2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – Page 5

Not every clash of the titans delivers an epic. This Olympic quarter-final battle between Sweden and Canada was more of an arm wrestle than an exhibition.

Not that the Swedes will care after a 2-0 verdict booked a place in the medal round at the 2022 Olympic men’s tournament. That represents a return to form for the Tre Kronor, who bowed out in the 2018 QF against Germany.

It took more than 50 minutes of often grinding hockey to break the deadlock at the National Indoor Stadium. And when Lucas Wallmark did put Sweden in front, it was in keeping with the preceding action that the goal stemmed from a defensive error.

Canada got caught out trying to clear its zone, with Jack McBain’s blind pass going badly astray. Wallmark stole the puck and evaded the attentions of Tyler Wotherspoon as the defenceman tried to retrieve the situation. But Sweden’s CSKA Moscow forward was not to be denied, firing inside Matt Tomkins’ post to open the scoring.

That strike moves Wallmark to five goals, tied with Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky, as the leading sniper at the Games. More importantly, it steered Sweden past Canada into a semi-final match-up with team ROC.

The cagey play that typified this encounter was perhaps not a surprise. These teams know each other very well. Two of the Canadian players, leading scorer Adam Tambellini and goalie Matt Tomkins, currently play in the Swedish League at Rogle and Frolunda respectively. Many more are in regular contact in other European leagues. That familiarity undoubted contributed to the tight battle that unfolded.

Historically, too, these teams often deliver tight games. Their last encounter, in the 2017 World Championship, had little to choose between them.

On that occasion, the Tre Kronor won it in a shoot-out after a 1-1 tie; the two goals were separated by barely two minutes of game time either side of the second intermission. Nicklas Backstrom settled that one in the extras to wrest the title away from Canada.

The teams’ most recent Olympic meeting was also a gold-medal game: in 2014, Canada beat Sweden 3-0 in Sochi on goals from Jonathan Toews, Sid Crosby and Chris Kunitz.

However, there was little golden about a stodgy first period. Sweden had slightly more shots on goal, but there was little to trouble Tomkins or his opposite number Lars Johansson. Canada’s best opportunity came midway through the opening stanza when McBain whipped the puck into the danger zone by Eric Staal was unable to force it home.

At the other end, Sweden’s best chance came on a Canadian power play. A breakaway presented Jacob de la Rose with a chance, but he failed to extend Tomkins.

The pattern did not change significantly in the second period. In the first 10 minutes of the frame, the teams shared just five shots on goal between them and the most anxious moment came when Mathias Brome batted down a bouncing puck and caused Tomkins momentary discomfort before the Canadian goalie got on top of it.

Brome was involved again to carve out the clearest chance of the game when his pass picked out Anton Lander in space at the far post. The Swedish captain, currently playing for EV Zug in Switzerland, got a shot off by was denied by Tomkins’ blocker.

At the other end, Canada had the puck in the net late in the second stanza. However, Jason Demers’ point shot came after a whistle for interference by Jordan Weal as the Ak Bars Kazan forward wrestled Lukas Bengtsson’s stick out of his hands while jockeying for position on the slot.

The third period brought few further chances: it took Canada almost 10 minutes of the frame to muster a shot on target. Even after the Swedes got in front, the Canadians struggled to test Johansson. The SKA St. Petersburg goalie was well protected by his defence, with Sweden enjoying the better of life on the face-off spot and making it hard for Canada to get players to the net for long periods.

And when Tomkins was called to the bench, a breakdown saw Lander put his second goal into the empty net to seal Sweden’s progress. Johansson finished with 24 saves to claim his shut-out.

Source: iihf.com

Finland defeated Switzerland, 4-0, tonight at Wukesong Sports Centre to win its fourth Olympic bronze medal. They scored at even strength, short-handed, and two on the power play, and were masterful at shutting down the top Swiss trio all game long.

And they won in a manner similar to Canada’s men at last year’s World Championship–taking a medal after losing the first three games of the tournament. Just as special, coach Juuso Toivala arrived in Beijing as an assistant coach but had to take over after Pasi Mustonen was forced home to deal with a family emergency. Toivola coached the 2011 Finnish U18 women’s team to bronze and now joins a small group of coaches to win women’s medals at two events.

It was the first ever meeting between the teams for bronze, although previously the Finns had finished third three times (1998, 2010, 2018) and Switzerland once (2014).

For Finland, the win means Jenni Hiirikoski and Michelle Karvinen are now the most decorated European women at the Olympics in hockey, both having won three medals.

Anni Keisala stopped only 15 shots for the shutout while Andrea Braendli was sensational in the Swiss net, facing 47 shots.

While the Finns rolled over four lines and produced a balanced attack, the Swiss had only one line to rely on–Alina Muller-Lara Stalder-Phoebe Stanz. In fact, that line accounted for 10 of the team’s 13 goals in Beijing, and coach Colin Muller played Alina Muller and Stalder as much as he could. It just wasn’t enough, and the Finns were letter perfect inside their own blue line.

It was clear from the outset this would be a closely-fought game, and in the early going the Swiss looked to be the better of the teams. They had more of the puck and territory, but they also couldn’t generate a clear scoring chance. When they got the first power play thanks to a Tanja Niskanen interference penalty on goalie Braendli, they did little, and Finland’s PK did a masterful job.

The game’s first goal came off the rush on a play that hardly looked dangerous. Elisa Holopainen carried the puck into the Swiss end and set up Noora Tulus for a shot. Braendli made the save but went down with a defender, and Viivi Vainikka knocked in the loose puck at 11:36.

The Finns then had a power play of their own which proved ineffective, but Switzerland couldn’t penetrate the Finnish end. Suomi took control of the game in the second, and it was only the superb goaltending of Braendli that kept this a one-goal game. Early on she stopped a Sanni Rantala point shot and then stoned Nelli Laitinen on the rebound. She made great saves on Holopainen and Vainikka, and when Sanni Hakala tried to jam the puck in, Braendli stood her ground. Vainikka and Laitinen then worked a two-on-one beautifully, but again the goalie was there to stop the Laitinen shot.

All the while the Swiss couldn’t muster any offence. Colin Muller double-shifted Muller and Stalder, giving them different linemates, but they couldn’t get near Keisala’s net. And then in a flash, the Swiss had their best chance of the game. The puck bounced over the stick of Minnamari Tuominen at the Switzerland blue line, and Lena-Marie Lutz skated the length of the ice on a clear break. She didn’t get her shot high enough, though, and Keisala got her glove out to make the critical save.

Shots through two periods favoured Finland by a whopping 34-9 margin, but it was still just a 1-0 game. Early in the third, however, they doubled their lead with a key short-handed goal. A penalty for too many skaters against the Finns gave the Siwss just the chance they needed to get back in the game, but it was Finland that scored.

Sinja Leeman lost the puck at the Finland blue line and Susanna Tapani took the puck up ice on a two-on-one with Petra Nieminen, only Nicole Vallario back. When Vallario slid to take away the pass across, Tapani wired a shot over Braendli’s shoulder at 3:24, her sixth goal of the Olympics. That was the dagger to the Swiss heart.

Eight years ago, the Swiss overcame a two-goal deficit in the third against Sweden to win bronze. Not so this year. Laitinen added a third goal at 14:24 on a power play, her big blast beating Braendli over the glove and putting the game out of reach.

Michelle Karvinen closed out the scoring with another power-play goal with only 56.6 seconds remaining.

Source: iihf.com