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?
Showing posts with label switzerland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label switzerland. Show all posts
Monday, 9 May 2011
Sunday, 8 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 10 | May 8th, 2011
My hockey week is shit! Pardon the expression, but it is. Why must Russia and Switzerland add to my hockey sorrow? Oh well, Russia is still in the running, but the Swiss are pretty much out of the race.
[Czech Republic-Russia] 3-2. I managed to catch bits and pieces of this game. Was at my parents' place for Mother's Day, so could not sneak away for too long to watch hockey ;) ... but what I saw was gritty, aggresive, intense, almost emotional mixed up with moments of the complete opposite. Weird game. And it is never right when one guy stands out for aggresive behaviour. Quoting Jaromir Jagr on Yevgeni Artyukhin: "He’s just a huge guy. It’s tough to stop him when he wants to hit somebody, because he’s like a huge monster coming after you. One [hit] was pretty bad because our guy didn’t have the puck." I admit this guy is rough lol ... but would not mind him on my Flyers, with a bit of polish ;)
[Sweden-Switzerland] 2-0. *sighs* I like the way the Swiss play, so why do they forget how to be offensive when it really matters? Sweden have qualified for the Quarter Finals and the Swiss have a tiny sliver of hope, but lets face it, it is not going to happen for them. Again. I tried to figure out what scenario they would need, but the standings and schedules have been set up so awkwardly on the IIHF site that I let this endeavour go. If someone has it figured out, please leave me a note lol {edit: Sven figured it out, thanks ... the Swiss would have to beat the USA, and Norway would have to lose to France ... sounds impossible!}
[Slovenia-Belarus] 1-7. Poor Slovenia. That was some ass-kicking they suffered and with a score like this it is not hard to tell who dominated ;) This was one of the two Relegation Round finals. Basically it was who wins stays, who loses drops to Division I. And lets just say Belarus safeguarded their spot in the Top Division with some fury ;) ... as for Slovenia, well not even sure if Anze Kopitar could have saved them, but I am sure his presence would have helped the Slovenians along. Back to Division I for them, but it was a good run.
[Latvia-Austria] 4-1. Another pretty conclusive score in the second Relegation Round final. Could not find a stream for this one, nor for the other game, so just summing up a few things I have read: Latvia was the more accomplished team, creating chances, whereas Austria had very little scoring chances. Which is much in keeping with the rest of their tournament.
Tomorrow a busy sked. Six games and it is as if everyone is playing lol ... will be scorewatching at work, it is crazy to have very early games on a Monday! So finally I get to watch a tournament with some normal European times and they still manage to make it impossible for me to watch ;)
[Czech Republic-Russia] 3-2. I managed to catch bits and pieces of this game. Was at my parents' place for Mother's Day, so could not sneak away for too long to watch hockey ;) ... but what I saw was gritty, aggresive, intense, almost emotional mixed up with moments of the complete opposite. Weird game. And it is never right when one guy stands out for aggresive behaviour. Quoting Jaromir Jagr on Yevgeni Artyukhin: "He’s just a huge guy. It’s tough to stop him when he wants to hit somebody, because he’s like a huge monster coming after you. One [hit] was pretty bad because our guy didn’t have the puck." I admit this guy is rough lol ... but would not mind him on my Flyers, with a bit of polish ;)
[Sweden-Switzerland] 2-0. *sighs* I like the way the Swiss play, so why do they forget how to be offensive when it really matters? Sweden have qualified for the Quarter Finals and the Swiss have a tiny sliver of hope, but lets face it, it is not going to happen for them. Again. I tried to figure out what scenario they would need, but the standings and schedules have been set up so awkwardly on the IIHF site that I let this endeavour go. If someone has it figured out, please leave me a note lol {edit: Sven figured it out, thanks ... the Swiss would have to beat the USA, and Norway would have to lose to France ... sounds impossible!}
[Slovenia-Belarus] 1-7. Poor Slovenia. That was some ass-kicking they suffered and with a score like this it is not hard to tell who dominated ;) This was one of the two Relegation Round finals. Basically it was who wins stays, who loses drops to Division I. And lets just say Belarus safeguarded their spot in the Top Division with some fury ;) ... as for Slovenia, well not even sure if Anze Kopitar could have saved them, but I am sure his presence would have helped the Slovenians along. Back to Division I for them, but it was a good run.
[Latvia-Austria] 4-1. Another pretty conclusive score in the second Relegation Round final. Could not find a stream for this one, nor for the other game, so just summing up a few things I have read: Latvia was the more accomplished team, creating chances, whereas Austria had very little scoring chances. Which is much in keeping with the rest of their tournament.
Tomorrow a busy sked. Six games and it is as if everyone is playing lol ... will be scorewatching at work, it is crazy to have very early games on a Monday! So finally I get to watch a tournament with some normal European times and they still manage to make it impossible for me to watch ;)
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!
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 5 | May 3rd, 2011
And so Day 5 comes to a conclusion. Had planned to watch Canada-Switzerland and Russia-Slovakia, but due to a long day at work I was happy enough to catch the second game. Wish I had seen Canada-Switzerland too though, the reports are interesting. Anyways, as the day winds down, let me write up a quick overview of the games played.
[Slovenia-Germany] 2-3. Well well well, those Germans did it. For the first time since 1930 they started the World Cup with three wins in a row. I know this because the guys at the IIHF site said so. Do not worry! I have not magically turned into a stats-crunching, trivia-spewing blogger ;) ... anyways, the guys had to take it to SO, but a win is a win and the Germans are first placed in their group and moving on to the Qualification Round.
[Canada-Switzerland] 4-3. I am truly sorry I missed this gem. After Russia, Switzerland is my fave European team and I am glad they made things difficult for Team Canada. But Canada of course holds a special place in my heart. I prefer the outcome as it is, but I would not have minded too much if the Swiss had won this one. It took an OT goal to decide the victor of this game. Canada is first in Group B and the Swiss have secured second place. I am content.
[Russia-Slovakia] 4-3. Yeah, Russia won! It was an exciting game to watch and the tension of it all made me go walk around my place a few times. One such walk occured after the Slovaks made it 2-3. And because of it I missed Nikulin make it 3-3 ;) ... he scored two of the goals. Kovi also scored one; he played a good game. Russians are in second place in their group, right after those pesky Germans!
[France-Belarus] 2-1. Another OT game. I apologise, but I just could not get excited about this game. France is through to the Qualification Round, whereas Belarus will have to fight for survival in the Relegation Round. Next!
Oh, that was it for today. But here a pic for fellow Reimer fans! My buddy Ferd is in Slovakia to watch some games. Hell yeah, of course I am jealous. Hahah, I must also add that he is a fellow Flyers fan but he remembered my ramblings about Reims, so just for me - I like to think hahah - he took some pics! :D
[Slovenia-Germany] 2-3. Well well well, those Germans did it. For the first time since 1930 they started the World Cup with three wins in a row. I know this because the guys at the IIHF site said so. Do not worry! I have not magically turned into a stats-crunching, trivia-spewing blogger ;) ... anyways, the guys had to take it to SO, but a win is a win and the Germans are first placed in their group and moving on to the Qualification Round.
[Canada-Switzerland] 4-3. I am truly sorry I missed this gem. After Russia, Switzerland is my fave European team and I am glad they made things difficult for Team Canada. But Canada of course holds a special place in my heart. I prefer the outcome as it is, but I would not have minded too much if the Swiss had won this one. It took an OT goal to decide the victor of this game. Canada is first in Group B and the Swiss have secured second place. I am content.
[Russia-Slovakia] 4-3. Yeah, Russia won! It was an exciting game to watch and the tension of it all made me go walk around my place a few times. One such walk occured after the Slovaks made it 2-3. And because of it I missed Nikulin make it 3-3 ;) ... he scored two of the goals. Kovi also scored one; he played a good game. Russians are in second place in their group, right after those pesky Germans!
[France-Belarus] 2-1. Another OT game. I apologise, but I just could not get excited about this game. France is through to the Qualification Round, whereas Belarus will have to fight for survival in the Relegation Round. Next!
Oh, that was it for today. But here a pic for fellow Reimer fans! My buddy Ferd is in Slovakia to watch some games. Hell yeah, of course I am jealous. Hahah, I must also add that he is a fellow Flyers fan but he remembered my ramblings about Reims, so just for me - I like to think hahah - he took some pics! :D
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