Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships 2017

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Mens

 

Under 20 Division II Group B World Championships in Logroňo (ESP)

Day 5 (13th January 2017)

 

Final Day

 

13:00  Serbia vs Mexico  7-4

16:30  Belgium vs Australia  5-1

20:00  South Korea vs Spain  5-3

 

 

Final Standing

 

South Korea   won the Men´s Under 20 Division II Group B World Championships 2017 with 14 points and is qualified back to the Under 20 Division II Group A next year, so after only 1 year spend in lower division the South Koreans juniors returns back to div. II A. where they will replace Croatia relegated from this years U20 div. II A in Estonia.

 

Silver medals for the host Spain with 12 points, Spain lost only 1 match in this tournament, unfortunately for them the most important tonight with S. Korea.

 

Bronze Medals go to Serbia, thanks their 3rd place in the tournament with 10 points, Serbia after first 2 lost with S. Korea in the penalty shootout and host Spain, managed to win in regular time all 3 remaining matches.

 

Belgium finished the tournament in 4th place with 6 points thanks 2 wins against Australia and Mexico.

 

Mexico finished 5th wiith 2 points and managed to maintain themselves in this division, the crucial was the match against Australia, which Mexico won 6-5 after overtime, the 2 points from this game was finally enough for the maintain.

 

6th and last place is for Australia with only 1 point after a overtime lose with mexico. Australia will be relegated into lower Under 20 Division III World Championships 2018. They will be replaced by the winner of the U20 Div. III WCh which will be held next week in New Zealand.

 

 

 

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Womens

 

Under 18 Top Division World Championships in Czech Republic

Day 5  (13th January 2017)

 

Semifinal in Zlín

16:00  1A-QF2  Canada vs Sweden   6-2

 

Semifinal in Přerov

16:00  2A-QF1  USA vs Russia  6-0

 

Relegation Round in Přerov

Match 2

12:00  4B-3B Japan vs Switzerland  1-2 after GWS

*Switzerland won the relegation round 2-0 and stay in top division also for next year, Japan is relegated into womens Under 18 Division I Group A 2018 World Championships. and will be replaced in top division by the winner of div. I A played simoultanously this week in Hungary.

 

5th Place Match in Přerov

20:00  Finland vs Czech Republic   2-0

 

 

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WOMEN'S UNDER 18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

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Semifinals

Canada - Sweden   6-2

 

Canada going for gold

Flu-ridden Swedes put up brave fight in 6-2 loss

 

Canada beat Sweden, 6-2, in Zlin at the same time the United States beat Russia, 6-0, in Prerov. Sarah Fillier and Sophie Shirley had two goals each for Canada.

 

The results set up familiar medal matchups tomorrow as the North Americans will play in their tenth straight gold-medal game, in Zlin, while Sweden and Russia will fight for bronze, in Prerov.

 

The Americans won last year, 3-2 in overtime, in St. Catharines, Ontario, while Sweden beat Russia, 2-1, for bronze last year.

 

"We're pleased with the end result," said Canada's coach Troy Ryan, "but not necessarily the process to getting there. We've played better, and I know we can play better tomorrow. We came out a little flat. We took some penalties we shouldn't have. But we came here to play for a gold medal, and now we have that opportunity."

 

But for Sweden the story today was one of terrible luck. Four players had to be scratched from the game because of the flu. Absent were Celine Tedenby, Ethel Wilhelmsson, Wilma Germundsson Wang, and Elin Olovsson. Add to that the injured Ida Press was unavilable, and eight minutes into the game Fia Larsson had to be taken to hospital after a heavy hit left her with a possible concussion.

 

That left coach Ylva Lindberg with exactly nine forwards and six defencemen to play aginst an opponent it had never beaten.

 

"They're at the hotel, sick," Lindberg said of her short bench. "We'll see tomorrow how many players we'll have for the bronze game. It's tough. We knew we'd need our best skating effort to win today, but we can only ask so much from the players who were able to play."

 

"We were a little slow to start, but we picked it up, and that's the most important thing," said Shirley, one of the best skaters you'll ever see at the U18 level.

 

The first period saw an exchange of power plays that favoured Sweden in number and Canada in execution. After killing off an early disadvantage, Canada connected with its own five-on-four. Brooke Hobson’s wrist shot from the high slot found the top corner over Sofia Reideborn’s shoulder.

 

Sweden, however, failed to convert on a major penalty to Amy Potomak. She hit Fia Larsson hard into the boards in the Sweden end and was handed a charging major and game misconduct. 

 

Canada’s penalty killers, however, did a masterful job pressuring the Swedes and didn’t give up much in the way of a good scoring chance.

Canada took control early in the second. Fillier came down the left wing and fired a quick shot to the short side that fooled Reideborn at 6:13. Just two and a half minutes later, Shirley scored to make it 3-0, and the undermanned Swedes looked as though they were out of it.

 

"I didn't see the puck, but it went off my skate," Shirley said. "It's a pretty lucky one, but nice to get. It was my first one."

 

Not so fast. Sweden got on the board at 9:59 on a bit of a lucky play of its own. A shot came out the back side of goalie Edith D’Astous-Moreau and the skittered through the crease. Defenceman Shelby Wood tried to clear it but ended up knocking it into her own goal. Josefin Bouveng got credit.

 

Late in the period the Swedes made things interesting, scoring on the power play. Paula Bergstrom’s point shot found its way through traffic, deflecting and spinning until it finally dribbled in. All of a sudden it was a 3-2 game.

 

"I'm very proud of the team," Lindberg said. "For two periods at least we were in the game and gave ourselves a chance. But we need to do more to beat Canada."

 

Indeed, Canada got the backbreaker six minutes into the third when Shirley got her second of the night, this time knocking in a rebound on a power play. Canada added two empty-netters late in to make the score look a little worse for Sweden than it was.

And now, Canada and the U.S. fight for gold...again.

 

"It's a great rivalry, for sure," Shirley said. "We know we're going to have to take our game up another level from the last time we played [a 1-0 overtime win]."

 

"It feels good to be playing for a medal tomorrow," Lindberg finished. "We can be happy with our accomplishments so far."

 

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WOMEN'S UNDER 18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

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Semifinals

USA - Russia   6-0

 

USA out-classes Russia 6-0

Zumwinkle hat-trick returns USA to final

 

Grace Zumwinkle's first three goals of the tournament paced the USA to a 6-0 semi-final shutout win over Russia and a 10th straight berth in the final.

 

In addition to Zumwinkle's hat-trick, Taylor Wente, Clair DeGeorge and captain Cayla Barnes also had multi-point games, while Lindsey Reed had a relatively easy six-save shutout.

 

“I thought it was our best game of the tournament, “U.S. coach Joel Johnson assessed. “Everything from our defensive play to getting a variety of players involved in the offence was good. It was a really well-balanced game from us and I'm proud of our kids.”

 

“Of course we were hoping to play better hockey and have a better result, but unfortunately we played a really bad game offensively,”

 

Russian coach Yevgeni Bobariko. Regarding the absence of suspended players Oxana Bratisheva and captain Nina Pirogova, he said, “Of course it hurt us, but not so much. Overall we just didn't play well, which is disappointing.”

 

Five of the shots Reed faced were in the first period, when the Russians came out with some jump. However, the two goals from Zumwinkle put the Americans in front, and they never looked back.

 

“It hasn't really hit me yet, but honestly, my linemates made some awesome plays and contributed to my and the team's success,”

 

Zumwinkle began. “We found each other throughout the game. We've had a few line changes, but I think that's helped us as a team find some more combinations that can score. So I think going into tomorrow it should help us.”

 

In the second period it was all USA, out-shooting Russia 20-0. The Russians weren't even able to get a shot during a 40-second 5-on-3 advantage. After the Americans got two more goals early in the second period by Wente and Catherine Skaja, Russian starting goalie Valeria Merkusheva – who was brilliant in a quarter-final shutout of the Czech Republic – was mercifully pulled after allowing four goals on 17 shots, replaced by Diana Farkhutdinova.

 

“Those couple of goals right at the start of the second period really helped us out the rest of the game,” said Skaja. About the team's offensive outburst after getting shut out the last time out, she said: “That was something we really wanted to work on – getting shots to the net and getting to rebounds.”

 

After the goaltending change, the Americans added two power-play goals late in the middle frame to make it 6-0. Zumwinkle completed her hat-trick, and Natalie Heising scored the sixth goal for the Americans, who seemed to be toying with the Russians at this point. Both goals were set up by Barnes, who is now tied for the tournament scoring lead with six points.

 

The third period was just about preserving the shutout, which the Americans did easily, allowing only one Russian shot on goal. They now meet Canada in the final of the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's Championship for the 10th straight year.

 

“We certainly have a goal to win the gold medal – that's what we've set out to accomplish,” said Johnson, looking ahead. “But I'm proud of our players, whatever happens. It's two good teams and it's going to be lots of fun.”

 

As for the Russians, they will meet Sweden in a battle for the bronze.

 

“That's the next task we have in front of us,” said Bobariko. “Of course we're hoping for the best, but it's impossible to say what will happen.”

 

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WOMEN'S UNDER 18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

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5th Place Match

Finland - Czech Republic   2-0

 

Finns win defensive battle

Silvonen shuts out Czechs to finish 5th

 

Finland avenged their group stage defeat to the Czechs with a 2-0 victory in the game for fifth place. Jenna Silvonen made 25 saves for the shutout.

 

The biggest test to Silvonen's shutout came with 3:38 remaining in the third period, when Noemi Neubanuerova was hauled down on a shorthanded breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. The Czech forward tried to make a move, but Silvonen stayed with her and kept it out.

 

“She went to the left and then tried to shoot up,” Silvonen recalled, before confidently stating that she wasn't worried. “I knew I could handle it.”

 

It was Silvonen's second shutout of the tournament, and she only allowed three goals in the four games she played.

 

At the other end, Denisa Jandova's shutout lasted only 25 seconds – that's when defenceman Camille Kahra's long-range slapper along the ice found its way through traffic and into the net. Otherwise the Czech goalie played quite well. 

 

In the second period Jandova had to be sharp as she stopped a couple shorthanded breakaways. The Finns got their second goal just past the midpoint of the period, when Linnea Melotinos managed to get in behind the Czech defence and take a pass. With Jandova at her mercy, Melotinos pulled the puck to her backhand and put it in the net.

 

Overall, Jandova stopped 19 of 21 shots in her only appearance of the tournament. 

 

Otherwise, there weren't many offensive moments between two evenly matched teams. The fact that it was an evenly played game is hardly a surprise, after the meeting between the two teams during the group stage was won in overtime by the Czechs. After each lost their quarter-final games on Wednesday, they were matched up again in this game for fifth and sixth places, and the Finns got their revenge.

 

“Yeah, it's nice to beat them. We thought we should have won the last time, so it wouldn't have been nice to lose again,” said Silvonen, who didn't play in the first meeting.

 

As for finishing 5th, the Finnish goalie reasoned: “Of course, when we started we wanted to win a medal, but finishing the tournament with a win leaves us with a good feeling.”

 

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WOMEN'S UNDER 18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

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Relegation Round 2

Japan - Switzerland  1-2 after GWS

 

Switzerland stays up

Japan loses relegation series but shows promise

 

Rahel Enzler scored the decisive goal in an 18-shot shootout to give Switzerland a 2-1 win and a sweep of the best-of-three, relegation-round series.

 

Her second goal on her third shot of the shootout came on a nice deke of goalie Mei Sato.

 

Enzler also scored in the 7th round of the shotoout with a high wrist shot over Sato's glove, but on the next shot, under pressure, Airi Sato beat Saskia Maurer between the pads to extend the game.

 

"My first attempt wasn't a goal, so I decided to shoot," Enzler explained. "Then the last time, I thought the goalie would be guessing shot, so I should make a move.”

 

Japan played effective and desperate hockey, outshooting the Swiss in regulation and 10 minutes of overtime by a 30-19 count, but they couldn't generate the necessary offence. Overall, they lost all five games here in the Czech Republic by a cumulative score of 14-6.

 

The loss demotes the Japanese women back to Division I-A, whence they came last year, and the Swiss stay up in the top pool of the event for 2018.

 

"We're happy to stay in the top division because next year most of the team can come back," Enzler enthused, "so we think next year we will be better and be able to make the quarter-finals.”

 

“I'm optimistic about the future,” said Japan’s coach, Yoshifumi Fujisawa. “We need to develop our younger players. We have to go down now to the lower division next year, and I think we can win that. Then we can come back up in two years with a more experienced team, and hopefully stay up.”

 

The Swiss got off to the start they’d hoped for, grabbing the quick lead at 3:14. Nina Capelli’s long shot fooled Sato. It was Capelli’s first goal in ten career WW18 games, and teammate Noemi Ryhner asked the referee for the puck.

 

The Swiss had a fairly easy period, moving freely out of their own end, and Japan was rarely able to penetrate to create any effective scoring chances from close range. The game was choppy, marked by frequent whistles, but Japan needed to play with more desperation.

 

They did just that to start the second, and dominated a period which was crucial to their future. They were much stronger inside their own blue line and penetrated to Swiss end with speed and determined forechecking. 

 

But just when it seemed they were in control, they took too successive penalties. Rather than lose momentum, though, they killed off the manpower shortage effectively and refused to allow the Swiss a second goal. Soon enough, they were rewarded.

 

Yuuki Ito claimed a loose puck in centre ice, made a nice move around a defenceman, and skated in alone on goal. Ito made a nice deke on Saskia Maurer and deposited the puck in the far side at 16:56 to tie the game and shock the Swiss.

 

The third was mostly cautiously played, but Japan definitely had the edge in play. In the overtime, the Swiss had a late power play but couldn't capiltaize, forcing the dramatic penalty-shot shootout.

 

“Our main goal was to stay in the elite division which we managed to achieve," said Swiss coach Andrea Kroni. "We only just missed the quarter-finals, but we had a really young team here. We're satisfied with the results, and we'll see what next year brings.”

 

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Last day of the womens Under 18 Top Division, Division I Group A and Division I Group B is scheduled tomorrow Saturday.

 

 

Womens

 

Under 18 Top Division World Championships in Czech Republic

Day 6 Schedule  (14th January 2017)

GMT +1

 

Final Day

 

Bronze Medal Match in Přerov

16:00  Sweden vs Russia

 

Gold Medal Match in Zlín

19:00  Canada vs USA

 

Livestreams

 

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Womens

 

Under 18 Division I Group A World Championships in Budapest (HUN)

Day 5 Schedule (14th January 2017)

GMT +1

 

Final Day

 

12:00  Slovakia vs Norway

*The winner of this match will closely follow the next game and support and pray for a help from France, in fact if France will win against Germany the winner of the SVK-NOR match will win the tournament and qualify for the top division.

15:30  France vs Germany

*Crucial match fro both teams, Germany has everything in their own hands, if they win in regular time everything will be clear and they will be promoted in top division, but France has its own troubles too, France is actually in huge problems, If France will not win tomorrow in regular time they will be relegated ! That would be a huge surprise for last years top division participant.

19:00  Hungary vs Austria

*The Match can be exteremely important only for Hungary and only if France manage a regular time win against Germany in this case Hungary will must answer by winning at least 1 point from this match to avoid the relegation.

 

Livestreams

 

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Womens

 

Under 18 Division I Group B World Championships in Katowice (POL)

Day 5 Schedule (14th January 2017)

GMT +1

 

Final Day

 

13:00  Kazakhstan vs Great Britain

*Direct match for the maintain in the division, Great Britain actually with better cards on hands, Team GB need 1 single point from this match to survive, Kazakhstan will avoid the relegation only after a regular time win.

16:30  Denmark vs Italy

*Also a Direct match, but this time for the promotion on Division I A next year, both teams are undefeated and have 12 points, so all is clear, the winner of the match will qualify for the higher division.

20:00  China vs Poland

 

Livestreams

 

 

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MEN'S UNDER 20 DIVISION II GROUP B

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

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Lee leads the way

Hyukjin scores twice to give Korea promotion

 

Two goals from Hyukjin Lee helped Korea U20 to victory over Spain in Logrono and sent his country back up to Division IIA one year after relegation.

But it took a breathless finale featuring five goals in barely six minutes, plus a passage of 6-on-3 play as Spain threw everything at the Koreans, before the hooter sounded on a 5-3 win for head coach Hyung Jun Cho and his team.

For the host, though, the defeat means another year of frustration in second place, just as Spain endured 12 months ago, when Romania won this section.

The Spanish came into this winner-takes-all showdown against Korea with a one-point advantage after the two teams dominated the competition. Spain picked up crushing victories over Australia (15-2) and Mexico (10-0) to enjoy a goal difference of +28 from four games, while the Koreans also ran riot against the team from Latin America, winning 12-0 on its way to a +18 record. The only blemish for either team came in Korea’s first game, when it needed a shootout to edge past Serbia after a 2-2 tie.

Despite those free-scoring performances, though, it took some time for this game to ignite. The first big opportunity came midway through the first period when Spain’s Ignacio Granell was denied by a great last-ditch challenge from Yun Ho Kim as he shaped to shoot. Granell did better in the 16th minute, opening the scoring with a wicked shot from the face-off spot, even as he tumbled under the attentions of a Korean D-man.

That sparked the visitor into life and the remaining minutes of the period were dominated by Korea. Hyukjin Lee forced the equalizer with 1:45 left to play, exchanging passes with Je Hui Lee behind the net and squeezing the puck home from a tight angle.

The middle stanza saw both teams get a chance to show off their power play, with Korea’s Heedoo Nam and Spain’s Bruno Baldris seeking to orchestrate the offence and capitalize on the numerical advantage. Baldris had the better of that duel, despite Korea enjoying 61 seconds of 5-on-3 play, but the only goal of the period came in the 39th minute. A Spanish attack broke down, Korea countered quickly and Byung Gun Kim wrestled control of the puck behind Lucas Serna’s net. His attempt pass to the slot was deflected, and Ki Suk Lee responded quickest to step up from the point and fire his team ahead.

In the final stanza, with Spain desperate to come back into the game, the host made a lively start and was up 7-2 on shots after five minutes. But Hyounseop Shim in the Korean net was equal to the task and the play steadily became more open as Korea found space on the counter attack. Serna made a big save to deny Byung Gun Kim in front of the net, Spain failed in a one-on-one breakout. Then Korea’s pair of Lees combined once again. Je Hui took the puck into the Spanish zone and set up Hyukjin for a wrist shot from between the hash marks to open a two-goal lead with barely six minutes left.

That was the prelude to some crazy scenes. Two Korean penalties in the space of 13 seconds encouraged Spain to gamble, withdrawing Serna to play 6-on-3. Granell thought he’d got one back when his shot bounced goalwards off a Korean arm; the officials ruled otherwise. Then Granell did get his second of the night after Alfonso Garcia touched Oriol Rubio’s shot into his path.

Spanish joy lasted just seven seconds. Still shorthanded, Korea won the face off and Byung Gun Kim skated through to surprise Serna with a shot over the glove. Korea believed it was safe, but only for 16 seconds when Juan Monge forced home the rebound after Garcia’s shot crashed back off the boards and into the danger zone. Serna headed to the bench once again, but this time Spain coughed up possession and Je Hui Lee added an empty net goal to his two assists.

Spain missed out on gold, but did achieve some individual successes. Rubio’s assist gave him 11 points for the competition, sharing the top scorer honours with Bruno Baldris and Serbia’s Mirko Djumic. Baldris and Rubio were selected as the best defenseman and forward respectively, while the top goalie was Serbia’s Jug Mitic. Granell’s double made him joint leading goalscorer alongside Serbia’s Luka Vukicevic, with six apiece. Baldris finished with 10 assists, way out in front on that chart. For Korea, Heedoo Nam led the scoring with 1+7=8 points, while Hyukjin Lee was the team’s leading goalscorer with five.

Outside of the race for gold, Serbia completed the top three with 10 points from five games. The Serbian first line of Djumic (3+8), Vukicevic (6+3) and Lazar Lestaric (5+4) ensured the Balkan country was well-represented among the competition’s leading scorers. Belgium took fourth place, and Mexico escaped relegation back to Division III with a nerve-jangling 6-5 overtime win over Australia. The Australians, without a victory all week, finished last and face the drop.

 

 

Result Thread

 

 

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just as expected Germany won against France and is promoted, our girls have just like them 12 points, but the head to head confrontation is the tiebreaker and that means that the only one lost unlucky match in the whole tournament cost us once again another year in this lower division thats so f.... unfair, they deserved the top division promotion so much...I´m really frustrated now and so sad..oh damn it.

 

but well can´t say anything the french girls really tried their best today but unfortunately it wasn´t enough for them and for us...well, what can we do. congrats Germany have a nice worlds next year, and lets hope next years team will finally able to qualify for the top division.

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Womens

 

Under 18 Top Division World Championships in Czech Republic

Day 6  (14th January 2017)

 

Final Day

 

Bronze Medal Match in Přerov

16:00  Sweden vs Russia  0-2

 

Gold Medal Match in Zlín

19:00  Canada vs USA  1-3

 

 

So after the mens under 20 triumph USA celebrate another world title and again against Canada. USA   is the Womens Under 18 world Champion 2017. second title in straight and 6th overall.

 

Silver for Canada, second silver in a row at womens U18 and second silver for the country at WCh2017 after the lose in U20 final in Toronto/Montreal few days back.

 

Bronze Medal for Russia. The second one in history, This is also the same podium as this years mens U20 WCh.

 

Sweden finished the tournament without medal at 4th place, Finland 5th and Czech Republic host country 6th, Switzerland 7th survived once again the relegation round an remain in the top division also for next year.

 

8th and last place for Japan, the Japanese girls are the only team that lost all matches during this tournament and is relegated into womens U18 Division I Group A next year. They will be replaced at the top level by the German girls.

 

 

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Womens

 

Under 18 Division I Group A World Championships in Budapest (HUN)

Day 5 (14th January 2017)

 

Final Day

 

12:00  Slovakia vs Norway   4-1

15:30  France vs Germany   2-4

19:00  Hungary vs Austria   3-0

 

 

Germany won the Womens Under 18 Division I Group A 2017 tournament with 12 points and better head to head match with Slovakia (2-0) which means for the young German Girls the promotion for the top division next year. Their only lose this year came surprisingly already in the first match with Norway, but since then Germany won all remaining 4 matches and now can celebrate the success. They will be replaced by Japan next year in this division.

 

Silver (the worst possible medal at lower hockey divisions) go to Slovakia. The young Slovaks finished the tournament also with 12 points but since they lost (their only defeat in the tournament) to Germany, Slovakia must once again digest somehow the fact that their young girls will have to play the division I A next year again...

 

Bronze Medal for Norway with 8 points, the only team who beat the tournament winner in Budapest, but it wasn´t enough since Norway lost many points in other matches.

 

4th place for Hungary with 6 points the biggest surprise of the tournament, the host team was in hard position after first matches, but managed to win the main games against France and Austria which helped them to maintain in this division and finished at very nice 4th rank for them.

 

5th Austria also has 6 points but worst head to head match against Hungary (0-3) which means Austria finished in 5th position, but the young Austrians earned their goal already pretty early, as they were saved also for next year here already after the 3rd round. and thanks that they could enjoy the rest of the tournament and play last 2 matches without notable stress.

 

France finished last 6th with only 1 point ! The worst surprise of the tournament, team which was relegated from top division surprisingly didn´t won a single match in this tournament and is relegated another level down ! France will play next year the Womens Under 18 division I Group B 2018 and will be replaced here by the young Italian Girls.

 

 

 

 

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Womens

 

Under 18 Division I Group B World Championships in Katowice (POL)

Day 5 (14th January 2017)

 

Final Day

 

13:00  Kazakhstan vs Great Britain   2-4

16:30  Denmark vs Italy  1-4

20:00  China vs Poland   0-1 after OT

 

 

Italy won the tournament with the absolute possible 15 points, the young Italians won in regular time all matches and obtains their fully deserved award in form of promotion to the womens Under 18 Division I Group A 2018 World Championships. Italy will be replaced next year in this division I B by France.

 

Denmark relegated from div I A last year didn´t succeed to return quickly back up, the young Danes lost their only match today in the direct battle with the Italians, and with 12 points finished second of the tournament, earned silver medals and will stay in division I B also for next year.

 

Thanks a great finish in last matches the host team Poland ended the home tournament with bronze medals thanks 8 points achieved throughout the tournament.

 

4th Place for Great Britain and 5th place for China both with 5 points (head to head confrontation GBR-CHN 2-1 after Overtime) means both countries gained their right to play the div. I B also for next year.

 

last 6th place remained for Kazakhstan. unfortunately this means the relegation, Kazakhstan will now have the possibility to try it chances next year in the division I B qualifications to win the only available place to return back in this division. Next year they will be replaced by the winner of this years womens Under 18 Division I B qualification tournament which will be held later this month in Spain.

 

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WOMEN'S UNDER 18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

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Bronze Medal Match

Russia - Sweden  2-0

 

Russia blanks Sweden for 3rd

Merkusheva makes 32 saves in 2-0 shutout win

 

Valeria Merkusheva made 32 saves to record her second shut out in three games, and help Russia win the bronze medal with a 2-0 win over Sweden.

 

Yelena Provorova's goal in the second minute of the third period was all the offence Russia needed to claim third place at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship. After the Russians worked the puck around the perimeter of the Swedish zone, her long shot from the point found its way through traffic. It was the only shot to beat Anna Amholt all game on 31 attempts.

 

“I don't think the full impact of the victory has really sunken in yet, but it will soon. So many emotions right now,” said proud Russian head coach Yevgeni Bobariko.

 

The Swedes had three power play chances after Provorova's goal – including two overlapping penalties that produced a 5-on-3 for 49 seconds – and did get some shots on Mekusheva, but the Russian goalie wasn't given too much trouble.

 

Sweden's attempt to even the score was dealt a fatal blow, however, when Paula Bergstrom was penalized for tripping with just 2:20 remaining in regulation time. They then went two players down when Hana Olsson was called for an illegal hit with 1:17 on the clock. With the two-player advantage, Daria Beloglazova hammered the nail in the Swedish coffin.

 

The win avenged last year's bronze medal game in Kitchener, where Sweden won a tight 2-1 game. Both teams had several returning players, and for the Russians it felt especially sweet. 

 

“Last year it was the same two teams and we lost,” said forward and alternate captain Margarita Dorofeyeva, “so it felt really good to beat them this year, twice.”

 

When these two teams met in the group stage, Russia won 2-1 in a shootout. Like that group stage meeting, the game today was scoreless after 40 minutes. This time, the first two periods were in fact themselves like two different games, but neither produced a goal.

 

Sweden came out of the blocks stronger and dominated the first half of the opening period, peppering Merkusheva with shots while the Russians had trouble getting out of their own end. The pressure was especially strong during an early power play, and then around 7 1/2 minutes in, Emil Olovsson hit the goalpost.

 

“Once the players started to play according to our game plan, they executed it very well,” said Bobariko. “We managed to stop the Swedish momentum and turn the play into their zone.”

 

The Russians started to push back late in the first period, and then carried that momentum into the second period, where they were airtight defensively, allowing the Swedes only one shot on goal.

 

“It feels wonderful,” said an elated Russian captain Nina Pirogova. “We fought for each other, played as a team, and showed how resilient we are right to the end.”

 

Pirogova was back in the line-up after serving a one-game suspension in yesterday's semi-final loss to the USA. She was chomping at the bit the whole game, and was extra motivated to play well today.

 

“It felt horrible to not be able to play yesterday and especially not to be able to help the team,” Pirogova admitted. “So it felt great to get back onto the ice with the team today, and I did what I had to do.”

 

“I'm really happy because I think we have a really good team here, so it would have been a shame to leave without a medal,” Dorofeyeva continued. “Yesterday against the USA was a tough game, but today the girls understood that this game was for the medals, so we did our best.”

 

This is the second bronze medal win at the U18 World Championships for Russia, to go along with two bronzes at the senior women's level. Of course, Russia has never won gold or silver - and neither has any European country. Bobariko thinks it's only a matter of time, however.

 

“The more we play against the North American teams, the more confidence we get against them,” he figures. “For us, it's a valuable experience to get to play against them and see how they play.”

 

For now, however, the Russians will enjoy their bronze-medal victory.