11/13/2021 – Page 4 – CanucksBanter

Women’ s Final Olympic Qualification Group C Tournament For 2022 Winter Olympics

In the second game for each team in Final Qualification Group C, the host Czechs earned their second win with a convincing 16-0 victory over Poland, who fall to 0-2 before 1139 mostly Czech fans in Chomutov, although there was a noticeable Polish contingent in attendance as well.

Katerina Mrazova led the Czech offence with two goals and four assists, while Aneta Tejralova had five assists. In her first appearance of the tournament, Viktorie Svejdova didn’t have to make a ton of saves for the shutout, but did face a couple of odd-man rushes that she came up big on.

The Czechs wasted little time getting started, finding the net twice in the first two minutes. First, it was captain Alena Mills with a nice deflection on Aneta Tejralova’s point shot at the 52-second mark. A minute later, Dominika Laskova used her speed to motor out front and scored with a quick shot. Natalie Mlynkova made it 3-0 with a rising wrister through traffic that beat a screened Agata Kosinska at 6:02.

Poland’s lone shot on goal in the first period came on a 2-on-1 rush, with defender Julia Zielinska electing to shoot and hitting Svejdova in the shoulder.

Poland managed to kill off the lone penalty of the first period, but just 16 seconds after it ended, Mills scored her second of the game on a backdoor pass from Klara Hymlarova at 15:27. Two minutes later, Noemi Neubauerova scored the Czechs’ fifth and final goal of the opening frame.

After getting beaten on six of 17 first-period shots, Kosinska was lifted in favour of Martyna Sass, who had been brilliant against Hungary on Thursday. She could do little to stop the bleeding, however, as the Czechs were relentless in the middle frame, connecting for seven more goals on 26 shots. Mrazova alone had five shots on goal in the middle frame, scoring twice.

With her team down 10, Wiktoria Sikorska, Poland’s lone goal-scorer so far in t he tournament, had her team’s best chance to score late in the second period on a partial breakaway, but Svejdova made a stick save on the five-hole attempt.

Four more Czech goals in the third period made it a 16-0 final, with the hosts spending most of the period in control of the puck, keeping Svejdova’s shutout.

The Czechs now know will be playing Hungary tomorrow with a trip to Beijing on the line. Exactly what they need to secure qualfication will be determined in tonight’s late game between Hungary and Norway.

Women’ s Final Olympic Qualification Group D Tournament For 2022 Winter Olympics

Just over two months after Denmark’s men’s team earned its first-ever trip to the Olympic Games, the women’s national team is poised to follow their colleagues to Beijing with a 1-0 victory over Austria.

Maria Peters scored the game winner and Cassandre Repstock-Romme posted her second shutout in two games, moving Denmark to within one point of a guaranteed spot in the Olympics in Beijing.

It was a clash between two teams that each earned an all-important three points in their opening games, with both eyeing the ultimate prize of a trip to Beijing 2022.

The game was fast-paced and tightly-contested, with Denmark getting a few quality scoring chances coming down the middle of the Austrian defence, but were held back by goaltender Selma Luggin, who has proven to be one of the key pieces to Austria’s success in the tournament so far after a 3-0 shutout of Germany in the opener.

But the Austrians showed in their first game against German that they could be dangerous in transition, and nearly caught the Danes shorthanded on a pair of great scoring opportunities.

Following a scoreless first period, Austria was whistled for tripping with 3:46 left in the second. The puck came into the Austria zone where it was picked up by Denmark forward Silke Glud. Glud was trailed closely by Austrian defender Alessandra Lopez, but she collided with an official that was trying to get out of the play, allowing Gluke to feed Maria Peters in front of the net for the 1-0 score.

In the third period the Austrians ramped up the pressure on Danish goalie Cassandre Repstock-Romme, who had so far played 100 minutes of shutout hockey. But Repstock-Romme and the Danish defense were up to the task, effectively locking down the Austrians allowing just a handful of shots on net and zero time or space in the offensive zone.

Denmark’s victory sets up an decisive Sunday afternoon, which will see Austria take on Italy and Denmark face Germany. With six points and sitting atop the Group D standings, the Danes hold their Olympic destiny in their hands.