Women's Ice Hockey IIHF Division I Group B World Championship 2024

[hckošice 13,277]

Monday April 1st, 2024 -

Round-Robin Day 2 Results (GMT +3)

 

12:30  Poland  OT3 - 2  Great Britain

16:00  Slovakia  4 - 0  Slovenia

19:30  Italy  2 - 3  Latvia

 

Provisional Standing After Day 2:

 

1.    6

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2.   4

3.   3

4.   3

5.   2

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6.   0

[copravolley 46]

10 minutes ago, hckošice said:

That´s hockey depth and culture. Look, in 2010 we were at the Olympics (8 NOCs only participated) around that we played the Elite division worlds, our team entered the guiness book of records thrashing opponents right and left (Bulgaria 82-0) and look now, we are in the Division I B (pool C in normal words) the generation that came after Vancouver to now was bad, we had to wait for this new generation girls to grow a bit, this team here (and the one which was relegated last year) is the youngest ever (and still missing the youngest of them and the most famous Nela Lopušanová because age restriction, she can play the worlds seniors only from next year - and that will be something ! ) Now with this new-team we build and hope and aim the qualification for the Olympics 2030. So let see how it will work, still a long way to go though...

 

Last year was a anomaly. First we were preparing for the worlds in April then IIHF and China who had the host rights decided to move the tourney to August, our players did not play for a month before the tournament since all their competitions were finished, they were once again too young and inexperienced from interantional play, which we saw when they holded and managed poorly the main part of the matches in Shenzhen, resulting in sorrowful defeats to teams like Netherlands, Norway and so which we expected to beat, the whole atmosphere and quite bad luck in some moments of the games resulted in very embarassing relegation to pool C, where we are this year, and honestly, there no excuses, this is not our level and we do not belong here, anything else than promotion will be a total and epochal fiasco. Young team or not. They have only one task, move up to pool B for neyt year

 

[copravolley 46]

14 minutes ago, hckošice said:

That´s hockey depth and culture. Look, in 2010 we were at the Olympics (8 NOCs only participated) around that we played the Elite division worlds, our team entered the guiness book of records thrashing opponents right and left (Bulgaria 82-0) and look now, we are in the Division I B (pool C in normal words) the generation that came after Vancouver to now was bad, we had to wait for this new generation girls to grow a bit, this team here (and the one which was relegated last year) is the youngest ever (and still missing the youngest of them and the most famous Nela Lopušanová because age restriction, she can play the worlds seniors only from next year - and that will be something ! ) Now with this new-team we build and hope and aim the qualification for the Olympics 2030. So let see how it will work, still a long way to go though...

 

Last year was a anomaly. First we were preparing for the worlds in April then IIHF and China who had the host rights decided to move the tourney to August, our players did not play for a month before the tournament since all their competitions were finished, they were once again too young and inexperienced from interantional play, which we saw when they holded and managed poorly the main part of the matches in Shenzhen, resulting in sorrowful defeats to teams like Netherlands, Norway and so which we expected to beat, the whole atmosphere and quite bad luck in some moments of the games resulted in very embarassing relegation to pool C, where we are this year, and honestly, there no excuses, this is not our level and we do not belong here, anything else than promotion will be a total and epochal fiasco. Young team or not. They have only one task, move up to pool B for neyt year

Ok I understand. I don't expect Italy to be on the level with Slovakia or the Czech Republic in men's or women's but note that, for example, Hungary or the Netherlands in women's are at a decent level and I believe that Italy, with a good program, could reach their level. Even more so since 2019 we know that we will organize the winter games with Milan-Cortina in 2026. I believe that our defeats against Poland, UK and the weak women`s Latvia are a disgrace to our hockey. Unfortunately, the situation is not better for men either and recently we have been regularly losing to Poland and the UK. I don't know what your opinion is on this and what would need to be done to raise the level of Italian hockey?

[hckošice 13,277]

2 hours ago, copravolley said:

Ok I understand. I don't expect Italy to be on the level with Slovakia or the Czech Republic in men's or women's but note that, for example, Hungary or the Netherlands in women's are at a decent level and I believe that Italy, with a good program, could reach their level. Even more so since 2019 we know that we will organize the winter games with Milan-Cortina in 2026. I believe that our defeats against Poland, UK and the weak women`s Latvia are a disgrace to our hockey. Unfortunately, the situation is not better for men either and recently we have been regularly losing to Poland and the UK. I don't know what your opinion is on this and what would need to be done to raise the level of Italian hockey?

Money.

 

Put in and invest a lot of money, bring foreign experts who will rebuild everything and create a long-term real plan. Better management work To increase the media coverage of hockey, it will not work without it. It is clear that it is difficult in Italy, competing with all the other significantly more (many many many other) popular (and successful) team sports in the country is probably an impossible task. (in our country it is easier, hockey is basically the number one national sport, it fullfil daily all newspapers and TV news first pages and headlines, but it obviously work at the expense of other team sports which are unpopular and poorly attractive here)

 

however, as I said it is vital to reach greater public interest, a big popularity will result in great media coverage, increasing the number of children participating in this sport, bigger interest of young players will open questions of forming specialized hockey schools and various hockey specialized centers led by foreign and local hockey coaches and experts this result in a higher number of better and skilled young talents and then find the best of them and send them to northern Europe, Sweden and Finland are European powers in work with youth hockey players. At the same time, a larger base increases logically also the interest of overseas scouts, a higher probability of talents who will then receive chances and go to play and study the game in North America, etc... It will never work without money and media coverage.

 

There is, of course, also easier path. the path of naturalizing North Americans with Italian roots, this may bring a quick result and success of course, but it is not a systematic project, and after their departure, everything can return to oblivion.

 

but again, I admit in Italy it may be hard to create such project, I expect almost every italian kid to dream about becoming a footballer rather than a sport they probably even never heard about. (here many kids dreams about playing the NHL that is the difference and what I said earlier, the hockey culture of the country. Slovaks are generally not interested on basketball, handball, water polo etc... but start the day with watching ice hockey results and news from different leagues etc...) It is how it is.

 

Anyway, we moving rather far off topic, so back to this, good luck here and I still think Italy has chance to avoid relegation, nothing is set, there still 3 matches for your girls in Riga and anything can happen.

Edited April 1 by hckošice

[copravolley 46]

25 minutes ago, hckošice said:

Money.

 

Put in and invest a lot of money, bring foreign experts who will rebuild everything and create a long-term real plan. Better management work To increase the media coverage of hockey, it will not work without it. It is clear that it is difficult in Italy, competing with all the other significantly more (many many many other) popular (and successful) team sports in the country is probably an impossible task. (in our country it is easier, hockey is basically the number one national sport, it fullfil daily all newspapers and TV news first pages and headlines, but it obviously work at the expense of other team sports which are unpopular and poorly attractive here)

 

however, as I said it is vital to reach greater public interest, a big popularity will result in great media coverage, increasing the number of children participating in this sport, bigger interest of young players will open questions of forming specialized hockey schools and various hockey specialized centers led by foreign and local hockey coaches and experts this result in a higher number of better and skilled young talents and then find the best of them and send them to northern Europe, Sweden and Finland are European powers in work with youth hockey players. At the same time, a larger base increases logically also the interest of overseas scouts, a higher probability of talents who will then receive chances and go to play and study the game in North America, etc... It will never work without money and media coverage.

 

There is, of course, also easier path. the path of naturalizing North Americans with Italian roots, this may bring a quick result and success of course, but it is not a systematic project, and after their departure, everything can return to oblivion.

 

but again, I admit in Italy it may be hard to create such project, I expect almost every italian kid to dream about becoming a footballer rather than a sport they probably even never heard about. (here many kids dreams about playing the NHL that is the difference and what I said earlier, the hockey culture of the country. Slovaks are generally not interested on basketball, handball, water polo etc... but start the day with watching ice hockey results and news from different leagues etc...) It is how it is.

 

Anyway, we moving rather far off topic, so back to this, good luck here and I still think Italy has chance to avoid relegation, nothing is set, there still 3 matches for your girls in Riga and anything can happen.

The problem is that hockey is limited only to northern Italy. Thanks, but I think our relegation is inevitable. Of these 3 matches, 1 is against Slovakia, which means 1 defeat is certain. The only solution is 2 wins for 3 points against Poland and Slovenia, which will be difficult given our current mental form at this tournament. Relegation to 4th division will be a disaster, especially in this situation: https://thehockeynews.com/womens/international/pwhl-montreal-gm-daniele-sauvageau-has-role-with-team-italy-as-dib-world-championships-begin

 

It seems that the Italian team did much better last year with an Italian coach

 

Relegation to the 4th division means matches against teams such as Spain, Mexico and Taiwan... I don't know if it will make sense to keep the expensive Canadian staff for rematches against such weak teams. On the other hand, there are the Olympic Games in 2026 in Milano...

[hckošice 13,277]

Wednesday April 3rd, 2024 -

Round-Robin Day 3 Schedule (GMT +3)

 

12:30  Slovakia vs Great Britain

16:00  Poland vs Italy

19:30  Latvia vs Slovenia

[hckošice 13,277]

Wednesday April 3rd, 2024 -

Round-Robin Day 3 Results (GMT +3)

 

12:30  Slovakia  7 - 1  Great Britain

16:00  Poland  1 - 2  Italy

19:30  Latvia  3 - 4PSO  Slovenia

 

Provisional Standing After Day 3:

 

1.    9

------------------

2.   5

3.   4

4.   4

5.   3

------------------

6.   2

[copravolley 46]

The Italians must win against Slovenia in the last match for 3 points and they should save themselves. I just hope that Slovakia will treat their last match against Poland with 100% confidence before which they will be sure of 1st place and promotion.

[hckošice 13,277]

Friday April 5th, 2024 -

Round-Robin Day 4 Schedule (GMT +3)

 

12:30  Italy vs Slovakia

16:00  Slovenia vs Great Britain

19:30  Poland vs Latvia

[copravolley 46]

Italy- Slovakia 3-2