Iceland – CanucksBanter

By Andy Potts | 10 OCT 2021 IIHF

Iceland gave Slovenia an almighty scare before succumbing 6-2 in its final game of the Women’s Olympic Qualification Group F tournament in Nottingham.

Two goals from Kolbrun Gardarsdottir twice gave Iceland the lead in this one, but Slovenia’s powerful first line had enough to retrieve the situation and record the win – albeit tighter than anticipated.

After failing to score in the first two games, Iceland put that record straight within two minutes. And, to prove it was no fluke, the underdog bit again in the second period with a short-handed tally to lead 2-1.

However, goals late in the middle frame from Sara Confidenti and Pia Pren turned the scoreboard around and set Slovenia on the way to second victory.

The Icelanders started fast. A Slovenia penalty on 60 seconds presented them with the opportunity, and after the power play got set in the O-zone, captain Silvia Bjorgvinsdottir fed Gardarsdottir for a centre point shot that ricocheted past Pia Dukaric and into the net.

That lead was shortlived as Slovenia’s top line got to work. Pren opened up her box of tricks, executing a neat toe drag and slipping a backhand pass onto the stick of Julija Blazencik to tie it up on 4:16. But the game remained even and Iceland were good value for the 1-1 score at the first intermission.

It got even better for Gardarsdottir after the break. Her team took a bench minor, but Slovenia’s Nina Loncar coughed up the puck in the Icelandic zone and Gardarsdottir was off to the races.

The 19-year-old forward, another product of the Akureyri hockey set-up, dashed down the ice and won her duel with Dukaric in emphatic fashion.

And this was no backs-to-the-wall effort from Iceland. True, goalie Birtu Helgudottir had to make some big saves, most notably to deny Tamara Breznik and Nina Maver, but there were chances at the other end as well.

Gunnborg Johansdottir had a fantastic opportunity to extend the Icelandic lead after a turnover in centre ice but this time Dukaric closed the door.

Then came the fightback.

Confidenti tied the score, rifling home a Pren feed from behind the net. And, four seconds before the second intermission, Pren’s line punished Iceland after forcing a turnover in centre ice. Blazincek drove forward with the puck and picked out her captain for a close range finish to make it 3-2.

That lead was quickly extended at the start of the third when Blazincek walked in off the boards and lasered an unstoppable effort to the top shelf.

Iceland continued to create chances, with Berglind Leifsdottir drawing another good stop from Dukaric before Brynhildur Hjaltested fired narrowly wide of an open corner on a power play.

However, those misses proved costly and a Slovenia power play saw Katja Biscak fire home a fifth goal before, fittingly, Pren had the final say with an empty net marker.

by Andy Potts 08 OCT 2021 IIHF

Korea posted its second victory in Nottingham with a commanding performance against Iceland. The offence went goal crazy, putting up double figures in a comprehensive victory.

At the other end, the two 16-year-old goalies, Inhye Jang and Yejin Lee shared their team’s second shut-out in two games as the defence clamped down on the Icelandic attack.

Fellow teenager Eunji Lee continued her bright start in international hockey with another goal and an assist in the first period to spark an impressive offensive display.

For Iceland, once again, this was another difficult day. Blanked by GB in the opening game, Jon Gislason’s team was unable to muster a shot on goal in the first period as Korea dominated every inch of the ice.

It took just eight minutes for that control to deliver a tangible reward when Yunjung Choi’s good work was finished off by Yunha Song to open the scoring. Moments later, Jongah Park potted the second, intercepting the puck in centre ice and exchanging passes with Eunji Lee before beating Andrea Bachmann in the Icelandic net.

Lew was the next to score as Korea’s power play strutted its stuff. Her wrister from the right-hand circle whistled past Bachmann.

Any hopes of an Iceland revival were ruthlessly quashed at the start of the second as Korea added two more goals in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the frame. Sieun Choi forced home a loose puck from close range to make it 4-0 before Chaelin Park slalomed past a defender and fired home number five.

There was a test for Jang at last in the 25th minute when Herborg Geirsdottir got on a solo rush. However, the 20-year-old Swedish-based forward was unable to find a way past the Korean teenager.

At the other end, Heewon Kim’s charge was halted by a trip that left the experienced forward down on the ice for some time. Happily she was able to return to the game, and Korea punished Iceland on the subsequent power play with Ye Eun Park forcing the puck home via a deflection.

After Thursday evening’s loss to Britain, Iceland showed visible signs of tiredness and as the game progressed it was getting harder and harder for the team to stay out of the penalty box. In the third period, the island nation had to defend 46 seconds of 3-on-5 play. That was achieved, thanks in part to a good sliding save from Bachmann, but Korea was able to convert the 5-on-4 power play through Jiyeon Choi.

There was more to come, with Selin Kim added a goal to two earlier assists while Heewon got her second helper of the game.

By now, everything Korea attempted was coming off. Even when Iceland got a double power play, a breakdown in the offensive zone enabled Heewon to race down the ice and claim a shorthanded goal against an increasingly demoralized opponent.

Back at even strength, captain Jiyeon Choi added a tenth goal and Bachmann was replaced by Birtu Helgudottir.

With victories in its first two games, Korea now advances to a Sunday night showdown against Great Britain. A win against the tournament host would see Sang Jung Kim’s team justify its top seeding here and advance to next month’s final qualification round. Iceland finishes against Slovenia, looking for some consolation after two difficult games.