photo: Andrea Cardin/IIHF
The top four women’s teams in Europe put on quite a show in Kloten over the weekend as they got on the ice for the first time this new season to prepare for a Women’s World Championship that is only ten weeks away.
Three of the four teams had new coaches, and all teams won at least one game, suggesting the upcoming WW might be the most competitive we’ve ever seen.
Sweden secured top spot on the weekend with an impressive 2-0 win over Finland on Sunday. Erika Holst was making her debut behind the bench for Sweden which entered the game with a win and a loss. The goalless game looked to be heading to overtime, but Sofie Lundin scored the winner with less than two minutes left in the third. Thea Johansson added an empty netter.
The Finns beat Czechia to start the tournament on Friday. It was the first game for Brian Idalsky behind the Czech bench, taking over for Carla MacLeod. Emmi Juusela and Sanni Vanhanen staked the Finns to a 2-0 lead but Adela Sapovalivova got one back before the end of the first. Viivi Vainikka added an empty netter.
Idalsky switched goalies midway through the game, Klara Peslarova coming out and Aneta Senkova getting a chance to play the second half. Interestingly, one of the linespeople was Domenica Maurer, sister of Swiss goalie Saskia.
The Swiss started with a win later on Friday, 4-2 over the Swedes. Alina Muller, the bronze-medal hero from Milan, scored two goals with Shannon Miller behind the bench. She was taking over for Colin Muller, who resigned after leading the Swiss to that bronze in February. Mira Jungaker opened the scoring for Damkronorna, but the Swiss got two back later in the first and Muller added the only goal of the second. Hilda Svensson brought the Swedes to within one in the third before Muller put the game out of reach, making it 4-2 at 12:20 of the third.
On Saturday, the Swedes responded and handed Czechia their second loss in 24 hours. The 4-2 win included a whopping 21 minor penalties. Hilda Svensson scored two goals in the second period, while Sara Cajanova and Tereza Plosova scored for the Czechs.
On the final day, Sweden won for the second time and the Czechs got their first win at the expense of the Swiss, 2-1. Daniela Pejsova and Michaela Pejzlova scored for the winners while Leoni Balzer had the only Swiss score. Maurer and Peslarova were the two goalies.
All teams brought impressive rosters to Kloten for the tournament. Captain Jenni Hiirikoski, whose Olympics was cut short by injury, was back for Finland, and Muller and captain Lara Stalder led the Swiss. The Swedes had Maja Nylen-Persson and Anna Kjellbin, and the Czechs included Pejsova and Sara Cajanova.
Final standings
1. SWE
2. SUI
3. FIN
4. CZE
Scores
19 August: Finland 3-Czechia 1
19 August: Switzerland 4-Sweden 2
21 August: Sweden 4-Czechia 2
21 August: Switzerland 4-Finland 3 (OT)
22 August: Sweden 2-Finland 0
22 August: Czechia 2-Switzerland 1
Three of the four teams had new coaches, and all teams won at least one game, suggesting the upcoming WW might be the most competitive we’ve ever seen.
Sweden secured top spot on the weekend with an impressive 2-0 win over Finland on Sunday. Erika Holst was making her debut behind the bench for Sweden which entered the game with a win and a loss. The goalless game looked to be heading to overtime, but Sofie Lundin scored the winner with less than two minutes left in the third. Thea Johansson added an empty netter.
The Finns beat Czechia to start the tournament on Friday. It was the first game for Brian Idalsky behind the Czech bench, taking over for Carla MacLeod. Emmi Juusela and Sanni Vanhanen staked the Finns to a 2-0 lead but Adela Sapovalivova got one back before the end of the first. Viivi Vainikka added an empty netter.
Idalsky switched goalies midway through the game, Klara Peslarova coming out and Aneta Senkova getting a chance to play the second half. Interestingly, one of the linespeople was Domenica Maurer, sister of Swiss goalie Saskia.
The Swiss started with a win later on Friday, 4-2 over the Swedes. Alina Muller, the bronze-medal hero from Milan, scored two goals with Shannon Miller behind the bench. She was taking over for Colin Muller, who resigned after leading the Swiss to that bronze in February. Mira Jungaker opened the scoring for Damkronorna, but the Swiss got two back later in the first and Muller added the only goal of the second. Hilda Svensson brought the Swedes to within one in the third before Muller put the game out of reach, making it 4-2 at 12:20 of the third.
On Saturday, the Swedes responded and handed Czechia their second loss in 24 hours. The 4-2 win included a whopping 21 minor penalties. Hilda Svensson scored two goals in the second period, while Sara Cajanova and Tereza Plosova scored for the Czechs.
On the final day, Sweden won for the second time and the Czechs got their first win at the expense of the Swiss, 2-1. Daniela Pejsova and Michaela Pejzlova scored for the winners while Leoni Balzer had the only Swiss score. Maurer and Peslarova were the two goalies.
All teams brought impressive rosters to Kloten for the tournament. Captain Jenni Hiirikoski, whose Olympics was cut short by injury, was back for Finland, and Muller and captain Lara Stalder led the Swiss. The Swedes had Maja Nylen-Persson and Anna Kjellbin, and the Czechs included Pejsova and Sara Cajanova.
Final standings
1. SWE
2. SUI
3. FIN
4. CZE
Scores
19 August: Finland 3-Czechia 1
19 August: Switzerland 4-Sweden 2
21 August: Sweden 4-Czechia 2
21 August: Switzerland 4-Finland 3 (OT)
22 August: Sweden 2-Finland 0
22 August: Czechia 2-Switzerland 1