Guys, the Blogger user interface was down for two days, keeping me from posting! *shakes an angry fist at Blogger*. I have had a lot of catching up to do. Will keep the IIHF WC overview short and sweet. Or maybe just short if it turns out to be a boring read lol
Day 14
[Finland-Norway] 4-1. Sad for my buddy Ferdinand, he is Norwegian and quite possibly the biggest Polar Bears fan in the world. I was at work, so I kept an eye on the score on the IIHF site. And when I saw that Norway had the first goal I was pleasantly surprised, but then Finland upped the ante and scored four goals, all in the second period. Norway had no response so they failed to beat the Finns for the 17th or so time.
[Canada-Russia] 1-2. This was a tough game for me. Historically speaking I will root for Canada over the USA, but I will root for Russia over Canada. This year so many of my Leafies were playing for Canada that I had a slight preference for Canada. I have not seen the game, but all reports are saying this was an awesome game. And a Twitter buddy of mine who was actually at the game sent several updates and was especially positive about the atmosphere in the arena and the great hockey played by these great hockey nations. So the Canada loss was harsh, but at the same times seeing Russia move on was splendid in its own right.
Day 15
[Czech Republic-Sweden] 2-5. After that awesome win over the USA, you would think the Czechs would bring that momentum to their next game. Instead they allowed the Swedes to dominate them. First period was a snoozefest but then the Swedes turned up the pressure and although the Czechs managed to score first, the Swedes simply outshot them leading to a lead at the end of the second period. And they kept it up in the final period, making it a rather huge 5-2 win.
[Finland-Russia] 3-0. Yes I know the Finns are a great team. But I really needed a bit of hockey happiness after a rough time as a fan. Flyers swept by the Bruins. The Red Wings nearly fought back to a series win after a 3-0 game deficit, but then lost Game 7. The Canadians got sent home by the Russians. Does a girl not deserve some hockey happiness? Probably not, because Russia got ousted. I watched the second period and a bit of the third. But after the 2-0 I gave up. I will normally watch any game, suffer the worst of losses, but today I just could not keep it up.
I hope that the Swedes clinch the gold on Sunday and if luck will have it I hope for a bronze medal for the Russians. Right now I need an Advil ;)
Showing posts with label norway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label norway. Show all posts
Friday, 13 May 2011
Monday, 9 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 11 | May 9th, 2011
A busy schedule today and it started bright and early with two games at 12.15 my time. A lunch-time-game? Sounds a bit uncommon considering it is a Monday. But OK, I watched the scoreboard on the IIHF site. And a Twitter-buddy was actually at the Slovakia-Denmark game and fed us with nice updates.
[Slovakia-Denmark] 4-1. Scoring was started by the Danes, but before the end of the first period, Strumpel and Satan had scored for Slovakia, giving them a 2-1 advantage going into the second period. Second period started strong for the Slovaks as well. Satan had some cool scoring opportunities and managed to get himself in a fight as well. OK, that is not really surprising ;) The second period went without goals, but in the third the Slovakia scored two more (Zednik and Hossa!). I for one am glad they at least ended the tournament on a positive note! And I should mention that the Danes had a lot of PPs in the third too which the Slovaks effectively killed off.
[France-Norway] 2-5. Well, it was the longest of all long shots, but a France win and a USA loss were what the Swiss - one of my personal faves - needed to move on the Quarter Finals. So I was looking closely at the France game. With Norway having an alright but not perfect tournament I though perhaps the French would try to redeem themselves a bit before going home. But yeah, the long shot was too long and the Norwegians dealt with the French decisively and in the process clinched their own spot in the Quarter Finals. Well done guys!
[Russia-Finland] 2-3. Had to go all the way to SO. Neither team looked spectacular in the third period and frankly, the OT was a waste of time too. Finns dominated the SO, it feels like the Russians did not even try to score. I had expected to see a bit more from these guys. But according to the IIHF report, the first period was excellent for Russia, with lots of hitting by Artyukhin and good scoring opportunities, but of course I missed that one *sighs*
[Switzerland-USA] 5-3. Well blimey. The Swiss finally found their scoring mojo. If only France had done the same earlier and defeated Norway, then the Swiss would have made it to the Quarter Finals. But it was all a bit too late. It was however, a nice way to redeem themselves a bit and beating the States always looks good on a resumé ;) ... Team USA tried to fight back in the final period and my boy JVR scored a goal to make it a one-goal game. But in the final minutes the Swiss scored an empty-netter, winning this game with a cool 5-3.
[Canada-Sweden] 3-2. My choice for tonight. It was a nice game to watch, nice pace, cool rushes, good saves. Not a big score and not the most spectacular game ever, but it was quite alright. And I am happy because Canada won :)
[Germany-Czech Republic] 2-5. The Germans started this tournament so strongly, so this game is hardly one they will want to remember. I did not watch this game, so I hoped for some input from my German buddy Sven, but he was too mad to talk about this game. Guess that says it all really! The Czechs had a walk in the park, having a bit of a pre-Quarter Finals practice. Oh wait, Sven decided to help me out anyways: "Czechs were better and Germany took too many penalties. Germany also had a bit of bad luck: first Czech goal was an goal in own net by Krüger. Second one flipped from Holzer's leg into the goal and another one was blocked by Nicolai Goc and that was a perfect assist for Plekanec." Ah see, it was not all bad! And thanks for your input Sven!
I am ready for the Quarter Finals. You too?
[Slovakia-Denmark] 4-1. Scoring was started by the Danes, but before the end of the first period, Strumpel and Satan had scored for Slovakia, giving them a 2-1 advantage going into the second period. Second period started strong for the Slovaks as well. Satan had some cool scoring opportunities and managed to get himself in a fight as well. OK, that is not really surprising ;) The second period went without goals, but in the third the Slovakia scored two more (Zednik and Hossa!). I for one am glad they at least ended the tournament on a positive note! And I should mention that the Danes had a lot of PPs in the third too which the Slovaks effectively killed off.
[France-Norway] 2-5. Well, it was the longest of all long shots, but a France win and a USA loss were what the Swiss - one of my personal faves - needed to move on the Quarter Finals. So I was looking closely at the France game. With Norway having an alright but not perfect tournament I though perhaps the French would try to redeem themselves a bit before going home. But yeah, the long shot was too long and the Norwegians dealt with the French decisively and in the process clinched their own spot in the Quarter Finals. Well done guys!
[Russia-Finland] 2-3. Had to go all the way to SO. Neither team looked spectacular in the third period and frankly, the OT was a waste of time too. Finns dominated the SO, it feels like the Russians did not even try to score. I had expected to see a bit more from these guys. But according to the IIHF report, the first period was excellent for Russia, with lots of hitting by Artyukhin and good scoring opportunities, but of course I missed that one *sighs*
[Switzerland-USA] 5-3. Well blimey. The Swiss finally found their scoring mojo. If only France had done the same earlier and defeated Norway, then the Swiss would have made it to the Quarter Finals. But it was all a bit too late. It was however, a nice way to redeem themselves a bit and beating the States always looks good on a resumé ;) ... Team USA tried to fight back in the final period and my boy JVR scored a goal to make it a one-goal game. But in the final minutes the Swiss scored an empty-netter, winning this game with a cool 5-3.
[Canada-Sweden] 3-2. My choice for tonight. It was a nice game to watch, nice pace, cool rushes, good saves. Not a big score and not the most spectacular game ever, but it was quite alright. And I am happy because Canada won :)
[Germany-Czech Republic] 2-5. The Germans started this tournament so strongly, so this game is hardly one they will want to remember. I did not watch this game, so I hoped for some input from my German buddy Sven, but he was too mad to talk about this game. Guess that says it all really! The Czechs had a walk in the park, having a bit of a pre-Quarter Finals practice. Oh wait, Sven decided to help me out anyways: "Czechs were better and Germany took too many penalties. Germany also had a bit of bad luck: first Czech goal was an goal in own net by Krüger. Second one flipped from Holzer's leg into the goal and another one was blocked by Nicolai Goc and that was a perfect assist for Plekanec." Ah see, it was not all bad! And thanks for your input Sven!
I am ready for the Quarter Finals. You too?
Saturday, 7 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 9 | May 7th, 2011
Still reeling from last night's Playoffs shenanigans, but was ready for some World Championship action and I just finished watching Norway-Canada. It was like a little band-aid for the hurt hockey soul ;) *exit dramatics*
Anyways, here today's round-up!
[Austria-Slovenia] 3-2. Austria manages to win one and makes the last game of the Relegation Round exciting. The two teams that win their next game will earn their stay in the top division. Fun when teams fight like that.
[Belarus-Latvia] 3-6. A haphazzard World Championship for both countries. Win a few lose a few, no real consistency in sight. But hey, a game with this many goals is always fun. And the upside is that because Austria won as well, tomorrow's final games of the Relegation Round will be truly exciting as each team can either win a stay in next year's World Cup or be relegated to the First Division.
[Denmark-Germany] 4-3. Germany already qualified for the next round, so this outcome is acceptable for them. And although the Danes managed to win this one, their World Cup is over as they needed a regulation win to stay in the running. Instead this game went all the way to SO and we have seen the last couple of games that the Danes keep their cool in this situation and can turn it to their advantage.
[Norway-Canada] 2-3. I watched this one and I must admit that it was a nice soothing game. Canada was playing a calm and collected game and halfway through the third period the score was 3-0. Then the Norwegians woke up and increased pressure and suddenly this turned into a game again! At 51:36 the score was 3-1. At 52:49 it was 3-2 and I must admit that I sat up a bit straighter and got just a tad anxious. But the Canadians hung in there and have secured their spot in the Quarter Finals! Yay!
[Finland-Slovakia] 2-1. Chose to watch this one over USA-France, thinking it would be the more exciting of the two. Well, two periods into the game, a 1-0 lead for the Slovaks and I was bored so much I continued writing this article rather than concentrating on the game. At some point in the third period the players started to skate a bit faster, there was more puck movement and what do you know? The Finns scored, twice in succesion, to clinch the win and their place in the Quarter Finals. Oh, both goals were scored by Ruutu. And the Slovaks had dreams of medals and what not but it was not meant to be. The sad faces of the Slovak fans were making me go 'Awwwwww' :(
[USA-France] 3-2. Hmm, not much to report here. Some crazy reporting going on and I cannot make much sense of it. A 3-2 win over France does not sound very commanding to me, but the IIFH site suggests that the French were outclassed by far. I feel like shrugging a bit. And as I type this the Flyers tweet that JVR will be joining Team USA. Sounds like an excellent idea, they can use some offensive power! But OK, the French have no chance at moving on to the Quarter Finals and can start packing. Team USA has plenty of opportunity and I hope they take it.
Tomorrow my faves are playing - Russia and Switzerland - I hope they will win their respective games :) ... and I hope to see Ovi in good spirits!
Anyways, here today's round-up!
[Austria-Slovenia] 3-2. Austria manages to win one and makes the last game of the Relegation Round exciting. The two teams that win their next game will earn their stay in the top division. Fun when teams fight like that.
[Belarus-Latvia] 3-6. A haphazzard World Championship for both countries. Win a few lose a few, no real consistency in sight. But hey, a game with this many goals is always fun. And the upside is that because Austria won as well, tomorrow's final games of the Relegation Round will be truly exciting as each team can either win a stay in next year's World Cup or be relegated to the First Division.
[Denmark-Germany] 4-3. Germany already qualified for the next round, so this outcome is acceptable for them. And although the Danes managed to win this one, their World Cup is over as they needed a regulation win to stay in the running. Instead this game went all the way to SO and we have seen the last couple of games that the Danes keep their cool in this situation and can turn it to their advantage.
[Norway-Canada] 2-3. I watched this one and I must admit that it was a nice soothing game. Canada was playing a calm and collected game and halfway through the third period the score was 3-0. Then the Norwegians woke up and increased pressure and suddenly this turned into a game again! At 51:36 the score was 3-1. At 52:49 it was 3-2 and I must admit that I sat up a bit straighter and got just a tad anxious. But the Canadians hung in there and have secured their spot in the Quarter Finals! Yay!
[Finland-Slovakia] 2-1. Chose to watch this one over USA-France, thinking it would be the more exciting of the two. Well, two periods into the game, a 1-0 lead for the Slovaks and I was bored so much I continued writing this article rather than concentrating on the game. At some point in the third period the players started to skate a bit faster, there was more puck movement and what do you know? The Finns scored, twice in succesion, to clinch the win and their place in the Quarter Finals. Oh, both goals were scored by Ruutu. And the Slovaks had dreams of medals and what not but it was not meant to be. The sad faces of the Slovak fans were making me go 'Awwwwww' :(
[USA-France] 3-2. Hmm, not much to report here. Some crazy reporting going on and I cannot make much sense of it. A 3-2 win over France does not sound very commanding to me, but the IIFH site suggests that the French were outclassed by far. I feel like shrugging a bit. And as I type this the Flyers tweet that JVR will be joining Team USA. Sounds like an excellent idea, they can use some offensive power! But OK, the French have no chance at moving on to the Quarter Finals and can start packing. Team USA has plenty of opportunity and I hope they take it.
Tomorrow my faves are playing - Russia and Switzerland - I hope they will win their respective games :) ... and I hope to see Ovi in good spirits!
Thursday, 5 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 7 | May 5th, 2011
Today I could not decide on an evening game to watch, so I ended up watching bits of both Russia vs Denmark and Switzerland vs Norway.
[Slovenia-Latvia] 5-2. Relegation Round. This is the first time Slovenia beat Latvia on a World Championship! And by no meager numbers either, while in previous meetings the Slovenians hardly got to score a goal. They were eager, while Latvia was playing a bit under par. Jeglic thought it may have to do with the fact that the Latvians had not anticipated to play in the Relegation Round in the first place. Whatever the case, the Slovenians took a right step in the direction of staying in the top division today.
[Belarus-Austria] 7-2. Relegation Round. In the Preliminary Round Belarus hardly managed to score at all, so it was a big relief to the guys to finally get going and net some pucks! My Leafie Grabovski also scored and all in all the guys played a relaxed, loose game. That is probably the ticket to wins as it is. The minute a team gets too nervous the flow sort of stagnates. So glad to see Belarus got their groove back.
[Russia-Denmark] 4-3. Although the Russians found themselves trailing 2-1 after the first period, in the end it was a smooth game for them. They recovered in the second period by adding two goals to the scoreboard and in the third period they made it 4-2. The Danes tried to get back into the game and after a bit of effort managed to score to make it 4-3. But honestly, the Russians did not even put in very much effort. They just seemed very much in control. And I am thinking that maybe at times they did not even take this game too seriously ;) ... cause I witnessed some fun and playful moves towards the end. Afinogenov went behind the goal, then chipped the puck over the goal to a teammate in front of the Danish goalie and said Russian tried to bat it in ... did not work out, but it was fun to see!
[Switzerland-Norway] 3-2. Qualification Round. I missed the first period, but tuned in for the second and I was disappointed for two reasons. First of all, I like Norway, but during the Spengler Cup I grew a liking to the Swiss teams attending. They played a fast, action-packed game. So I was hoping to see the Swiss do well, but instead they were trailing. And second of all, it was a boring game! The Swiss did not show the enthusiams I was expecting and the Norwegians seemed happy with how things were going and hardly did anything to make it a more exciting game. So I switched to Russia-Denmark instead. But there you have it, Norway kept the lead and is looking good in terms of points!
Interesting games tomorrow. Especially looking forward to Canada-USA! And I wonder how Germany will fare against the Finns. Exciting times I hope!
[Slovenia-Latvia] 5-2. Relegation Round. This is the first time Slovenia beat Latvia on a World Championship! And by no meager numbers either, while in previous meetings the Slovenians hardly got to score a goal. They were eager, while Latvia was playing a bit under par. Jeglic thought it may have to do with the fact that the Latvians had not anticipated to play in the Relegation Round in the first place. Whatever the case, the Slovenians took a right step in the direction of staying in the top division today.
[Belarus-Austria] 7-2. Relegation Round. In the Preliminary Round Belarus hardly managed to score at all, so it was a big relief to the guys to finally get going and net some pucks! My Leafie Grabovski also scored and all in all the guys played a relaxed, loose game. That is probably the ticket to wins as it is. The minute a team gets too nervous the flow sort of stagnates. So glad to see Belarus got their groove back.
[Russia-Denmark] 4-3. Although the Russians found themselves trailing 2-1 after the first period, in the end it was a smooth game for them. They recovered in the second period by adding two goals to the scoreboard and in the third period they made it 4-2. The Danes tried to get back into the game and after a bit of effort managed to score to make it 4-3. But honestly, the Russians did not even put in very much effort. They just seemed very much in control. And I am thinking that maybe at times they did not even take this game too seriously ;) ... cause I witnessed some fun and playful moves towards the end. Afinogenov went behind the goal, then chipped the puck over the goal to a teammate in front of the Danish goalie and said Russian tried to bat it in ... did not work out, but it was fun to see!
[Switzerland-Norway] 3-2. Qualification Round. I missed the first period, but tuned in for the second and I was disappointed for two reasons. First of all, I like Norway, but during the Spengler Cup I grew a liking to the Swiss teams attending. They played a fast, action-packed game. So I was hoping to see the Swiss do well, but instead they were trailing. And second of all, it was a boring game! The Swiss did not show the enthusiams I was expecting and the Norwegians seemed happy with how things were going and hardly did anything to make it a more exciting game. So I switched to Russia-Denmark instead. But there you have it, Norway kept the lead and is looking good in terms of points!
Interesting games tomorrow. Especially looking forward to Canada-USA! And I wonder how Germany will fare against the Finns. Exciting times I hope!
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 6 | May 4th, 2011
Almost bedtime here, but I had another fun hockey night. Here a write up of today's World Cup action.
[Denmark-Latvia] 3-2. That settled it. The Danes are on to the Qualification Round and the Latvians are headed for the Relegation Round. That is the third time since they joined the Top Division in 1997 and each time they survived. Back to the game. It seemed to be an even game and the end result could have gone either way. Nothing like a shoot-out to test your luck. Although the Danes were a bit more confident as they had won a few exhibition games that went to SO, maybe that really did help.
[Austria-Norway] 0-5. WHOP! That was a whopping result for the Norwegians aka Polar Bears. Cute nickname that. Although they may not appreciate the fact I called them cute. Anyways, I did not know about the 'Polar Bears' till today, but it sure explains why a buddy of mine wears a white bear costume to games lolol ... I assumed it had something to do with the cold and ice and snow, so I never asked. But yeah, things make sense now. Said buddy probably was at that game today. Lets just assume he will partying all evening. Anyways, the Norwegian are safe in the Qualification Round and the Austrians will have to fight for survival in the Relegation Round.
[Finland-Czech Republic] 1-2. I am learning new things about international hockey everyday. Apparently these two countries have a bit of an international rivalry going on and often the games are close with only little scoring. I have not seen this game so I will trust the report is correct and that this was a very physical and tough game with both sides taking lots of penalties. Fun bit: Pavelec was very close to a shut-out, but the Finns scored with just 20 seconds left on the clock (6 on 5). Hahah, so close!
[Sweden-USA] 6-2. Watched this game tonight and it was awesome. The first period was interesting enough with the Swedes building pressure and firing a lot of shots at Al Montoya, who bless him, was great. And a bit unexpectedly Team USA equalised on a PP with a bit over a minute to go. The Swedes were great to watch, great skating, great skills. Then the second period started and Montoya went on to disprove my comment about him being great. Basically he mucked up. He was skating behind the goal, trying to keep the puck in the game, but instead of getting rid of it properly, some Swedish guy called Kruger stole the puck and scored, pretty much an empty-netter ;) ... and for the rest of the period the Swedes were on a roll as Mattias Sjogren and Patrik Berglund scored to make it 4-1. The third period did not start very sparkly at all. I was expecting the USA to crank up the speed and start pressuring for a goal, but it was all a bit lacklustre and even the PP the USA had halfway through was played without any real energy. After the PP the Swedes actually upped the pressure a bit with a few good shots at the goal. And just as I was least expecting it, Team USA struck and Wheeler netted one for the USA. With the game against Norway still fresh in mind where they came back from a 2-0 deficit I thought we might be in for some last period fireworks. And we were! But it was the Swedes who made it happen. Where USA failed to pick up speed, Sweden did bring it and they scored two more goals to make it a huge 6-2 win. Ouch Team USA, splendid job by Sweden. Oh, it was also the most physical game I have personally seen at this World Cup, lots of skermishes and fistycuffs and at one point even one of the refs joined in and totally ninja'd a Swedish player. Hopefully someone will eventually upload a vid so I can add it. It amused me!
And I must share this. Some reporter on the IIHF.com site wrote: "The bigger Swedes played a physical, aggressive game that bothered the Americans much of the night." Right. In what universe do some hard as steel NHL/AHL players have issues with a physical and aggresive opponent? *shakes head*
[Denmark-Latvia] 3-2. That settled it. The Danes are on to the Qualification Round and the Latvians are headed for the Relegation Round. That is the third time since they joined the Top Division in 1997 and each time they survived. Back to the game. It seemed to be an even game and the end result could have gone either way. Nothing like a shoot-out to test your luck. Although the Danes were a bit more confident as they had won a few exhibition games that went to SO, maybe that really did help.
[Austria-Norway] 0-5. WHOP! That was a whopping result for the Norwegians aka Polar Bears. Cute nickname that. Although they may not appreciate the fact I called them cute. Anyways, I did not know about the 'Polar Bears' till today, but it sure explains why a buddy of mine wears a white bear costume to games lolol ... I assumed it had something to do with the cold and ice and snow, so I never asked. But yeah, things make sense now. Said buddy probably was at that game today. Lets just assume he will partying all evening. Anyways, the Norwegian are safe in the Qualification Round and the Austrians will have to fight for survival in the Relegation Round.
[Finland-Czech Republic] 1-2. I am learning new things about international hockey everyday. Apparently these two countries have a bit of an international rivalry going on and often the games are close with only little scoring. I have not seen this game so I will trust the report is correct and that this was a very physical and tough game with both sides taking lots of penalties. Fun bit: Pavelec was very close to a shut-out, but the Finns scored with just 20 seconds left on the clock (6 on 5). Hahah, so close!
[Sweden-USA] 6-2. Watched this game tonight and it was awesome. The first period was interesting enough with the Swedes building pressure and firing a lot of shots at Al Montoya, who bless him, was great. And a bit unexpectedly Team USA equalised on a PP with a bit over a minute to go. The Swedes were great to watch, great skating, great skills. Then the second period started and Montoya went on to disprove my comment about him being great. Basically he mucked up. He was skating behind the goal, trying to keep the puck in the game, but instead of getting rid of it properly, some Swedish guy called Kruger stole the puck and scored, pretty much an empty-netter ;) ... and for the rest of the period the Swedes were on a roll as Mattias Sjogren and Patrik Berglund scored to make it 4-1. The third period did not start very sparkly at all. I was expecting the USA to crank up the speed and start pressuring for a goal, but it was all a bit lacklustre and even the PP the USA had halfway through was played without any real energy. After the PP the Swedes actually upped the pressure a bit with a few good shots at the goal. And just as I was least expecting it, Team USA struck and Wheeler netted one for the USA. With the game against Norway still fresh in mind where they came back from a 2-0 deficit I thought we might be in for some last period fireworks. And we were! But it was the Swedes who made it happen. Where USA failed to pick up speed, Sweden did bring it and they scored two more goals to make it a huge 6-2 win. Ouch Team USA, splendid job by Sweden. Oh, it was also the most physical game I have personally seen at this World Cup, lots of skermishes and fistycuffs and at one point even one of the refs joined in and totally ninja'd a Swedish player. Hopefully someone will eventually upload a vid so I can add it. It amused me!
And I must share this. Some reporter on the IIHF.com site wrote: "The bigger Swedes played a physical, aggressive game that bothered the Americans much of the night." Right. In what universe do some hard as steel NHL/AHL players have issues with a physical and aggresive opponent? *shakes head*
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