Great Britain – CanucksBanter

By Andy Potts | 10 OCT 2021 IIHF

Korea advances to the final qualification round after surviving a British onslaught in Nottingham, in a Great Britain 1-0 win, in the final game of the tournament.

Korea claims top spot in a three-way tie by virtue of goal difference.

It came down to a single goal. Britain had to win by two or more.

Louise Adams got one in the final minute of the second period but that was the only goal that Korea allowed in the entire tournament as 16-year-old netminder Inhye Jang produced another fantastic performance between the piping.

Korea continued with the same line-up that saw it earn shut-out wins over Slovenia and Iceland. Britain, though, shuffled its lines.

Captain Saffron Allen moved to the first line alongside Katie Marsden and Louise Adams. Isabel Whiteley took Allen’s place next to Jodie-Leigh Bloom and Katie Henry, with that trio moving to the third line. The original line three of Rachel Cartwright, Aimee Headland and Katherine Gale was listed as the second line here.

The game developed as a clash of styles. Korea was content to absorb British pressure and look to strike on the counter attack, while the Brits had little option but to push forward in search of the goals it needed to advance.

The first period saw both teams probing each other’s games and clear-cut chances were at a premium.

GB had more efforts on goal but rarely managed to extend young Korean goaltender Inhye Jang. At the other end, Nicole Jackson was less involved in the game, but produced big saves to halt Selin Kim’s solo rush in the eighth minute and then to snuff out a dangerous two-on-one break when Jiyeon Choi teed up Nara Kang on the slot.

The second period began with Korea gaining more control of the game and generating plenty of danger.

Once again, Jackson had to make some big saves to keep home hopes alive. Gradually, though, the momentum began to switch.

Local girl Chamonix Jackson came close midway through the frame but could not quite get her shot away. Then there was an almighty scramble on the Korean crease when Marsden went on the wraparound to feed Allen at the back door. However, the puck would not drop for the captain to shoot cleanly at the empty net.

But the pressure paid off one minute before the second intermission on the first British power play of the night. Louise Adams brought the 1,700-strong crowd to its feet when she rifled home a shot from between the hash marks after another incisive feed from Marsden rounded off a fine spell of possession in the Korean zone.

It was the first goal Korea allowed in 159 minutes of play at this tournament, and it turned a comfortable position for the top seed into a decidedly precarious one.

The British PP was running five in nine as the third period got underway and almost immediately a crunching hit on Adams ushered in chance number 10 for the power play. Henry saw a shot bobble agonisingly wide but this time Lucy Beal’s crunching hit on Jongah Park brought a penalty the other way.

That flurry of penalties continued for both teams as the third period struggled to settle into a rhythm. That suited Korea better than GB, as the clock ticked down and the pressure on the host team piled up.

With 40 seconds left, another Korean penalty enabled Britain to finish the game playing 6-on-4, but there was no way through and Korea claimed top spot.

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.