10/08/2021 – Page 4 – CanucksBanter

By Derek O’Brien | 08 OCT 2021 IIHF

As expected, Poland and the Netherlands have each won their first two games of the Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualification Group H in Bytom, setting up a single game to decide advancement on Sunday.

That was confirmed following Poland’s 8-1 win over Mexico before a boisterous, drum-beating Friday night crowd.

Urged on by the partisan fans, Poland pressed hard out of the gate and drew an early power play. Mexico killed that off but the Poles opened the scoring just shy of the four-minute mark when Joanna Strzelecka fired a low slapper through a screen and the legs of Mexican keeper Monica Renteria.

Poland went up 2-0 exactly two minutes later on a play that started with a long pass from Oliwia Tomczok that set-up a 2-on-1 rush. Kamila Wieczorek slid a pass across to Wiktoria Sikorska who was streaking to the far post, and the 18-year-old potted her fourth goal of the tournament.

Poland kept coming in waves, outshot Mexico 18-0 in the opening penalty and forced the Mexicans into taking three more penalties, which resulted in power-play goals by Wieczorek, Ewelina Czarnecka and Klaudia Chrapek to give Poland a 5-0 lead after one, for the second day in a row.

The second period was a different story as the Mexicans seemed a lot more composed, both defensively and offensively, and even forced the Poles to take a couple of penalties. They kept Poland from any further scoring until the last three minutes of the period, when Magdalena Lapies converted a rebound to make it 6-0.

But even then, the Mexicans didn’t quit.

In the last minute of the middle frame, Giovanna Rojas blocked a shot and then led a rush up the ice. Her initial shot attempt was blocked by a defender, but captain Claudia Tellez picked up the loose puck and, on her backhand, slid it through the pads of Martyna Sass with 36 seconds left. For the second game in a row, Mexico had struck in the final minute of the second period.

The Mexicans would get no closer, however, as Wieczorek and Chrapek each added their second goals of the game in the third period to make it an 8-1 final.

The result sets up the matchup on Sunday afternoon that both teams have had one eye on since before the start: the Netherlands against Poland. That will be followed by Mexico and Turkey, where one of them will earn their first win.

By Andy Potts | 08 OCT 2021 IIHF

A nerve-jangling clash in Nottingham saw Slovenia grab a narrow victory over Great Britain thanks to goals from its prolific top line. Despite falling behind late in the opening frame, the Slovenians rallied to turn the game around on two goals midway through the second period. And some brave defence, coupled with big goaltending from Pia Dukanic, ensured the victory.

The first period was a fast-paced, sometimes frantic affair. Slovenia jumped out of the blocks and almost caught the host nation cold with two efforts against the post in the opening minutes. Juliya Blazinsek and Tamara Svetina rang the iron as Britain took early penalties and ceded the initiative.

By the midway stage, though, the game had stabilized. There was more evidence of the ‘sticks-in-lanes’ play talked up by head coach Mike Clancy and the home offence began to create some opportunities. However, the Slovenian power play remained a threat and Sara Confidenti forced a big double save from Nicole Jackson to keep the game deadlocked.

It was helter-skelter stuff at times and there was a growing sense that the player who could demonstrate a touch of composure would fashion the breakthrough. Charlotte Harris came close with a blast that drew a great save from Pia Dukaric in the Slovenia net. But the opener had to wait until the final minute of the frame when Britain got its first power play of the night. After the win over Iceland, GB talked about its ability to punish teams on the PP and tonight that came true once again. Lucy Beal, who worked so hard on the penalty kill early on, was the scorer. She picked up on a broken play, turned away from Pia Pren, and circled to the right-hand dot and produced a quick release wrist shot to get past the 21-year-old netminder.

If Britain hoped that a goal so close to the hooter would prove to be a game-breaker, Slovenia had other ideas. The second period was as intensely contested as the first but this time it was the Slovenian power play that made the breakthrough. Perhaps inevitably, it was captain Pren who got the all-important goal, squeezing a shot inside Jackson’s near post after the British goalie robbed Blazinsek with a superb glove save.

And within two minutes, Slovenia had the lead. Confidenti’s solo rush saw her get away from two defenders before Jackson shut the door. However, the puck remained live and Blazinsek was the first to react, lifting it over the goalie’s outstretched pad and over the goal line. Moments later, Eva Dukaric attempted a repeat of Confidenti’s surge but this time Britain got the loose puck to safety after another good stop from Jackson.

The talk from the GB camp was defiant at the second intermission but Slovenia showed resilience of its own in the third period. An early British penalty was efficiently killed and later the home nation failed to make a 5-on-3 advantage pay. In between, Slovenia too enjoyed a two-player advantage but both goalies remained obdurate and the game stayed on a knife edge until the dying moments.