Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships 2017

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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2017

 

 

 

DAYS

-17

 

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17 Days to Go, Time to introduce another participating Team of the 2017 World Championships,

today its the turn of Slovakia,

Since winning silver in 2012 Slovakia has placed 9th overall for the last three seasons and will be aiming to finish higher at the upcoming World Championships where the team starts in Cologne.

 

 

SLOVAKIA

 

 

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Group A

Finland 6 - 3 Canada
Period-by-Period: 1-1, 3-1, 2-1
April 18th 2017, h. 15:30, Poprad Arena, Poprad

 

 

Finland takes first place

Early goals in each period undo Canada

 

Finland defeated Canada 6-3 this afternoon in Poprad, giving it first place in Group A and a quarter-finals date with the fourth-place team from Group B.

 

Kristian Vesalainen led the way with three goals for the Finns.

 

Canada managed just 20 shots to Finland's 34 and looked like the slower team from the get-go.

 

"The second and third periods especially were good for us," said Finnish defenceman Miro Heiskanen. "It was a good win for us. We played well on defence and limited their chances."

 

Canada will now travel to  Spisska Nova Ves on Thursday to meet the third-place team in Group B, quite likely Sweden.

 

Finland scored goals early in each period to gain momentum and unnerve the Canadians.

 

"It's a terrible feeling, and we don't want this to happen again," Matthew Strome said. "They got all the momentum in the second, and we couldn't get it back.

 

"We have to give them some credit," Maxime Comtois added. "They're a fast team, highly skilled. We weren't disciplined, and they scored on the power play."

 

It was a peculiar and strange start to the game, especially for Canada. Just 13 seconds after the faceoff, Jaret Anderson-Dolan took a needless penslty for runnung into goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

 

The Finns took advantage immediately, scoring at the 56-second mark. Kristian Vesalainen's shot dribbled through the pads of Ian Scott and over the goal line.

 

On the same play, Jared McIsaac took a slashing penalty, leaving Canada short-handed for almost the entire first three minutes of the game.

 

But after killing off that second penalty, Canada tied the score. Joshua Brook made a nice pinch along the boards to intercept a puck and fired a great pass to Jack Studnicka who fired a quick shot past Luukkonen as he was falling.

 

Finland started the second as it had the first, scoring early and putting Canada on its heels. This time it was Vesalainen jumping on a rebound off an Urho Vaakanainen shot at 0:30.

 

Unlike the first, though, Finland continued to control play. In fact, Canada looked decidedly tired and managed only four shots all period. The Finns made it 3-1 on a great shot by Heiskanen over Scott's glove.

 

"It was a really good pass from Jesse [Ylonen], and I saw a little space so shot there. Fortunately, it went in."

 

Then, at 12:37, Suomi added a fourth goal. Santeri Virtanen made a nice steal of the puck just inside his own blue line and flew the length of the ice, making a smooth deke and backhanding the puck past the outstretched glove of Scott.

 

Canada got one back late when Jett Woo drilled a shot top shelf over Luukkonen's shoulder at 18:38, but it was an uphill climb still remaining.

 

As with the first and second, though, Finland struck early in the third. This time the goal came at 1:24 as Kasperi Kotkaniemi fed Teemu Engberg for a great re-direct in front. At that point, coach Darren Rumble deicded a shakeup was needed and pulled Scott in favour of Jake McGrath.

 

Mackenzie Entwistle made it 5-3 at 11:18 on the power play when his low shot snuck under Luukkonen. That's as close as they got. Vesalainen added a final goal into the empty net to finish the scoring.

 

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Group B

Sweden 1 - 5 United States
Period-by-Period: 0-2, 1-1, 0-2
April 18th 2016, h. 15:30, Arena Spisska Nova Ves, Spisska Nova Ves

 

 

USA gets top spot with win

With loss, Swedes’ placement depends on CZE-RUS

 

Team USA claimed first place in Group B with a 5-1 win over Sweden in the last group stage game for both teams. Sweden will finish either third or fourth.

 

The game was not as one-sided as the score indicated, however.

 

Needing only a single point to secure top spot, the Americans took a stranglehold on the game by taking a 2-0 first period lead. They then traded goals in the second period, despite being outshot 21-6, with Dylan St. Syr making 20 saves, and added a couple of insurance markers in the third.

 

Sean Dhooghe opened the scoring at the 8:40 mark, putting in a rebound after Adam Ahman had stopped Michael Pastujov’s initial shot. They made it 2-0 in the last minute of the period when Oliver Wahlstrom got his own rebound below the goal line and banked a shot in off Ahman.

 

When Joel Farabee made it 3-0 on a penalty shot early in the second period, it looked like the Americans were home and cool, but the Swedes didn’t give up.

 

Knowing they needed a regulation win to get top spot in the group, the Sweden came out with everything they had in the middle 20, peppering St. Cyr with shots. They didn’t solve the U.S. goalie, however, until the last minute of the period. On the power play, Filip Westerlund won a battle for the puck in the corner, cut out in front, and beat St. Cyr with a low backhander to give his team some hope heading into the final period.

 

The Americans played a lot stronger defensively in the final period, however. And when Ryan Poehling one-timed Dhooghe’s centring pass home with 9:15 on the clock to restore their three-goal lead, they were able to breathe a bit of a sigh of relief.

 

Walhstrom's second of the game with 1:55 left made it a 5-1 final.

 

With six points, Sweden can finish either third or fourth in Group B, depending on the outcome of the nightcap in Spisska Nova Ves involving Russia and the Czech Republic.

 

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Womens

 

Division I Group A World Championships 2017 in Graz (AUT)

Day 3 (18th April 2017)

GMT +2

 

13:00  Japan vs Norway  5-3

16:30  Hungary vs Denmark  2-0

20:00  France vs Austria  1-3

 

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Mens

 

Under 18 Division I Group B World Championships 2017 in Bled (SLO)

Day 3 (18th April 2017)

GMT +2

 

13:00  Japan vs Ukraine  5-4 After OT

16:30  Poland vs Slovenia  0-2

20:00  Austria vs Italy  2-5

 

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Group A

Switzerland 1 - 2 Slovakia
Period-by-Period: 0-0, 1-1, 0-1
April 18th 2017, h. 19:30, Poprad Arena, Poprad

 

 

Group A Final Standing

 

Nation	P	W(OTW)	L(OTL)	GF	GA	+/-	Pt.
Finland	4	4(0)	0(0)	23	10	+13	12
Canada	4	3(1)	1(0)	18	13	+5	8
Slovakia	4	2(0)	2(1)	13	10	+3	7
Switzerland	4	1(0)	3(0)	9	14	-5	3
Latvia	4	0(0)	4(0)	3	19	-16	0

 

 

Slovaks win, finish third

Loss sends Swiss to Spisska to face U.S.

 

Slovakia rode the crest of a huge wave of fan support tonight to edge Switzerland, 2-1, to finish third in Group A standings.

 

The Slovaks now will play Russia in the quarter-finals in Poprad while the Swiss must play the U.S. in Spisska Nova Ves. 

 

From the opening faceoff the game had a feeling of overtime to it. Both teams knew that to lose would mean a date with the United States on Thursday, not a favourable prospect. 

 

To win, a date with Russia or the Czechs was daunting, to be sure, but preferable all the same.

 

"It was more about emotion tonight," said defenceman Marek Korencik, who set up the game-winning goal in the third, "but we won and that's about the character of the team."

 

Coach Norbert Javorcik agreed. "In the first three games, I thought we showed a lot of skill," he said. "Tonight, we showed a lot of fight--we played with our hearts."

 

Indeed, the Slovaks had an extra player on the ice all night long--the fans. "It's incredible," Korencik said. "They are so loud, but we understand what they are saying. This is something special. I love it! I thank them for this."

 

"We wanted to win this game," declared Swiss forward Nico Hischier. "We came out strong, but I thought in the end I think the team that wanted it more won--and that was Slovakia. You have to be 100 per cent ready all game."

 

Despite the pressure of the moment and some heavy hits after puck drop, tonight's game featured only two minor penalties, one to each team, and neither factored in the scoring.

 

It took more than half the game to see a puck cross the goal line, but then fans were treated to two superb goals in quick succession.

 

The first goal from the Slovaks was the result of an unbelievable series of checks by Adam Liska, who was on his stomach and on his knees as he outwitted not one, not two, but three Swiss players to keep the puck in the offensive zone. 

 

Finally, he scooped the puck to Adam Ruzicka who fired a quick pass to Milos Fafrak at the crease. Fafrak made a quick little deke and flipped the puck in at 11:20.

 

But even as the sold-out arena was celebrating, the Swiss were creating a goal of their own. Coming in over the blue line on a three-on-three rush, Nico Hischier waited patiently and found Philipp Kurashev in front. He didn’t miss the wide open net.

 

"I think both teams were nervous at first," Hischier said. "No one wanted ot make a mistake. In the second, we got more pucks to the net, and we were able to tie the game." 

 

The Slovaks struck for the next goal--the final goal--early in the third. Marek Korencik fired a long shot that was directed into the corner by goalie Akira Schmid, and Korencik chased after it. From the icing line he shot it at the net, and Jozef Balaz redirected the puck past a stunned goalie at 1:40.

 

"In the intermission, we talked about being patient," Javorcik said. "We talked about believing in themselves."

 

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Group B

Czech Republic 4 - 5OT  Russia
Period-by-Period: 1-1, 1-1, 2-2, OT: 0-1
April 18th 2016, h. 19:30, Arena Spisska Nova Ves, Spisska Nova Ves

 

 

Group B Final Standing

 

Nation	P	W(OTW)	L(OTL)	GF	GA	+/-	Pt.
United States	4	4(0)	0(0)	22	7	+15	12
Russia	4	3(1)	1(0)	16	11	+5	8
Sweden	4	2(0)	2(0)	8	12	-4	6
Czech Republic	4	1(0)	3(1)	15	17	-2	4
Belarus	4	0(0)	4(0)	7	21	-14	0

 

Russians edge Czechs in OT

Russia 2nd, Sweden 3rd, Czechs 4th in Group B

 

Mark Rubinchik's second goal and third point of the game gave Russia a 5-4 overtime win over the Czech Republic to finish Group B.

 

However, overtime was the least dramatic part of the game, as the 4-4 finish to regulation time was enough to determine the final order of finish in Group B, with the Russians taking second place, Sweden third and the Czech Republic fourth.

 

The Czechs led 4-3 late in the third period. That score would have been enough to lift them above Sweden and into third place. However, Kirill Maximov’s high shot from a sharp angle with 2:05 left in the third period changed everything. Even with a one-goal defeat, however, Russia still would have finished second.

 

"It was never even a thought for us that we would be happy with losing by one goal," Russian captain Alexei Lipanov said. "We were here to win this game, that's it. We had a good attitude today."

 

Regardless of what's at stake, a game between the Czechs and Russians rarely lacks emotion. With both teams safely in the quarter-finals but not knowing their exact placement in Group B, it was a highly spirited affair.

 

As has been the case all tournament, the Czechs enjoyed home-like support from the fans in Spisska Nova Ves, and came out of the gate playing hard. However, it was the Russians who opened the scoring midway through the first period. After just 23 seconds of power play time, Rubinchik sent an armour-piercing blast from the point through a crowd and inside the far post.

 

"Usually when you take a one-timer you're just trying to hit the puck squarely and make it go as hard as possible, but I kinda saw the open corner on the goalie," Rubinchik said. "There's always a bit of luck involved in every shot you take, but yeah, it went in and I'm happy."

 

A few minutes later the Czechs got their first power play and momentum swung back their way. Zhukov made a big save off a one-time blast from Martin Necas, and then with Russia back at full strength the Czechs tied it. Jachym Kondelik with a nice backhand pass to send David Kvasnica in alone, and he beat Zhukov with a nifty backhand deke.

 

The teams traded great scoring chances early in the second period, and then Russia regained the lead near the midpoint when Nikita Shashkov provided a beautiful tip of Veniamin Baranov’s long wrister - re-directing the low shot into the roof of the net.

 

But four minutes later the Czechs tied it again when FIlip Chytil found Filip Zadina in the high slot, and he beat Zhukov with a quick wrister.

"We could have won the game in regulation time, but we let them come back every time we took the lead," Rubinchik said. "For sure there are going to be changes, I know that. But we battled to the end so we're happy about that."

 

The Russians very nearly took the lead for the third time in the dying seconds of the middle period when they broke into the zone 2-on-1. Andrei Svechnikov re-directed Ivan Chekhovich’s cross-ice pass, but Jiri Patera slid across and made and made a spectacular pad save.

Instead, they re-took the lead in the third period period when Andrei Svechnikov fired a wrister from the high slot. The Czechs then got goals from Krystof Hrabik and Jan Kern to take the lead for the first time in the game with 11:20 left in regulation time.

 

It looked like that would be the goal that vaulted the Czechs into third place before Maximov’s goal.

 

 

Quarterfinals Pairing

1A-4B  Finland vs Czech Republic

1B-4A  United States vs Switzerland

2A-3B  Canada vs Sweden

2B-3A  Russia vs Slovakia

 

 

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Mens

 

Under 18 Division I Group B World Championships 2017 in Bled (SLO)

Day 4 Schedule (19th April 2017)

GMT +2

 

13:00  Japan vs Poland

16:30  Slovenia vs Italy

20:00  Ukraine vs Austria

 

Livestream

 

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4 games, 4 wins!!   Our U18 team is very good this year  I think that only USA can really challenge us. Canada was powerless and unskilled in our last game against them. Finland was able to make a shorthanded goal   But next, Death matches. You lose, You're out 

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Mens

 

Under 18 Division I Group B World Championships 2017 in Bled (SLO)

Day 4 (19th April 2017)

GMT +2

 

13:00  Japan vs Poland  3-2

16:30  Slovenia vs Italy  3-1

20:00  Ukraine vs Austria  1-2