Eight great 1998 moments

February 9, 2018, 3:44 pm

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since women’s hockey first appeared at the Olympics in 1998. It’s a special anniversary.

Women’s hockey has come a long way worldwide since the United States won that historic inaugural gold medal in Japan. Let’s revisit eight great moments from the Nagano tournament as we pay tribute to the pioneers of this Olympic sport.

1) Vaarakallio gets the party started

Finnish forward Petra Vaarakallio beat Sweden’s Annica Ahlen for the first goal in Olympic women’s hockey history. It came at 8:35 of the first period in a 6-0 win at the Aqua Wing Arena on 8 February. In 2005, Vaarakallio became the all-time leading scorer in the Finnish women’s league, although the Espoo product was later surpassed by fellow ‘98 Olympian Karoliina Rantamaki (the future all-time Olympic games leader with 27 games).

2) Hats off to Goyette

On 8 February, Canadian legend Danielle Goyette potted the first Olympic hat trick in a 13-0 romp over host Japan. The dazzling forward scored once in each period and added an assist on captain Stacey Wilson’s second-period goal. Goyette, who retired at 41 in 2007, was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.

3) Riikka runs wild

Riikka Nieminen (now Valila) racked up two goals and three assists in a 11-1 victory over Japan on 9 February, which put her on track to win the first Olympic women’s scoring title with 12 points. Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2010, Valila, 44, is the only player in PyeongChang who also participated in Nagano.

4) China steps up

China’s 3-1 win over Sweden on 12 February was a vital stepping stone en route to fourth place in this six-team tournament. As usual, goalie Guo Hong, nicknamed “The Great Wall of China,” played a key role for her team. She made 23 saves, limiting the Swedes to one goal through two periods before the Chinese rallied with three goals in the final stanza. China will host the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

5) Greatest American comeback

U.S. coach Ben Smith gave out chocolate hearts to his team before this sweet Valentine’s Day victory over archrival Canada. Coach Shannon Miller’s stars, who’d never lost to the U.S. en route to all four previous Women’s World Championship titles, were up 4-1 at 5:53 of the third period. But amazingly, the Americans roared back with six unanswered goals in 11:53 to win 7-4. Captain Cammi Granato led the way with two goals and an assist. It was a major psychological boost to win such a bitter battle.

6) Hello, Hayley!

Hayley Wickenheiser didn’t get the medal she wanted, but the 19-year-old from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan still made an indelible impression at her first Games. Building her resume as the world’s top power forward, she totalled two goals and six assists in five games. “Wick” would go on to capture four straight Olympic gold medals with Canada and finish her career as the all-time Winter Games leading scorer (51 points).

7) A fine Finnish

Finland, often touted as the world’s third-best team, lived up to that reputation with a 4-1 win over China in the bronze medal game. Emma Laaksonen (now Terho), the future Finnish national team captain, became the youngest Olympian to win a medal for Finland at 16 years and 54 days.

8) America’s golden glory

In a supremely dramatic gold medal game, the United States triumphed 3-1 over Canada before 8,626 fans at the Big Hat Arena. Gretchen Ulion and Shelley Looney gave the Americans a 2-0 lead with power play goals before Danielle Goyette cut the deficit to 2-1 on the man advantage with 4:01 left. In the dying moments, U.S. goalie Sara Tueting made a fantastic skate save on Stacey Wilson, and Sandra Whyte capped off her three-point night with an empty-netter. The historic victory accelerated the growth of women’s hockey in the United States, which has gone from 6,336 registered female players in 1990 to 75,382 today.

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Group B: Fighting for playoffs

February 10, 2018, 6:09 am

≫ Next: Noteworthy numbers

≪ Previous: Eight great 1998 moments

The second tier of teams in the women’s hockey competition all have reasons to be optimistic, but only two will advance to the quarter-finals.

Sweden

As Leif Boork heads off into the coaching sunset, he takes with him an experienced roster to Korea for his final tournament. Sweden’s golden era was between 2002 and 2007, when it won all its four medals in World Women’s and Olympic competition. Before and since, it has been a series of frustrating events.

On the bright side, the U18 team has had recent success and several of those players are rounding into excellent senior players now. Since Sochi, the team has placed 5th, 5th, and 6th at the WW, but now is the time for such young stars as Hanna Olsson, Olivia Carlsson, and Sara Hjalmarsson to make their mark and establish a new era.

Having said that, there are some nine players back from the Sochi Olympics, including goalie Sara Grahn, a backup then and a number-one goalie now. Pernilla Winberg is the forward to watch. The 28-year-old is in her 15th consecutive tournament dating back to 2004.

The Swedes had a tough time at the Four Nations tournament in Florida last November. Playing with Finland and the North Americans, the Swedes lost all four games by a collective score of 19-2. The only ray of hope was a narrow 2-1 overtime loss to Suomi on the final day.

Switzerland

Coach Daniela Diaz, back for a third year, has perhaps the toughest challenge of any bench boss in PyeongChang. The Swiss have finished 6th, 7th, and 7th in the last three Women’s Worlds after the 2014 Olympics in which the women had their most memorable event ever.

That year they made it to the bronze-medal game but trailed Sweden 2-0 after 40 minutes. They rallied in the third, though, winning 4-3 and earning an historic bronze. Can they do it again? It will be tougher this time ‘round because they are starting in the second tier of teams.

The Swiss have made only four changes to the roster from a year ago at the WW in Plymouth, Michigan. In goal, they have 28-year-old Florence Schelling, in her fourth Olympics. Indeed, no other Swiss goalie has played a minute of WW or OG action in nearly a decade, and it’s safe to say as she goes, so goes the Swiss chances of victory.

If she represents the back end, then up front it’s the dynamic duo of Alina Muller and Lara Stalder, who have great chemistry, speed, and youth on their side. But it’s offence from others that will be critical, and it’s great team defence in front of Schelling that will be equally important in determining the Swiss fate this Olympics.

Japan

In April 2016, Japan finished in last place at the Women’s Worlds in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada and was demoted to Division I. It was a disappointing result, to be sure, but since then the Japanese have come back stronger than ever, winning two big tournaments and placing themselves in the thick of things for this year and next.

In Graz, Austria, last April, they beat the hosts, 4-1, en route to first place in that lower division to earn promotion to the top level of the WW for 2019. This came just two months after an even more dramatic win when they hosted the final qualification event for PyeongChang and won.

On the final day, the Japan-Germany result would determine which of the two nations would qualify for the Olympics. Japan raced out to a 2-0 lead in the second period and held on for a 3-1 win on home ice in Tomakomai.

Japan played in the 1998 Games as hosts, but didn’t qualify for the next three Olympics. Being close to home now, after finishing in last place in Sochi, is a positive sign for a team hoping to establish itself among the top eight on a regular basis. However, a staggering 15 players from Sochi are back, a sign of a thin talent pool from which to choose.

Korea

On the surface, it doesn’t look good. Korea has never played at the U18 Women’s Championship and has never qualified for the senior Women’s Worlds mostly playing in the fourth or fifth tier. Indeed, they are in the tournament as hosts, so it would seem they have little chance of playing to the level of the top seven nations in the world.

Add to the mix the fact that coach Sarah Murray has had politics – good news politics, to be sure – impose itself on her methods. Despite building a team over the last two years, she now has 12 players from North Korea to integrate on her roster. That is, “Korea”, a combination of players from the North and South, is now a mixed team of 35 players. Every game Murray will select a new line-up and will have at least three players from the North playing. Tricky can’t begin to describe the challenge that lies ahead for her despite having a larger tournament roster.

However, there is good news. In the leadup to these Olympics, Murray’s team has acquitted itself with great respect. In the last year Koreans have played games against all teams in their group in the upcoming Olympics. In February 2017, at the Asian Winter Games, they lost by a very respectable 3-0 score to Japan. And, just last August, they played the Swiss twice, losing 2-1 in overtime and 5-2. Even just last Sunday, the combined Korean team played Sweden in an exhibition game in Incheon and lost only 3-1. Korea isn’t going to be a medal contender, but so far the results indicate they won’t be blown away either.

Format

The teams and groups were seeded according to the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Ranking. The tournament includes the top-five nations, two qualifiers and host Korea. The top-four ranked teams are seeded in Group A, the other teams in Group B.

The two top teams from Group A will receive byes to the quarter-finals, thus moving automatically to the semi-finals. The quarter-finals will be played between 3A-2B and 4A-1B. The winners of these games advance to the semis with 1A taking on the winner of 4A-1B and 2A playing the winner of 3A-2B.

The winner of each semi-finals game will advance to the gold-medal game, while the losers will play for the bronze.

Predictions

As in Group A, there is a clear and distinct gap between the top two and bottom two teams in Group B. It would take something of a miracle for either Asian nation to qualify for the quarters, and it would be a stunning disappointment for either European team to fail to advance although in one game nothing is impossible.

The reasons are simple. The talent pool is much deeper in Europe, and that means the skill level is higher, the coaching can be more effective, and the implementation of game strategy more successful. In the end, Sweden and Switzerland should normally move on to the quarters at the expense of Japan and Korea.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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Noteworthy numbers

February 10, 2018, 6:11 am

≫ Next: Winning start for Sweden

≪ Previous: Group B: Fighting for playoffs

Ready to check out some interesting statistics about the Olympic nations competing in men’s and women’s hockey in PyeongChang?

MEN

1) When Slovenia stunned the pundits by finishing seventh at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, they had just 148 registered male players. Four years later, they’re back again – with 136. (The next-lowest is host Korea, with 171.)

2) The OAR roster features 15 players from head coach Oleg Znarok’s KHL club, SKA St. Petersburg, and eight from CSKA Moscow. The last time two clubs contributed so disproportionately to a Russian Olympic roster was also the last time they did not wear their national colours. Dynamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow had eight players apiece on the 1992 CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) team that won gold after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

3) The tallest 2018 Olympic player is Finnish forward Markko Anttila, who stands 203 cm and 104 kg (6-8 and 229 pounds). The 32-year-old Jokerit veteran, who represented Finland at the 2013 Worlds, is making his Winter Games debut.

4) Only one player on this year’s Team USA was alive during the “Miracle on Ice.” Captain Brian Gionta, 39, had just turned one year old when coach Herb Brooks and his American college players upset the mighty Soviets 4-3 in Lake Placid on 22 February 1980. The future 1,006-game NHL star was born in a different place in New York State: Rochester.

5) Two 2018 Olympic men’s head coaches were not born in the countries they’re leading: Slovakia’s Craig Ramsay (Canada) and Slovenia’s Kari Savolainen (Finland).

WOMEN

1) Two elite women’s goalies will battle for sole possession of the career Olympic games record in Korea. With 14 games apiece, Finland’s Noora Raty and Switzerland’s Florence Schelling are currently tied with Russia’s Irina Gashennikova, no longer active at age 42. The all-time wins record, held by Canada’s Kim St-Pierre (eight), is up for grabs too: Raty enters with seven, while Schelling and two-time Canadian Olympic champion Shannon Szabados both have six.

2) In Sochi, the growing parity in women’s hockey was illustrated when no team scored in double digits in one game. (The most lopsided 2014 result was a 9-0 U.S. win over the Swiss.) The unified Korean team will have to work hard to keep that trend going in 2018. The South Koreans, who last year earned promotion to the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group B, are 22nd in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking. The North Koreans, who have 12 players on the expanded 35-woman roster, are 25th. This makes COR the lowest-ranked squad to compete in Olympic women’s history.

3) The youngest female player at these Games is Hee Won Kim, who is 16 (born 1 August 2001). The forward scored twice when host Korea got promoted to Division I in the six-nation showdown in Gangneung last April.

4) The top-five active Olympic points leaders are Canada’s Meghan Agosta (23), Finland’s Riikka Valila (20), Sweden’s Pernilla Winberg (16), the USA’s Hilary Knight (14), and the USA’s Monique Lamoureux (14). In Korea, no one will catch the all-time leader, Canada’s Hayley Wickenheiser (51).

5) Will anybody surpass Italian defender Linda de Rocco’s all-time Winter Games PIM mark of 34 from 2006? It’s possible, but unlikely. In 2010, Sweden’s Katarina Timglas led the sin bin parade (12 PIM), while Switzerland’s Evelina Raselli was tops in 2014 (25 PIM). Russian forward Yelena Dergyachyova was most-penalized at the 2017 Women’s Worlds (20 PIM). We should point out that there’s nothing wrong with emulating the 17 February 1998 bronze medal game between Finland and China, in which the Finns earned a record zero (0) penalty minutes in a 4-1 win.

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Winning start for Sweden

February 10, 2018, 6:17 am

≫ Next: Swiss top unified Koreans

≪ Previous: Noteworthy numbers

Sweden opens its Olympic campaign with a 2-1 victory over Japan, but for the second Games running Japan pushed Tre Kronor all the way.

After all the talk and anticipation, the hockey action finally got away in PyeongChang on Saturday, and Sweden's women were the first to celebrate victory edging a hard-earned verdict over a brave Japan.

Sara Hjalmarsson's goal early in the third period broke a 1-1 tie and handed the Europeans the victory, but better finishing from the Japanese could easily have delivered a very different story. Swedish goalie Sara Grahn finished with 30 saves to preserve her team's slender advantage even after Japan finished with a 6-on-4 set-up for the last 40 seconds.

For Japanese forward Hanae Kubo, the outcome was bitterly disappointing. "I had a good chance to tie the game and I didn't take it, so I'm not satisfied," she said. "For the last four years, we've been trying to improve our physical strength so we can compete with the top teams. I think we have done that, but it did not help us today."

It was a match-up that promised intrigue: four years ago in Sochi the two teams met at the start of the Group B program and Japan, in its first games since hosting the inaugural women’s competition in 1998, pushed the Swedes all the way before going down 0-1. Four years on, the Japanese hoped to claim a first ever victory in Olympic women’s hockey action – and could point to a roster buoyed by several players who had spent time playing overseas in North America or Finland in the intervening years.

Against a newly streetwise Japan, Sweden included 17-year-old blue liner Maja Nylen-Persson, a star of the Tre Kronor’s run to World U18 silver in Russia last month. The youngster almost made an immediate impact when her early slap shot narrowly evaded Rebecca Stenberg’s attempt to deflect it beyond Nana Fujimoto in the Japanese net.

Japan scrambled that one away, but the reprieve was short-lived. Fanny Rask claimed the honour of the first goal of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games when she collected a Sabina Kuller pass and lifted the puck over Fujimoto’s shoulder and inside the near post to score from a tight angle. Rask, whose brother Victor helped Sweden to men’s World Championship gold in Cologne last year, needed just 2:21 to bag her first ever Olympic goal after failing to register a point in Sochi.

I could see that opening between her head and the crossbar, and it was a fast shot, Rask said. "The goal came on my line's first shift, so it was a pretty good way to start. I've never scored on my first shift in a game as important as this."

Delight for Sweden, but for Japan it was time to show some steel behind the Smiles. And gradually the Asian team, enthusiastically backed by a large contingent that had made the short trip across the Sea of Japan, got into the game. Grahn felt the full force of a Haruka Toko shot into her helmet but recovered in time to make a sharp blocker save from Hanae Kubo. Then the Swedish goalie got an extended leg behind Suzuka Taka’s attempt after a defensive error. At the other end, Stenberg could have doubled the lead on a breakaway play but Fujimoto came up with a big save.

The middle frame slipped into a something of a lull, with chances at a premium for both teams. But the Japanese fans – the country’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, joined them during the game – had plenty to cheer in the 37th minute when Rui Ukita tied the game. Toko’s hard work behind the net was rewarded when a scramble in front of Grahn’s net ended with Ukita smashing home the puck on the backhand after Kubo’s pass squeezed across the face of goal.

Ukita, who has been playing the game since she was just seven years old, described the goal as the finest moment of a career - ahead of her four-point haul at the 2015 Women's World Championship when she led her country's scoring as an 18-year-old.

The game was brimming with Eastern promise going into the third, as Japan scented a chance to record its first ever victory at the Olympics. But that dream was shattered within two minutes of the restart as Hjalmarsson restored Sweden’s lead. Erika Grahm forced a turnover in the Japanese zone, and her feed from the behind the net was gobbled up by the AIK Stockholm forward from close range.

Japan still created chances: two power-play opportunities went begging, while Ami Nakamura fired a tame shot into Grahn’s midriff when well-placed and Ukita was denied a second by the goalie after lax defence presented her with a position similar to the one from which Hjalmarsson scored the decisive goal.

However, the team of smiles lacked the necessary bite to tie the scores a second time and, just as in Sochi, fell to a tight loss against a fancied opponent after one last big save from Grahn to deny Nakamura.

ANDY POTTS

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Swiss top unified Koreans

February 10, 2018, 9:05 am

≫ Next: Grigorenko eyes Olympics

≪ Previous: Winning start for Sweden

Despite falling 8-0 to Switzerland in their PyeongChang opener, the unified Korean women’s team made Olympic history on Saturday.

On any other night, Swiss star Alina Muller’s Olympic-record six-point night (4-2-6) would have dominated the headlines. But the diplomatic implications of this game in the quest for peace and unity were impossible to ignore.

It’s the debut of this unified team, showing that we’re one, said Korea's Yoonjung Park. "It felt special, that’s for sure."

Saturday marked the first time that the Republic of Korea in the south and the Democratic People’s Republic (DPR) of Korea in the north have ever fielded a joint team in any Olympic sport. The agreement was only finalized in January. The 2018 women’s hockey team is competing under a blue-and-white flag depicting the Korean peninsula.

Among the 3,601 spectators, having some 200 red-clad female North Korean cheerleaders singing, clapping and swaying added to the unforgettable atmosphere at the Kwandong Hockey Centre.

Obviously there was a lot more media attention, and stepping out there, you could hear the fans and everything, said Caroline Nancy Park. "It was a pretty surreal moment."

Phoebe Staenz and Lara Stalder also scored twice for Switzerland, which outshot Korea 52-8. Sara Benz and Christine Meier added three assists apiece. As hard as the Korean women worked, they couldn’t match their opponents’ skill and opportunism.

Muller was the youngest player in Sochi at 15 when the Swiss women won their historic 2014 Olympic bronze medal. Her explosion here tied the single-game goals record co-owned by Switzerland’s Stephanie Marty and Sweden’s Pernilla Winberg, who both had four-goal games at the 2010 Winter Games. With six points, she also equalled Canada's Cherie Piper (2006) and Jayna Hefford (2010) for the most points in one game.

Asked about her performance, Muller said: "I didn’t know that. I had more chances to score more, but four [goals] is enough!"

Korea has an exemption to have a 35-player roster, but can only ice 22 players in a game, like the other seven Olympic teams. From a pool of 12 DPR Korea players, head coach Sarah Murray chose to dress three forwards: Chung Gum Hwang, who helped to carry the Korean flag at Friday's opening ceremonies; Su Hyon Jong, who carried the Olympic torch along with South Korean captain Jongah Park; and Un Hyang Kim.

It’s been going great, said Yoonjung Park. "Some people may say it’s hard to add 12 players to your team and kind of make that work, but the girls have been great. They’ve fit in well with our team."

In this developing hockey nation, the fans responded enthusiastically even to simple plays like dump-ins or near-misses. There was a constant feeling of cresting anticipation. Even with victory out of reach, the crowd hungered for a goal.

Switzerland’s Florence Schelling set a new record for most Olympic games played by a goalie (15). The 2014 Olympic MVP was previously tied with Finland’s Noora Raty (active) and Russia’s Irina Gashennikova (retired) with 14 apiece. Schelling also tied Canada’s Kim St-Pierre (retired) for most career Olympic shutouts (four).

I'm not used to those kinds of games, said Schelling. "It's difficult to stay focused if you only have eight shots for 60 minutes, but I tried to move with the puck and keep myself in the game."

Fired up, the Koreans came out hard, getting two consecutive power plays. They also got the best early chance. Heewon Kim, this tournament’s youngest player at 16, stole the puck from Stalder at the blue line. When Stalder hauled her down, Soojin Han sped in on a breakaway and zinged it off the cross bar.

But the good times were short-lived for the hosts. The feisty Muller opened the scoring on a shorthanded solo rush, cutting inside on the Korean defence and beating netminder So Jung Shin to the glove side at 10:23.

Just a minute later, Muller made it 2-0 on another outnumbered rush, converting Sara Benz’s cross-ice pass past the defenceless Korean goalie.

The 19-year-old ZSC Lions Frauen sniper completed her natural hat trick at 19:48. The Swiss worked it around the zone like the famous 1980’s Soviet “Green Unit,” and Muller banged it home at the goalie’s left post.

We were a little bit nervous, but we were also excited to start the Olympics, Muller said. "We heard the crowd, and it helped us to win, I think. After two or three shifts it was fun to play. I wanted to show the crowd what we could do."

At 1:26 of the second period, Muller capitalized on a Korean giveaway in the slot and wired home her fourth of the night. Just 55 seconds later, Evelina Raselli fed Staenz cross-ice on the rush to make it 5-0. Staenz clicked again on another Raselli set-up at 17:19 to give Switzerland a six-goal lead.

In the third period, Stalder made it 7-0 at 9:42 with a power play drive, and then coolly finished off a breakaway at 11:48 to round out the scoring.

Schelling was generous in victory: "I was positively surprised by how good they were, especially their goalkeeper. She made so many great saves, so hats off to her."

Korea’s Olympic hockey debut attracted big names. IOC President Thomas Bach, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, and Kim Yong-nam (President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly) entered the arena with smiles and handshakes. Also present were Switzerland’s Federal President Alain Berset, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder attended with his Korean fiancee Kim So-yeon.

The leading dignitaries went down to the bench and spoke to the Korean players afterwards and praised them for their efforts. Swiss Federal President Berset congratulated the Swiss team in their dressing room after the game.

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Grigorenko eyes Olympics

February 10, 2018, 10:13 am

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≪ Previous: Swiss top unified Koreans

Mikhail Grigorenko knows what it’s like to play for a national team. Only 23, he has a wealth of junior experience and hopes to translate that to the Olympics.

“It’s really exciting even just to think about it,” he said. “Hopefully I can make a good impression with the coach. It’s great to get a chance to play at the big tournament.”

Grigorenko won a bronze medal with Russia’s U18 team in 2011 and then won three medals in a row at the U20 – silver in 2012, and bronze in 2013 and 2014. Nevertheless, those moments pale beside the possibility of playing at the Olympics.

“It’s different for everyone,” he explained. “I mean, personally, I think the Olympics is the biggest, especially in our country. It’s amazing to represent your country and play for your flag and wear the jersey. To me, the Olympics is a bigger thing than the Stanley Cup.”

When he looks back on his childhood in Khabarovsk in the Far East of Russia not far from Korea, one Olympic memory stands out. “When you’re a kid, you always watch that tournament,” he reflected. “It’s the biggest stage there is. I remember watching the game in 2006 when Russia beat Canada in the quarters, when Ovechkin scored. That was huge.”

Grigorenko is a rare example of a Russian who left to play junior hockey in Canada. He went to the Quebec Remparts in 2011 and two years later was drafted a lofty 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

A bit slow to develop, Grigorenko bounced between the NHL and both junior and the minors before getting a more serious chance after a trade to Colorado, where he started under coach Patrick Roy, his coach from the Remparts.

“It was a good experience,” he said of the move to Canada, “learning the language and a different culture, playing under a good coach. It was a good organization in Quebec. I’m happy that I went there and played three amazing years there.”

This past summer, though, the Avs didn’t offer him a contract, and after considering all of his options, he decided to return home and play, for the first time, in the KHL, with CSKA Moscow. Not coincidentally, that freed him up for possible Olympic participation.

“It was just one of the factors,” he explained of the move home. “Obviously, you always think about getting the opportunity to play for the national team, but there were some other factors. The Olympics, though, was definitely one of them.”

Although he doesn’t rule out the possibility of returning to the NHL at some point, it’s not a priority at this stage of his career.

“I don’t think about it,” he said. “I have a contract in the KHL, so we’ll see what happens. I’m happy where I am right now.”

As for the Russian team in PyeongChang, Grigorenko is full of praise and hope.

“I think we have a little bit of everything,” he said. “We have some experienced guys, younger guys, skilled guys, good defence, amazing goalies. We have some players with NHL experience like Kovalchuk and Datsyuk, so going forward it looks good.”

And Grigorenko hopes to prove himself, with the national team and back home with CSKA Moscow.

“Whatever the coaches want me to do, I’ll do. Throughout my career I’ve played centre and wing, penalty kill, power play. Whatever they want, I think I can do. There’s still a long way to go, but hopefully I can make it.”

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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Bottom half challenge

February 10, 2018, 5:48 pm

≫ Next: Bridging borders

≪ Previous: Grigorenko eyes Olympics

As Switzerland’s Alina Muller pointed out last night after her team’s win over Korea, the 2018 Olympics is different for her nation than Sochi four years ago.

That year the Swiss were in the top group and advanced to the bronze-medal game, defeating Sweden, 4-3, in a thrilling game.

This year, though, the Swiss start in Group B, meaning things can’t be taken for granted. In Group A, the top two teams (which have always been Canada and the United States) advance directly to the semi-finals, and the third and fourth place teams are guaranteed a spot in the quarter-finals.

Not so in the “bottom group” Group B with the teams seeded fifth to eight. In that group the top-two teams also go to the quarters, but the bottom two are eliminated from medal contention. So, before dreaming of a bronze repeat, the Swiss must first of all earn enough points from its three preliminary games to advance to the playoffs.

That being said, an interesting trend has occurred in all but two senior women’s tournament since the current format of play was adopted by the IIHF in 2012. That was the year the round robin went from parallel structure (two groups with nations evenly split among the top eight) to vertical play, where Group A now consists of teams ranked 1-4 and Group B teams 5-8.

In only two of the six years have the third and fourth place teams in Group A both advanced to the semi-finals. In other words, four times has a Group B team defeated a Group A team to get into medal contention. Indeed, in Sochi, it was the Swedes who upset Finland in the quarters to advance to the bronze-medal game.

In 2012, that first year of the new format, the Swiss were in Group B and beat the higher-ranked Russians. They went on to win Women’s Worlds bronze with a 6-2 win over Finland.

A year later, the tables turned as the Group B Russians defeated the Group A Swiss and went on to win bronze.

It was the two years after Sochi that the favourites won all the games, but last year in Plymouth, Michigan, the apple cart was again upended thanks to the surprising Germans. Having just been promoted from Division I the previous year, they went on to beat Group A Russia in the quarters en route to an impressive fourth-place finish.

So Muller is right. It’s disadvantageous to start in Group B on paper. But under no circumstances does that mean a medal is impossible. This year, it’s likely the Finns and Russians that will qualify for the quarters from Group A, and if the Swiss can finish atop Group B they’ll face the fourth-place team from Group A. The pressure might start a bit earlier, but the task is perfectly logical and a bronze for the Swiss continues to be a definite possibility as for Sweden, the other team that started with three points.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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Bridging borders

February 11, 2018, 1:58 am

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≪ Previous: Bottom half challenge

The Unified Korean team left its on-ice struggles behind to celebrate the success of a unique sporting project that brings together two divided nations.

Korea’s Olympic hockey debut did not exactly go to plan on the ice, as Switzerland emphatically crashed the party with an 8-0 victory at the Kwandong Hockey Arena. But the unified team was always about far more than just sport, and after the game the players and coaches offered some unique insights into the, suddenly, fast-developing relations between North and South on the ice.

It’s rare to hear from athletes from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who normally don’t speak and pass by the interview zone. So it was no surprise that a post-game press conference featuring Su Hyon Jung from North Korea attracted a big crowd. Jung was flanked by team captain Jongah Park, a day after the pair had carried the Olympic torch to the cauldron during the opening ceremony.

That was a big moment for both – they spoke of their pride, and Park added: “It made it even more special to go [to the cauldron] hand-in-hand with a fellow athlete from the North.”

But it was the raucous, capacity crowd that made the greatest impression on both players when Unified Korea took to the ice against the Swiss.

“We had the greatest support from the people in the stadium,” said Jong. “Unfortunately we were not able to live up to their expectations, but we did our best. In that atmosphere, it felt like I was playing in my own country.”

For Park, the size of the crowd was an entirely new experience. “I’ve never played in front of so many people before, so I felt a bit nervous,” she said. “I also worried that my team-mates would get nervous.

“This was a game that all of South Korea was waiting for, so I felt some pressure.”

The crowd included a large delegation of senior officials from both sides of the border, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, IOC President Thomas Bach and two high-ranked politicians from the North with formal head of state Kim Yong-nam and Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the country’s leader Kim Jong-un.

For Jong, playing in front of her country’s leaders was “the greatest honour of my life”. She also recalled the words of Bach at an impromptu post-game ceremony. “He said that winning and losing may be important, but the most important thing is that one Korea works for one goal.”

President Moon also congratulated the team for its efforts, although in a noisy arena the players admitted that it was hard to hear everything that was said.

The event organisers warned that questions about politics making the players uncomfortable might not be accepted, and a query about the team’s potential legacy for North-South relations was resolutely blocked by Jung. “I’m an athlete,” she said. “I can’t really answer that question. I’m just here to focus on sport.”

And politics was largely absent from the comments from other players in Saturday’s game. Instead, they painted a picture of a team bonding over tales of friends and family, or sharing training tips.

Hyein Ko said: “[The North Koreans] especially try to talk to us about our drills, so we talk to each other about that. And they ask about how many members are in our families, and whether we have boyfriends!” While avoiding political discussion.

Sarah Murray, Korea’s Canadian head coach, was also encouraged by the burgeoning relationship between the two groups of players – and saw signs of progress despite working together for barely three weeks since the IOC agreed to allow a Unified team to appear in PyeongChang following discussions between the governments of the two Koreas about the north’s participation in PyeongChang 2018 including the unified women’s ice hockey team.

"I think the North Koreans are improving dramatically,” she said. "The chemistry on the team is better than I could have ever predicted. They laugh together, they eat meals together, I’ll walk into the locker room and they're all laughing together."

You can’t tell who’s from the north and who’s from the south. They’re just girls playing hockey.

The next challenge for Korea is to try to get results against Sweden and Japan in its remaining Group B games. For Park, improved defence is likely to be crucial. “We thought we had built up our defence, but on Saturday we learned that we have to be stronger,” she said. “We’ll hope to do that better in our remaining games.”

And Jong is confident that the team will continue to play as one, despite its diverse backgrounds.

“I think all the athletes, from North and South, thought the same thing,” she said. “We had one heart and we wanted to play our best game. No individual athlete took any liberties, or failed to co-operate with the team.”

ANDY POTTS

↧

Ukita suspended

February 11, 2018, 1:59 am

≫ Next: Group A ready to roll

≪ Previous: Bridging borders

Japanese forward Rui Ukita was suspended for one game due to a kicking incident in the last minute of the game against Switzerland.

With 48 seconds left in the teams’ game yesterday there was an incidence between Ukita and Swedish player Annie Svedin. During a puck battle in front of the Swedish bench Svedin pushed Ukita to the ice and while Svedin was over Ukita, the Japanese player made a kicking action directed to the lower body of her opponent.

Based on the videos and other facts ascertained, the Disciplinary Panel determined that the kicking motion was not mere momentum of the play, but a clear leg movement made in the direction and in close proximity of the opponent.

While the panel does not believe the action was made with the intent to injure the player, the swinging leg motion itself within close proximity of her opponent leads to the violation of IIHF Official Playing Rule 152 and shall therefore be sanctioned with a one-game suspension.

Rui Ukita will therefore be suspended for tomorrow’s game between Japan and Switzerland.

↧

Group A ready to roll

February 11, 2018, 2:01 am

≫ Next: U.S. edges Finns

≪ Previous: Ukita suspended

The four top-ranked women’s teams kick off their Olympic journey on 11 February at Kwandong Hockey Centre. Let’s take a closer look at Group A.

United States

The U.S. tops the IIHF Women’s World Ranking after winning the last four Worlds (2013, 2015-17). However, there is an ache that won’t go away until this superpower captures its first Olympic gold since the inaugural 1998 Nagano tournament. In America, three silvers (2002, 2010, 2014) and a bronze (2006) don’t get you on a Wheaties box.

No other team boasts more pure speed and creativity. The long-time top line epitomizes that with Kendall Coyne’s sprint queen flair, Brianna Decker’s scrappy smarts, and Hilary Knight’s pure power game. Despite an incredible resume that includes leading the Women’s Worlds in goals four times, Knight, 28, is eager to atone for the Sochi nightmare in her third Olympics. In 2014, she was in the box when Canada completed its miraculous late comeback to win the final 3-2 in overtime.

Clutch forward Alex Carpenter and hard-shooting defender Megan Bozek – both Sochi veterans – were cut from coach Robb Stauber’s PyeongChang roster, stunning the hockey world. Will shuffling the deck pay off at this late stage?

Vocal, gritty veterans like captain Meghan Duggan and the Lamoureux twins will do their best to welcome newcomers like 18-year-old blueliner Cayla Barnes and keep everyone focused on themselves rather than the outside noise. The U.S. still has the tournament’s best D-corps with Kacey Bellamy and Megan Keller, and it’ll be interesting to watch which of its three talented young netminders – Alex Rigsby, Nicole Hensley, or Maddie Rooney – takes charge in the playoffs.

The American women accomplished huge things in 2017. They won the Women’s Worlds on home ice in Plymouth after negotiating a new deal with USA Hockey for more equitable treatment. After the tragic passing of USA Hockey executive Jim Johannson in January, both the U.S. women’s and men’s teams will be motivated to honour his legacy. It’s 2018 now, and it’s time to shine.

Canada

In 1904, Canadian prime minister Wilfred Laurier predicted that the 20th century would belong to Canada. He was overoptimistic, but the 21st century has belonged to Canada in Olympic women’s hockey. There’s a swagger that comes with four straight golds in Salt Lake, Turin, Vancouver, and Sochi, a confidence in your ability to deliver on the biggest stage.

Coming off seven months of centralization in Calgary, the Canadians have no significant weaknesses. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin, just 26, scored the gold-medal winner at the last two Olympics. 2010 MVP Meghan Agosta, Jennifer Wakefield and Natalie Spooner are other veteran forwards who’ll key the attack.

Canada’s solid, two-way defence lacks a Geraldine Heaney-style catalyst, but Laura Fortino can quarterback the power play effectively, and two-time Olympic champion Meaghan Mikkelson brings a calming presence. Top goalie Shannon Szabados, who posted the best GAA and save percentage in 2010 and 2014, remains sharp at 31.

What could go wrong? Overconfidence, a “we always win the Olympics” complacency. Beating the archrival Americans in five out of six pre-tournament exhibitions will mean nothing if coach Laura Schuler’s charges don’t win gold on 22 February.

Finland

The Finns are perennial bronze-medal favourites, coming third in 1998 and 2010. Sometimes, they underachieve under the Olympic spotlight: witness their dismal fifth-place Sochi finish. However, after taking bronze at both the 2015 and 2017 Women’s Worlds, innovative coach Pasi Mustonen expects a medal in PyeongChang.

His leaders bring experience and skill. Named Best Goalie at four Women’s Worlds, Noora Raty joins 44-year-old playmaker Riikka Valila – an IIHF Hall of Famer – as a fourth-time Olympian. Diminutive captain Jenni Hiirikoski will skate till she drops on defence in all situations.

With Mustonen promoting more aggressive puck pressure than past Finnish coaches, what may make or break this squad’s hopes is whether Michelle Karvinen – the 2014 Olympic scoring leader with seven points – gets enough offensive support from gifted youngsters like Petra Nieminen (18) and Susanna Tapani (24). Both Nieminen and Tapani scored in Finland’s 4-3 upset over Canada at last year’s Women’s Worlds. It was the first time Finland’s ever beaten the Canadians in IIHF competition.

Olympic Athletes from Russia

Sochi wasn’t kind to the hosts. The Russian women fell short on and off the ice and didn’t medal. Now the OAR team faces a different kind of pressure. Can this youthful roster crack the podium in neutral uniforms without hearing their traditional anthem once?

Only six Russian players are back from the 2014 Olympic squad. The key returnee up front is Olga Sosina, a nifty puckhandler whose shootout goal gave Russia its last IIHF medal (bronze at the 2016 Women’s Worlds). At 25, she’s already played two Olympics and eight Women’s Worlds.

Among the 17 Winter Games debutantes, slick 19-year-old forward Fanuza Kadirova, who potted a team-high three goals at last year’s Worlds, is a face to watch. So is 23-year-old sniper Lyudmila Belyakova, the NWHL’s first Russian back in 2015/16.

Yet with no blueline scoring to speak of and beleaguered goaltending, the OAR’s best chance for Group A points is against Finland on 15 February. In four tries, the Russian women have never won an Olympic medal.

Format

The teams and groups were seeded according to the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Ranking. The tournament includes the top-five nations, two qualifiers and host Korea. The top-four ranked teams are seeded in Group A, the other teams in Group B.

The two top-seeded teams from Group A will receive Quarter-Final Round byes, thus moving automatically to the Semi-Finals. The Quarter-Finals will be played between 3A-2B and 4A-1B. The winner of each Quarter-Final moves onto the Semi-Finals.

The winners of these games advance to the semis with 1A taking on the winner of 4A-1B and 2A playing the winner of 3A-2B.

The winner of each Semi-Final game will move onto the Gold Medal Game, while the losers will play in the Bronze Medal Game.

Predictions

Unless the Finns play over their heads and either the U.S. or Canada has an off-day against the blue-and-white women, the North American superpowers will likely finish 1-2 in Group A for quarter-final byes. All-time, Russian Olympic teams have been outscored 19-0 by Canada, 13-0 by the U.S., and 9-1 by Finland, so an OAR upset is dubious.

Do we already know who will make the gold medal game? Well, American author Mark Twain allegedly once said: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” The 2006 Olympics proved that blithely assuming a Canada-U.S. final is dangerous. In the Turin semi-finals, the Swedes edged the Americans 3-2 in a shootout shocker, and wound up with silver. (And by the way, that Twain quote is bogus.)

LUCAS AYKROYD

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U.S. edges Finns

February 11, 2018, 3:51 am

≫ Next: Canada off & running

≪ Previous: Group A ready to roll

Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 39 saves, but it wasn't enough to stop the Americans. The U.S. won Sunday's opener 3-1 on Kendall Coyne's second-period goal.

Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Dani Cameranasi also scored for the Americans, who are seeking their first Olympic gold medal since women's hockey debuted in Nagano in 1998. Since then, Canada has won four consecutive Olympic golds.

It's great to open the tournament with a win, said Hilary Knight, a two-time Women's Worlds MVP. "Obviously there are some things we can clean up, but I'm extremely excited with the W and extremely excited for the teammates who had their first Olympic game today."

Venla Hovi had the lone goal for Finland.

It's always disappointing, but we know it's only the first game and points don't really count in this group, said Raty. "I think we had a good battle and fought hard in the end."

The U.S., which won the last four Women's Worlds (2013, 2015-17), has never lost to Finland in Olympic women’s hockey, posting seven straight victories. Here, Finland's Riikka Valila, who played in the very first confrontation in Nagano (a 4-2 loss on 11 February 1998), became the oldest woman ever to play Olympic hockey at age 44.

The Finns were seeking another big stepping stone for their program after earning their first win ever over four-time defending Olympic champion Canada at the 2017 Women’s Worlds (4-3 on 1 April). But despite a gutsy, go-for-it effort in all three zones, they just fell short.

We need to clog the middle better and not let them crash the net, said Raty. "There are a lot of my friends on the team, so we know how they play. They control the puck really well, so we have to play smarter."

The goaltending duel was a study in contrasts. U.S. goalie Maddie Rooney got her first Olympic start and made 23 saves. The 20-year-old played once in the Women’s World Championship gold medal run last year in Plymouth, Michigan.

Meanwhile, Raty, appearing in her fourth Olympics, played her 15th game all-time, matching Swiss goalie Florence Schelling's Winter Games record. Raty, 28, has been named Best Goalie at the Women’s Worlds four times (2007, 2008, 2011, 2017).

It was the first Olympic game the Americans have played since the crushing 3-2 overtime loss to archrival Canada in the 2014 gold medal game in Sochi. It's still too early to decide whether the decision to exclude Alex Carpenter and Megan Bozek from this roster was wise. Carpenter led the U.S. with four goals in Sochi, while Bozek earned a tournament all-star berth on defence.

U.S. coach Robb Stauber has been experimenting with new line combinations, and the traditional top trio of Kendall Coyne, Brianna Decker, and Hilary Knight – who finished 1-2-3 in scoring at last year’s Women’s Worlds – was broken up to start this PyeongChang premiere. However, the line would reunite as the game progressed.

The U.S. got the first power play when Finnish defender Mira Jalosuo hauled down Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson cutting to the net. Yet the Americans, who boast the world’s most skillful and creative lineup, struggled to get in sync early on. Raty delivered back-to back big saves off Decker and Coyne off the rush midway through the first.

Finland opened the scoring with six seconds left in the first period. Petra Nieminen centered the puck from behind the net to Hovi, a third-time Olympian, who one-timed it home past Rooney’s left skate.

Of the first period, Coyne said: "There was a little bit of nerves, excitement, jitters. I think it showed in the first period. We were a little bit not ourselves. I think after that we regrouped."

The Americans hit their stride in a second period where they outshot Finland 23-5. At 8:58, they tied it up after the puck squirted loose out of a five-player scramble in the corner to Raty’s left. Lamoureux-Morando hustled laterally to the net and put it past past the Finnish goalie.

I think the second period there was our best 20 minutes of hockey, Lamoureux-Morando said. "We want to build off that and bring it to the next game."

Coyne put the U.S. up 2-1 at 11:29 on the power play when she one-timed Knight’s deft cross-ice feed under the cross bar from the faceoff circle.

Kendall has a knack for the net and she's a little speed demon, said Knight. "I just saw her there and passed her the puck."

Raty did her utmost to keep it a one-game game, stopping Kacey Bellamy, Knight, Decker, and Coyne in a sequence with under five minutes left in the middle frame.

The second period was pretty rough for us, said Raty. "We have to clean up our line changes."

In the third period, the Finns couldn't capitalize with their first power play when Decker went off for interference at 7:55. A few minutes later, captain Jenni Hiirikoski's shot from right wing squeaked through Rooney's pads and just trickled wide.

Hannah Brandt, the sister of Korea's Yoonjung Park, was called for delay of game after she put the puck over the glass with 4:27 left in regulation, and Finnish coach Pasi Mustonen called his timeout. His players pressed mightily but couldn't find the equalizer. Raty was pulled three times in the dying moments, but that just allowed Cameranesi to notch the empty-netter with 13 seconds left.

Today, we could create scoring chances in the last 10 minutes, and that’s not usually the case against the USA, said Mustonen. "That’s one of the best parts of our game."

At the Women’s Worlds, the only Finnish win over the U.S. in 17 tries was back in 2008. Finland's next chance for a PyeongChang win is Tuesday versus Canada. The Americans take on the Olympic Athletes from Russia that day.

It’s the Olympic Games, said Coyne. "You want to play the best, and in order to be the best, you need to beat the best. It was a great start, and now our focus turns to the Olympic Athletes from Russia."

LUCAS AYKROYD

↧

Canada off & running

February 11, 2018, 9:16 am

≫ Next: Kubalik eyes Olympics & NHL

≪ Previous: U.S. edges Finns

Team Canada began its quest for a fifth straight Olympic gold with a speedy 5-0 win over the Olympic Athletes from Russia.

The win was spurred on by three unanswered goals in the second period to break open a scoreless game.

Rebecca Johnston led the way with two goals and an assist during the evening. Melodie Daoust had two goals and captain Marie-Philip Poulin contributed three assists.

It’s nice to see those goals in, for sure, said Johnston. "A lot of the girls had really great opportunities and mine ended up going in. As a team, I think we did a really good job of creating chances."

We have a lot of talent on this team, a lot of speed, a lot of skill, said Meghan Agosta. "We have a lot of people who can contribute, and that’s what we need. We need everybody going for us to be successful. Tonight, with putting up five goals, I think it’s great."

Although the team is called the Olympic Athletes from Russia for sanction reasons, Canada had played Russia eleven previous times in Olympic and Women’s Worlds competition, winning all games and never allowing more than one goal in any game (five shutouts).

Today, under a new name, nothing had changed.

I think we can do more than match Canada for one period, suggested Olga Sosina of OAR. "I think if we could score on the chances we created, maybe things would have been different. After all, scoring a goal gives everyone a lift, and that can change a game. If we’d scored on our chances the game might have turned out very differently."

Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 18 shots for the shutout. It was her first blank sheet playing for her country. She played three times at the WW18 in 2011 and three more at the 2015 WW, winning silver each time but without recording a shutout.

It feels pretty good, the Canadian goaltender enthused. "It’s really nice to get it out of the way. The first few shots, you’re really excited, maybe a little too much. But I settled down as the game went along. It’s been a dream to wear that jersey since forever, so it’s nice to get that start and finally make it come true."

Canada fired 48 shots at the duo of Nadezhda Morozova and Nadezhda Alexandrova. Nadezhda means hope in Russian but there was little hope to find back into the game for the OAR team.

We played well on defence but when we made mistakes we gave up goals, said OAR's Maria Batalova. "Physically it’s tough because they’re a little bit quicker than us. They were playing with four lines and we had three, so we got a bit tired towards the end. But of course we tried to play hard against them."

Canada had by far the better of play in the opening 20 minutes but couldn’t convert until early in the second. Johnston fired a quick shot in the slot after a nice pass from behind the net by Brianne Jenner at 1:55.

That goal inspired teams to open up a bit, and Valeria Pavlova came right back and nearly tied the game on the next shift. Only a nice save by Ann-Renee Desbiens kept it a 1-0 game.

Soon after Canada went on the power play, and just eight seconds later Johnston’s point shot was beautifully tipped in front by Haley Irwin at 4:13.

Canada made it 3-0 late in the period on a nice passing sequence which started with captain Marie-Philip Poulin making a twirling pass outside the OAR blue line to Agosta streaking down the left side.

Agosta waited for Daoust to skate to the top of the crease and fired a great pass which Daoust redirected in at 15:51.

I thought in the first period we had a lot of great chances, Agosta continued. "We just needed to outwork the goalie. Come the second period, we just ended up burying those chances and kept going. We didn’t get frustrated at all."

Pavlova was OAR’s best player. Indeed, she had five of the team's 12 shots through 40 minutes of play and six in the game. She made two toe-drag moves in quick order and fired another good shot that was expertly blocked by Desbiens. Pavlova had previously helped the Russians win bronze at the 2013 and 2016 Women’s Worlds.

Johnston made it 4-0 midway through the third on a five-on-three power play, roofing a gorgeous shot from a bad angle over the shoulder of Morozova.

Daoust added her second of the game at 10:44 to put an exclamation mark on the score.

I’d like to thank our men’s team who came to support us tonight, said OAR's Olga Sosina. "That was really great. I’m sure that when we get some free time we’ll be happy to go to some of their games. For me, it’s always good to get advice [from the men’s team], every suggestion is interesting to hear. It’s inspiring."

It’s honest hockey, blue-collar hockey, not being scared to get physical and get pucks in behind them and win footraces, said Canada's coach, Laura Schuler, herself a player with Canada from 1990 to 1998. "The Olympics are about heart and soul and giving it your all. I think that’ll be important for us moving forward."

Both Group A teams have a day off tomorrow. Canada plays Finland on Tuesday afternoon while OAR takes on the U.S. in the late game.

ANDREW PODNIEKS

↧

Kubalik eyes Olympics & NHL

February 11, 2018, 9:18 am

≫ Next: For the love of game

≪ Previous: Canada off & running

As men’s teams play their last exhibition games ahead of the Olympics, Czech forward Dominik Kubalik is hoping for the Olympics and then the NHL as his future.

“I hope so, of course,” said Kubalik, who was the Czechs youngest player when they tested at the last tournament, the Channel One Cup in December. “That’s the goal for everyone here and hopefully I get a chance at that, but I don’t want to look too far ahead. I’m just taking it step by step and every game is huge for me and I try to do my best.”

It’s been an eventful season for the 22-year-old from Plzen, in the west of the Czech Republic. After putting up impressive offensive numbers for his hometown team in his first two full pro seasons (97 points in 121 Extraliga regular-season and playoff games), Kubalik decided it was time to spread his wings and play abroad.

He had previously played a couple of years of junior hockey in Canada for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves and Kitchener Rangers between 2012 and 2014, but that experience didn’t quite prepare him for what was in store this season.

“It’s been kinda crazy, for sure,” he began. “Some people ask me why I’m always smiling because three leagues in one season is not usual.”

In the summer he signed with Salavat Yulayev Ufa of the KHL, but due to a roster situation beyond his control, he didn’t stay long.

“It started in Russia and most people know the story there already, they already had (the maximum) six imports, so I only played a few pre-season games and then we had to find a new place for me to play,” he described. “Then we found a place in Ambri and I’m happy about it. It’s a great league and I’m happy to be there.”

But instead of starting the regular season in Switzerland, Kubalik was loaned out and found himself back in a familiar place. Playing for his hometown Plzen team again in the Czech Extraliga, he started the season at a torrid pace, scoring 16 goals and adding eight assists in 20 games.

“When I came there, they put me on the same line that I played before. We had good chemistry between us and it wasn’t hard to rejoin the team,” he said of his success.

With a player like that under contract, it stood to reason that HC Ambri-Piotta was quick to find a spot for him on its roster. Kubalik didn’t mind the move, even though he was leaving his hometown and a first-place team.

“I wasn’t disappointed because before the season I was ready to go somewhere new and I really wanted to try it,” he said.

Ambri wasn’t the only team interested in Kubalik, however. Back in 2013, he was drafted in the seventh round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. With his fast start to this season, they contacted him about going overseas.

“A couple of months ago, we spoke about it with the L.A. management. They wanted me to sign a contract for the rest of this season, but Ambri said they wanted to keep me so I’m still in Europe for now, but maybe next year. We’ll see what happens.”

On playing in Switzerland’s National League, he said: “It’s a different league with different cities. I’m glad that Ambri gave me that opportunity to play part of the season in Plzen, but I’m very happy in Ambri right now.”

On the village itself, which is located in southern Switzerland in the Italian-speaking part of the country, he said: “It’s beautiful. The only drawback is the rink there is open on the sides, so it can get pretty cold. But otherwise it’s good – we’ve got a good locker room, good massage tables and things like that, so everything’s working pretty well and I’m happy.”

Kubalik’s scoring touch hasn’t diminished any with his move to the new league. He has nine goals and 17 assists in his first 23 games with Ambri-Piotta, meaning that he has totalled 50 points in 43 games in the Czech and Swiss leagues combined so far.

It’s therefore not surprising that he is one of the players in the running for a spot on the Czech Olympic team. Just before Christmas, the national team came together in Prague in preparation for the Channel One Cup. Most of the tournament was played in Moscow, but the Czechs opened up with a 3-2 overtime win against Finland at Prague’s O2 Arena.

“It’s nice to come home,” he said. “It’s always nice to see the other guys from all over Europe, and of course it’s always an honour to represent your country. So it’s great to be here.”

Although he’s never played in a major tournament such as the World Championships or Olympics, Kubalik has played for the Czech national team on a few previous occasions over the past few seasons and was the captain of the Czech team at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. Still, it’s a thrill for him to play together on a team with some of the players he idolized as a child.

“I can’t even describe it,” he admitted about looking around the dressing room at his teammates. “Playing with a guy like Martin Erat was one of my goals, for sure. I really enjoy these moments.”

Another one of his boyhood idols was Martin Straka, the long-time NHLer who is now the owner, general manager and head coach of HC Plzen. Kubalik credits Straka as playing a big role in helping him become the player he is today.

“He was a great player himself and he always had great advice for me to make me a better player. We talked a lot and he showed me videos of what I could do better. That was great to have somebody like that behind me and it really helped me.”

Although of all the players he’s looked up to throughout his career, he didn’t even hesitate when asked who comes first. “My brother, no question,” he said of older brother Tomas, 27, who played 12 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets between 2010 and 2012 and currently plays in the Czech Extraliga for Dukla Jihlava.

Now, Kubalik knows that in order to fulfill his goals of playing in the Olympics and the NHL, he has to show he belongs there, which means, in addition to putting up impressive numbers for his club teams, playing as well when he gets a chance with the Czech national team. So far, he has two goals and an assist in five games this season.

DEREK O’BRIEN

↧

For the love of game

February 11, 2018, 8:56 pm

≫ Next: OAR's smiling face

≪ Previous: Kubalik eyes Olympics & NHL

She was cut from the U22 team and cut from the Olympic team, but she continued to play because, well, she wanted to.

In the end, passion triumphed over pity, and persistence overcame feelings of defeat. That’s why American Sidney Morin is at the Olympics.

The facts can be cruel, but they often speak volumes. The truth is that as a high-school student in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Morin played for the U.S. at the 2013 Women’s U18 tournament in Finland, winning silver. That was the last the IIHF hockey world saw of her until yesterday, in Korea, but she was not idle in the interim.

Morin went off to the University of Minnesota-Duluth to earn a degree in Marketing Analytics (with a minor in Psychology), captaining the Bulldogs by her third year. She was always on the USA Hockey radar, but she never played a meaningful game for her country after the U18.

“I had the privilege of going to a camp before my last year of college and unfortunately didn’t make the U22 roster,” she began. “Then, following my senior year, I was at the selection camp for this Olympics and again fell short, but I had opportunities, and I tried to make the most of them.”

Women’s hockey is not a broad game, so with but few places to play, Morin was in a pickle. She didn’t seem quite up to the top level of the game, but she couldn’t see herself stopping playing at the rip old age of 22. Still, cuing the world’s smallest violin and crying her dreams away was not her style.

“I just loved the game,” she enthused. “I had a lot of conversations with my coaching staff at Duluth. I wasn’t ready to give it up. I wanted to keep playing competitively, so I chose to go to the most competitive league in Europe.”

That was Sweden. She got a great offer from MODO in Ornskoldsvik, and she accepted. The outcast American (well, she has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, actually) packed her bags and moved to Sweden.

“I wanted to do something different,” she explained. “I wanted something new, so when I had the chance to go to a good organization like MODO, I took it. And, I wanted to do the Europe thing and see the world. The league is really competitive. We practise every day, have one day off a week, play two or three games every weekend. I wanted to play every day. It was great.”

Good things happen to good people who do things for the right reason. Expecting nothing but playing time in Sweden, Morin caught a break. The U.S. Olympic team, centralizing in Florida and training for Korea, just didn’t seem right to coach Robb Stauber. Something was missing. Something wasn’t quite up to snuff. Program director Regan Carey called Morin and offered her a chance to play herself onto the team. Morin, flabbergasted, accepted.

“They called me on a tryout basis,” Morin continued. “They made that clear. They wanted to see how I’d fit in. They made no promises, no guarantees. I had to work hard and show them what I had. And that’s what I did. I put my head down and went to work. Thankfully it worked out for me. There could be a lot of other girls in my skates right now.”

Things worked out every bit as well as Morin might have dreamed. Playing on the larger ice in Sweden gave her an advantage when she joined the U.S. team, and her second chance gave her a second wind.

“It was a second chance I didn’t think I’d get,” she said. “I was truly honoured. To be alongside these girls is amazing. I never thought I was going to be in this position at the beginning of this season. It’s surreal.”

So for the immediate future, her dream is to play well, get decent ice time, and win Olympic gold.

“I’m here, and I’m going to do whatever the coaching staff wants me to do. I want to play as many minutes as possible, but that’s not always going to happen. If it doesn’t, you have to be a good team player and cheer your teammates on. When you do, you have to make the most of it, so that’s what I’m going to do while I’m here.”

Game one is in the books, a solid, tight 3-1 win over Finland, and the defenceman played nearly 15 minutes of solid hockey for Stauber.

The selection, though, also gives Morin’s career a bit of a boost she wasn’t expecting back in October, but the level-headed 22-year-old isn’t rushing ahead. After PyeongChang, she’ll join Modo for the playoffs, and from there, who knows?

“We’ll see,” she said. “I’m focused on this Olympics right now, take it one step at a time, and re-evaluate after the season and see where life takes me.”

ANDREW PODNIEKS

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OAR's smiling face

February 11, 2018, 11:20 pm

≫ Next: Swiss on brink of QF

≪ Previous: For the love of game

Away from the controversy around the Olympic Athletes from Russia, Oleg Znarok's team is eager to start playing. And none more so than CSKA's Kirill Kaprizov.

For most athletes, competing in an Olympic Games is the realisation of a dream cherished since childhood. Even so, few betray the visible excitement of Kirill Kaprizov, a forward with the Olympic Athletes from Russia.

The CSKA Moscow man, still only 20, blazed through last year’s World Juniors but was not selected for Oleg Znarok’s roster at the World Championship in Cologne. Back then, he admitted, he was far from certain that he would be invited to come to PyeongChang – and now he’s here, he’s making the most of every moment.

All smiles on the ice, all smiles in the mixed zone, Kaprizov shatters the stereotype of the dour Russian hockey player. And it’s easy to believe him when he insists he never believed he would be on the verge of making his Olympic debut in this year’s event.

“I remember watching the Games in Vancouver, and in Sochi, but back then I never imagined that by 2018 I’d be playing at the Olympics myself,” he said after OAR’s first practice in Gangneung on Monday. “I’m sure it’s going to be a wonderful experience.”

The team only arrived in the Olympic Village on Sunday afternoon after playing its final warm-up game in Anyang, and Kaprizov is already excited by the unique atmosphere of the Games.

“I was a bit surprised to see everyone eating together. I’m not really used to that, it’s my first time here,” he said. “Everyone lives side-by-side, everyone rubs along together, it’s interesting.”

And as for the food, there are no restrictions on trying the spicy local cuisine, despite its obvious differences from Russian cooking. “I’ve tried a few Korean dishes already,” he said. “Certainly, nobody is going to stop us.”

Having made it to PyeongChang, Kaprizov is well aware that there is serious work to do. Asked about the events he’d like to see while in Korea – he and his team-mates saw their female compatriots in hockey action on Sunday – the forward focused on his own game. “Most of all, I want to be part of our games,” he said. “I want to make sure I’m on that roster.”

With five goals in seven international outings this season, plus 40 points in 46 KHL games, it seems likely the Novokuznetsk native will get his chance to shine in Korea. There are already promising signs for his partnership with Vadim Shipachyov, a player rejuvenated by his return home after an unhappy spell in Vegas. But Kaprizov is taking nothing for granted.

“The main thing is to start playing the tournament,” he said, looking ahead to Wednesday’s Group B opener against Slovakia. “It’s important for us to go into that first game in good shape – both physically, and tactically – so we can continue through the tournament in the right way.

“We played some exhibition games, and we could see that there were places where we needed to improve on the power play and penalty kill. But each day we’re feeling better and better about this.”

And one look at Kaprizov’s beaming smile tells you that he’s not kidding – on the eve of the action, this is one player witnessing his dreams coming true.

ANDY POTTS

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Swiss on brink of QF

February 12, 2018, 7:55 am

≫ Next: Ruzicka for Gulas

≪ Previous: OAR's smiling face

Two power play goals from Sara Benz - and a fifth of the Games for Alina Muller - lifted Switzerland to victory over Japan in its second game in Korea.

Sara Benz led the way for Switzerland with two goals in a 3-1 victory over Japan, and the 2014 bronze medallist is now all but certain to progress to the quarter-finals.

It was a special moment for Benz, a 25-year-old forward with Zurich Lions: she missed the last two seasons with concussion problems, and has only returned to Swiss league action this term. Twenty points in 14 games got her back into the international set-up in time for the Olympics, and after three assists against Korea she relished her decisive double blast in this game - not least because it secured a second victory in the competition.

For us it was important to calm down in the second period and get our self-confidence back, Benz said. "We're a really good team. We just have to believe in ourselves, and then we can score a lot of goals and win against a lot of opponents."

Although the final margin was fairly comfortable here, the Swiss had to hold off a lively Japanese team that had the better of the first period and could have pulled off a surprise victory with greater composure in front of Florence Schelling's net.

After a narrow loss to Sweden in Saturday’s opening game, Japan knew that three points would be vital if it wasn’t to rely on an improbable sequence of results to sneak into the last eight. For a team that had never won a game at an Olympic tournament, that was already a tall order; making matters worse, Rui Ukita, scorer of Japan’s only goal against Sweden, served a one-game ban.

At the start, though, Japan was dominant. Switzerland, so devastating on offence two days earlier, struggled to generate opportunities and Nana Fujimoto was a virtual spectator as she faced just one shot in the opening frame. Japan, ever mobile, caused problems at the other end; swift skating and pacey puck movement had the Swiss defence chasing shadows at times, but the Asian team lacked the finishing to match its approach play.

We didn't get the start we wanted, said Akane Hosoyamada. "I know we only gave them one shot and we got seven, but we didn't get any rebounds, we didn't get any screens or tips. We weren't as agressive as we needed to be."

The Japanese had a golden chance to open the scoring midway through the opening frame with 97 seconds of 5-on-3 power play. But Switzerland survived, helped by Shoko Ono’s failure to connect with Hanuna Yoneyama’s feed from the doorstep and Schelling’s anticipation when Hanae Kubo tried taking her time to psyche out the goalie, only for the shot to bounce to safety off the upper arm.

Oh my God! Schelling exclaimed. "I think that was the game-changer. That was the key. The game would have looked a lot different if they had got on the scoreboard first."

Kubo, whose pace, direct play was a persistent threat, had another great chance when the teams were back to equal strength. Some great stick-handling saw her dance through the Swiss defence, with Phoebe Staenz left trailing in her wake. This time, though, the shot looped over the bar without testing the Swiss goalie.

Schelling had to be on her mettle as the first session came to a close, with a smart reaction save late on to ensure that she completed her fourth period of the competition without allowing a goal.

We were kind of overwhelmed in that first period by how fast they were, how strong they were, Schelling added. "But then in the second period we were able to score and bring our momentum to the game."

If Japan had grounds for optimism at the first intermission, there was also cause for concern. A penalty late in the first period ensured the Swiss would be begin the next frame on the power play, and that was enough to tip the momentum away from Takeshi Yamanaka’s team. Dominique Roegg tested Fujimoto early on and the Swiss attack awakened at last. Japan fashioned one more neat chance when Haruka Toko’s no-look pass found Ami Nakamura, but her attempt to spin and release a backhand shot failed to test Schelling.

Switzerland punished that miss almost immediately when Sara Benz got the first of two power play goals. Ruegg’s wild shot came back off the boards, and Benz was first to react as she squeezed wrister onto the top shelf from an acute angle with Fujimoto left stranded. Another penalty soon followed, and Christine Meier showed great vision to set Benz behind the Japanese defence with a superb pass; Benz delivered an emphatic finish, and Japan’s goal-shy roster was always likely to struggle from that point on.

Switzerland added a third goal early in the final session when Alina Muller – the leading scorer in the women’s tournament so far after a six-point haul against Korea – intercepted a loose pass in her own zone and raced up the ice before firing past Fujimoto from the right-hand face-off spot.

But Japan finally got the goal its efforts deserved with 12 minutes to play when the hard-working Kubo became the first player to score on Schelling at this year's Games. Kubo's touch looped Mika Hori's shot beyond the reach of the Swiss goalie, denying her the outright record for shut-outs in Olympic play. Schelling is currently tied with Canada's three-time gold medallist Kim St-Pierre on four shut-outs apiece.

Switzerland's win means that the Group B picture could be almost wrapped up after tonight's game between Sweden and Korea. A Swedish victory would ensure that the two European nations will progress to quarter-final match-ups against the teams finishing third and fourth in Group A, while the Asian countries will go directly to the classification round.

ANDY POTTS

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Ruzicka for Gulas

February 12, 2018, 7:58 am

≫ Next: Swedes, Swiss both make QF

≪ Previous: Swiss on brink of QF

Czech national team forward Milan Gulas suffered a knee injury in yesterday’s exhibition game against Finland and will be replaced by Martin Ruzicka.

The Czech Ice Hockey Association informed today that the knee injury Gulas suffered in the exhibition game is more serious than assumed at first and will prevent him from participating in the Olympic Winter Games. He will be sidelined several weeks.

Gulas is the scoring leader of the Czech Extraliga and had never played in a major international tournament. He was a final cut before two World Championships and now misses the Olympics after injuring his ligaments in the third period of the last exhibition game.

The Czechs applied for a late-athlete replacement that was approved by the IIHF.

32-year-old veteran Ruzicka will travel today and join the team in Korea tomorrow. The Ocelari Trinec forward has previously played in two IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships winning gold in 2010 and will for the first time participate in the Olympics.

He’s the scoring leader of his team and the second-best goal scorer of the league with 28 goals and 53 points from 46 games.

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Swedes, Swiss both make QF

February 12, 2018, 8:01 am

≫ Next: Raty’s return

≪ Previous: Ruzicka for Gulas

Most teams can’t come back after trailing by four goals after 20 minutes. The unified Korean women’s team was no exception, falling 8-0 to Sweden on Monday.

The result puts both Sweden and Switzerland into Saturday’s quarter-finals. The Swedes are questing for their first Olympic medal since 2006’s silver. Outmatched if valiant Korea remains pointless through two games in its Winter Games debut.

The biggest thing you can do is to win an Olympic medal, so that would be an amazing feeling to do that again, said Swedish assistant captain Pernilla Winberg. "But we're here to take it one game at a time."

Contrasting with Korea’s previous 8-0 loss to Switzerland, where the one-woman wrecking machine named Alina Muller tied single-game Olympic records with four goals and six points, the Swedes got scoring throughout the lineup.

Winberg led the way with two goals and an assist, and Elin Lundberg added a goal and two assists. Emma Nordin notched a goal and two helpers. Maja Nylen Persson, Johanna Fallman, Erika Uden Johansson, and Rebecca Stenberg also scored for Sweden. Fanny Rask, Erica Grahm, and Emmy Alasalmi had two assists apiece.

Swedish goalie Sara Grahn had a far easier evening than Korean starter So Jung Shin. Grahn registered her first career Olympic shutout as shots favored Sweden 50-19.

Forward Jiyeon Choi, who had one of Korea's best chances, said: "If I had scored, it could have made a big difference to our team. An 8-1 score is much better than 8-0 for us. If I had scored, it would have inspired our team to play even better."

A Korean proverb says: “At the end of hardship comes happiness.” Awaiting their last Group B game against winless Japan on Wednesday, the goalless hosts must hope that’s true. Sweden faces the Swiss in a showdown for first place in Group B that day.

We definitely want to beat Japan, said Jiyeon Choi. "There are two big reasons. One, we've never beaten them before, so if we can beat them at the Olympics, it will be our biggest victory ever for the Korean people. Second, Japan and Korea have a complicated history, so a win would have special meaning for our people."

It was another fantastically animated atmosphere at the Kwandong Hockey Centre with screams of anticipation from the crowd of 4,244 each time coach Sarah Murray’s team touched the puck. Murray made one roster change, substituting North Korean forward Song Hui Ryo in place of Su Hyon Jong, who carried the Olympic torch with captain Jongah Park at Friday’s spectacular opening ceremonies.

The squads of North Korean cheerleaders were in perfect sync again. Unfortunately the Korean penalty killers couldn’t say the same on the opening goal. One youngster’s pain was another gain.

At 3:42, the 16-year-old forward Heewon Kim – Korea’s youngest player – was sent off for roughing after a goalmouth scrum. It took just 18 seconds for the 17-year-old defender Nylen Persson – Sweden’s youngest player – to get the puck from Alasalmi and beat So Jung Shin with a low shot inside the goalie’s right post.

It was a good crowd out there, and it was cool to see how people were cheering them on, but I think we did a good job and worked every shift really hard, said Winberg.

The Damkronorna kept coming. A couple of minutes later, Sabina Kuller waltzed in over the Korean blue line and knifed a backhand off the cross bar. At 9:47, Lundberg made it 2-0 with a slap shot that squeezed under the goalie’s arm and over the line.

Thirty seconds later, Sweden grabbed a 3-0 lead. Rask circled the net and centered a backhand pass to Fallman, whose hard one-timer found the twine.

The Koreans got a bona fide chance when Jingyu Lee came down the right side on a 2-on-1 to unleash a high zinger, but Grahn’s glove said no. Moments later, in a classic case of tit for tat, a Swedish 2-on-1 saw Lisa Johansson sending the puck across to Erika Uden Johansson, who banged in her own rebound for the fourth goal at 17:04.

In the second period, Winberg, who tied for the 2014 Olympic scoring lead with Finland’s Michelle Karvinen (seven points), stormed over the blue line and beat So Jung Shin with a nice forehand move to make it 5-0 at 4:08.

Korea generated pressure during two subsequent power plays, but couldn’t deliver any results beyond more screams from the crowd.

They had some good PP there, said Winberg. "They had a couple of good shots. Our goalie played really well."

Sweden went up 6-0 at 1:09 of the third period when Nordin tipped in Lundberg's high point shot. At 1:45, Winberg pivoted in the faceoff circle and her shot was accidentally deflected in by Korea's Randi Heesoo Griffin. It was just that kind of night for the representatives of the Land of the Morning Calm.

On the rush, Stenberg converted Winberg's beautiful cross-ice feed at 5:34 to round out the scoring at 8-0. A Swedish proverb says: "Attack is the best defence." It was hard to argue with that here.

I think the teams that have the best chemistry and team spirit are going to win the medals, said Winberg. "We have a lot of fun together off the rink and on the ice. Everyone likes each other, so I think that's what makes us strong together as a team."

LUCAS AYKROYD

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Raty’s return

February 13, 2018, 1:35 am

≫ Next: Gregorc a rock on blueline

≪ Previous: Swedes, Swiss both make QF

Four years ago it didn’t look like Noora Raty would be back in Olympic ice hockey. But now the Finn is here and had a strong start.

After a disappointing quarter-final exit in Sochi 2014, Raty announced on-site in an open letter that she would leave the national team, and possibly even women’s ice hockey if she were not able to earn a living as a female hockey player.

Once the frustration faded, it eventually turned out different. Looking for opportunities, Raty got a contract in the second-tier men’s league with Kiekko-Vantaa, a team located close to Helsinki’s airport, after a try-out. In the league Hayley Wickenheiser tried it during her heyday.

“I needed the challenge. It will be hard and time will tell. But that’s why the sport is played, to go to your limits and break boundaries as in my motto ‘dream big and aim high’,” Raty said at that time.

Raty had eight games and was eventually loaned to a team in the third-tier Suomi-sarja where she continued for two more seasons until a new challenge arrived at the horizon: Kunlun Red Star, a new team located in Shenzhen, China, but playing in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

“I played years of men’s hockey and absolutely loved it,” Raty said. “Loved the pace and the speed and the physicality. The more you stop the puck, the more they respect you and take you under their wing.”

The CWHL is a league where players start to get paid and where Raty is easily the best starting goaltender in save percentage with a 94.7% rating and earns her living in her role as a player but also as an ambassador for women’s hockey in China as she once described the situation.

Raty had already staged her comeback in IIHF women’s hockey a few month before her transfer. For the first time since the 2014 Olympics she played a big tournament with the Finnish national team from which she had once retired and led the Finns to a bronze medal at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.

“Once I came back to the women’s game, I was lost because it’s just a different game. I really need to watch my behaviour with girls because how you act with guys doesn’t necessarily work with girls,” she said.

“I was fortunate to build some really good friendships and some of the guys I played with are my best friends in Finland. By my third year I felt like I was one of the guys. I think it was a good sign and a bad thing. It can be a bad thing,” she explained. “I started acting like them and not too girlie. I guess you just have to fit in.”

Coming back to women’s hockey after three years was a difference but she cherishes being able to play professional hockey in a women’s league now. And it prepared her well for her fourth Olympics. In the CWHL she does not only lead all starting goalies in save percentage but also led the Chinese expansion team to second place in the league behind defending champion Montreal Canadiennes. But not only the play, the shots and the physicality in front of the net is different for her.

“It's just a different language. You can be really straightforward with guys. Girls, you need to be a little bit more careful with your words. You need to be really positive with girls, and guys you can say straight to their face, 'Hey, that wasn’t very good'. With girls, you start with the positive and then go for the negative,” she said.

Positive and negative was also her start at the Olympics. With 44 saves and a 95.12% save percentage Raty kept the score against Team USA close but the Finns eventually lost 3-1. Next is Canada. Can Suomi again surprise like in the 2017 Women’s Worlds? Then her 35 saves led the Finns to a sensational 4-3 preliminary-round victory against Canada.

MARTIN MERK

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Gregorc a rock on blueline

February 13, 2018, 1:37 am

≫ Next: Seeking inspiration

≪ Previous: Raty’s return

Slovenia has several returning players from it’s surprising quarter-final finish in Sochi. One of them, Blaz Gregorc, 28, is one of the team’s mainstays.

“I was in Sochi and I’ve played for the national team the last eight years,” he said of his international experience, which includes the last seven World Championships – elite level in odd years and Division IA in even, and that trend will continue this year. “But still, it’s the Olympics, which is always something special. It’s big for Slovenia to even qualify.”

He’s right about that. Gregorc is one of only 136 registered male ice hockey players in the nation of just over two million people. Yet they qualified for the Olympics in dramatic fashion, beating host Belarus in a shootout in the last game of their qualification tournament in September 2016. It was every bit as big a surprise as when the qualified four years earlier, and Gregorc hopes for similar success.

“In the group stage we beat Slovakia and then in the quarter-final we beat Austria, so we were pretty successful. Hopefully, we can have some success in PyeongChang as well. The other teams don’t have NHL players and we don’t either but it’s only one: Anze Kopitar. The other teams in our group all have lots of NHL players so maybe this time it’s gonna be easier for us.”

Amazingly, Slovenia has been drawn into a group with the same three teams as in Sochi – the Russians (who will be competing under the name Olympic Athletes from Russia this time around), the United States and Slovakia. Three of Gregorc’s Hradec Kralove teammates – goaltender Patrik Rybar, defenceman Dominik Granak and forward Lukas Cingel – are on the Slovak team, so surely there was some good-natured ribbing going on in the dressing room about the game on 17 February, which will be the last group-stage game for both teams.

“Yeah, of course. We’re not fighting over it, but we know it’s coming and there’s been some talk about it.”

Gregorc is one of five players on the Slovenian roster who plays for a Czech club team, but he’s the only one in the Extraliga – the other four play in the second-tier WSM Liga.

“We’re in contact with each other on the phone or online, but I haven’t had really any time to meet them,” he said of the others. “I never play against them and they have different schedules, so it’s pretty hard to meet.”

In addition to the five players in the Czech Republic, the team also includes seven players based in Austria, four in France, three each in Russia and Germany, and one each in Sweden, Denmark and at home in Slovenia.

“There’s no money in Slovenia, so you have to go abroad,” he said of the situation. “Almost all of the national team players play in other countries. We have two teams in the Alps Hockey Liga, which is fine for young guys, but if you want to develop, you need to go abroad. Before it was a little bit better because there were two EBEL teams in Slovenia, but even then, most of the national team played abroad.”

On his Czech club, Gregorc plays on the top defensive pair, often leading all players on his team in ice time. In recent years, he’s been a top-four D-man on the Slovenian national team and, at 190 cm and 94 kg, is often called upon to play a physical role. He doesn’t know exactly what to expect yet in the Olympics.

“We will see. Now we’ve got a different coach, a Finnish guy (Kari Savolainen), so we’ll see what he’s gonna do with the team as far as lineups. But it doesn’t matter what role you have; you just need to accept it and do your best for your team.”

It’s been a long season for Gregorc, having played in 58 games so far for Hradec Kralove in the Extraliga, Champions Hockey League and Spengler Cup combined. Obviously, he gets no Olympic break like most of his teammates now get, and will return to what he hopes will be a long playoff run. If not, there’s still the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A in Budapest in April where Slovenia hopes to earn promotion back to the top division.

“It’s a long season, we’ve had a lot of games and I’ve got more coming up, but that’s my job and I enjoy it. It’s better to play games than just practice every day.”

DEREK O’BRIEN

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