In a key match-up that could go a long way to deciding the quarter-final aspirations of both teams, Japan edged Sweden 3-1 in the first game for both teams at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Historically, Sweden has had a much stronger women’s hockey team than Japan, but the tables have turned somewhat in recent years, with Japan prevailing 3-2 in their last meeting at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. While the Swedes finished ninth in that tournament and were relegated, Japan had its highest-ever finish last August in Calgary in sixth.

Unsurprisingly, the teams played very evenly for most of the first period but the Japanese started to press more as the period wore on. Then in the final minute, Shiori Koike snuck in from the point and the Swedes totally lost track of her as she set up shop in the slot. Suzuka Taka won a battle in the corner and fed the wide-open Koike, who picked the top corner on Emma Soderberg with 47 seconds to play in the period.

However, the Swedes tied it just 30 seconds into the second period. As they entered the zone, defender Maja Nylen-Persson did a good job to keep the puck in at the line, then broke for the net. She took a relay feed from Felizia Wikner-Zienkiewicz and then fired a shot that just found its way under the arm of Nana Fujimoto and dribbled across the goal line.

After the equalizing goal, Japan went back to carrying the edge in play and outshot Sweden 15-7 in the middle frame. Soderberg wasn’t to be beaten, however. Sweden’s scoring chance the rest of the way in the period also went to Sweden and wasn’t even a shot on goal, as Josefin Bouveng’s backhander rang off the crossbar in the 33^rd minute. The Japanese nearly struck in the last minute of the period again as they broke in 2-on-1 but Soderberg made a huge save off Haruka Toko’s one-timer.

Japan did regain the lead four minutes into the third period, however. Some tenacious checking by the Shiga sisters, Akane and Aoi, caused a turnover in the neutral zone and Aoi Shiga sprung Rui Ukita on a breakaway. Shiga made no mistake, beating Soderberg with a perfect wrister over the blocker.

Sweden threatened for the next equalizer on the power play when Hikaru Yamashita was penalized for shooting the puck out of play, and they turned up the heat when Fujimoto lost her goal stick in a scramble but the Japanese goalie made a big blocker save off a point shot from Nylen-Persson.

With 2:20 to play, Swedish coach Ulf Lundberg called a timeout and pulled Soderberg for a sixth attacker. The Swedes pressed hard for the equalizer but Haruna Yoneyama hit a long-distance empty-netter with 1:01 to play to ice the victory for Japan.

Source:iihf.com