminder Nikola Nikolov, who played the final 30:36 of the game and where his 47 saves in the end denied Estonia's record-chasing pack.

Estonia came out of the game in full throttle and Robert Rooba missed a clear-cut chance eight seconds straight after face-off. Just like in their opening game last night, Alexandr Kuznetsov set the tone for Estonia, scoring their first goal, this time after 1:16 when Mihkel Vorang picked him out in front of the net. Captain Lauri Lahesalu hit the inside of the post soon after from the blueline, before Rooba sailed through the Bulgarian defence with an unassisted effort at 3:14 for Estonia's second.

The first line out was out in full force once again when Estonia found the net for their third goal. Rooba won a face-off at the right before Artjom Gornostajev picked out Titarenko unmarked in the slot. 24 seconds later with the same line still out on the ice, Mikhel Sinikas, the tallest player of the tournament at 199 cm, saw his blueline effort sail in for a 4-0. Two Finnish-based players combined for Estonia's fifth when Silver Kerna picked out Espoo Blues prospect Arrak, who finished high at 8.57. A Michael Mahkwa Auksi blueliner found its way behind Dimitar Dimitrov, who started in Bulgaria's net at 10:43 and before the first frame was over, Arrak had scored a hat-trick and Estonia scored ten unanswered goals.

"These guys are great hockey players, so there is not really that much you can do," said Bulgaria's Georgi Iskrenov following their 26-0 loss. "We have a lot of young players, but they don't get a lot of opportunities in Bulgaria, but they have hockey sense and we try to focus on that, to get them experience and not focus too much on what the score will be," he said as Bulgaria aims to bounce back in their final game against Israel.

"I don't think it's going to be an easy game at all," said Iskrenov. "Estonia kept them to a lower score than against us, and I hope we are going to get a win out of that one."

For the Estonians they now need to stay fully focused on what lies ahead for them when only a win in their final game versus Mexico will be good enough.

"It seems like they will be our toughest opponent, but we just need to continue to play like we done in the first two games, not lower our level of play and just keep on going," said netminder Villem-Henrik Koitmaa