photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Tim Austen
Team Canada had to put in a full day’s work to get the 2-0 win over Finland. The Canadians finished their preliminary round at the top of the standings in Group B, with a perfect 4-0 record.
Caitlin Kraemer and Sarah Fillier scored for Canada, and Ann-Renee Desbiens made 25 saves en route to a shutout.
Finland didn’t show any respect to the Canadians in the first period. They showed they had come to play, and while the play was mostly in their zone, the Finns created several high-quality chances, but Desbiens was unbeatable. Danada had used all three goalies in their first three games, so the game against Finland was only Desbiens’s second start.
Once the Canadians had gotten over the initial shock, they scored the important first goal 3:22 into the game. Caitlin Kraemer snatched the puck in Canada’s zone, turned on the jets and forced her way through the neutral zone, with two Finnish backcheckers falling down chasing her. Her wrister somehow found its way through Ahola’s pads to make it 1-0 for Canada.
Canada outshot Finland 11-3 halfway through the period, but Finland rolled a few strong shifts and won the shots in the second half 6-5. Of course, Canada had several dangerous chances from the slot, but their shots missed the net.
The middle frame turned into a battle. Neither team was prepared to give an inch. The Finns wanted to make sure their shifts stayed short so they could match Canada’s speed, which was punctuated by head coach Lehtera’s constant commands — “line change!” — echoing in the Kvik Hockey Arena in Herning.
While Daryl Watts’s tripping minor was the period’s only call, the second period was anything but uneventful. Both goaltenders got to showcase their skills, Desbiens especially during the Finnish power play.
Petra Nieminen had a partial breakaway on her first shift of the third period and another great chance on the power play right after, but she couldn’t solve Desbiens.
Finland had Canada on the ropes for the first five minutes of the period, and the Canadians were forced to ice the puck several times.
But Canada regrouped.
First, Kraemer went coast-to-coast but hit the post. On the next shift, Sarah Fillier lobbed the puck to the offensive blueline to Jessie Eldridge, who found Fillier flying down the right wing. She looked up and beat Ahola with a wrister on her stick side to double Canada’s lead to 2-0 at 6:44.
Finland chased another goal with six skaters, but didn¨t get closer than 2-0.
Caitlin Kraemer and Sarah Fillier scored for Canada, and Ann-Renee Desbiens made 25 saves en route to a shutout.
Finland didn’t show any respect to the Canadians in the first period. They showed they had come to play, and while the play was mostly in their zone, the Finns created several high-quality chances, but Desbiens was unbeatable. Danada had used all three goalies in their first three games, so the game against Finland was only Desbiens’s second start.
Once the Canadians had gotten over the initial shock, they scored the important first goal 3:22 into the game. Caitlin Kraemer snatched the puck in Canada’s zone, turned on the jets and forced her way through the neutral zone, with two Finnish backcheckers falling down chasing her. Her wrister somehow found its way through Ahola’s pads to make it 1-0 for Canada.
Canada outshot Finland 11-3 halfway through the period, but Finland rolled a few strong shifts and won the shots in the second half 6-5. Of course, Canada had several dangerous chances from the slot, but their shots missed the net.
The middle frame turned into a battle. Neither team was prepared to give an inch. The Finns wanted to make sure their shifts stayed short so they could match Canada’s speed, which was punctuated by head coach Lehtera’s constant commands — “line change!” — echoing in the Kvik Hockey Arena in Herning.
While Daryl Watts’s tripping minor was the period’s only call, the second period was anything but uneventful. Both goaltenders got to showcase their skills, Desbiens especially during the Finnish power play.
Petra Nieminen had a partial breakaway on her first shift of the third period and another great chance on the power play right after, but she couldn’t solve Desbiens.
Finland had Canada on the ropes for the first five minutes of the period, and the Canadians were forced to ice the puck several times.
But Canada regrouped.
First, Kraemer went coast-to-coast but hit the post. On the next shift, Sarah Fillier lobbed the puck to the offensive blueline to Jessie Eldridge, who found Fillier flying down the right wing. She looked up and beat Ahola with a wrister on her stick side to double Canada’s lead to 2-0 at 6:44.
Finland chased another goal with six skaters, but didn¨t get closer than 2-0.