photo: Andrea Cardin/IIHF
Canada scored four goals in the first period en route to a convincing and physical 5-1 win over Czechia tonight, but it was the status of their captain that was more of a concern after the game than the three points in the standings.
The win puts Canada in second place of Group A with a 2-0 record, with a game in hand on frontrunner United States, 3-0. But midway through the opening period, Kristyna Kaltounkova, who plays for the New York Sirens in the PWHL, took Marie-Philip Poulin hard into the boards. The Czech drew an illegal hit penalty, but Poulin was favouring her ankle or knee and was slow to get up. She played a few seconds of the ensuing power play, but skated gingerly to the bench and headed to the dressing room.
"We don't know her status right now, but I think we played for her and played for everybody," Ella Shelton said. "She's a big part of our team off the ice and on the ice. We missed her. A big part of her game is her leadership. She always plays the right way."
"It was my first time playing against Canada," said 18-year-old Linda Vocetkova. "It was a tough game. I think we played well at the start, but then they scored those goals. Canada and USA are always physical, so we really want to play physical. I think it helps us."
Early in the game, the Czechs went from having a great chance to trailing 1-0. They had a five-on-three for 64 seconds, but they couldn’t convert on the golden opportunity. Instead, when Renata Fast came out of the box to finish the second penalty, she got the puck and drove to the net on a partial break. Julie Pejsova made the save, but Kristin O’Neill batted in the rebound at 5:44 to give Canada the early lead.
As Poulin went to the dressing room, Sarah Fillier scored on the power play to make it a 2-0 game. Fillier got to a rebound first, and her quick shot deflected off the stick of Dominika Laskova and high into the net at 13:12.
Just 39 seconds later, Laura Stacey made it 3-0. She took a torpedo pass from Emma Maltais and beat Pejsova over the glove. That was the end of the line for the goalie, who was replaced by Michaela Hesova.
Ann-Renee Desbiens made her best save of the period soon after, stoning Tereza Vanisova from in close. Kaltounkova, who leads the PWHL in goals with eleven, took another penalty for a late hit, giving Canada a two-skater advantage. Julia Gosling banged in a rebound at 18:57 moments after Poulin returned to the bench, acknowledged by a roar from the crowd. Her return, however, was only to boost the spirits of her teammates. She didn’t return to the bench to start the second.
Gosling got her second of the night and third of the tournament just 17 seconds into the second, banging in a loose puck from the top of the crease to make it 5-0. The rest of the period was goalless but very physical. Barbora Jurickova fell hard into the boards and also had to leave the game. She returned for the third, though.
The Czechs ended Desbiens' shutout bid midway through the third on the power play. The goalie stopped a shot by Kaltounkova but couldn't control the rebound, and Natalie Mlynkova was there to bang it in at 8:38.
"We had a lot of good things to take away from that game," Shelton added. "We're trying to build. It's a long tournament. We can take a few things from this game and get ready for the next. We knew it was going to be physical. When it's Canada, we expect everybody is going to be playing their best against us."
The win puts Canada in second place of Group A with a 2-0 record, with a game in hand on frontrunner United States, 3-0. But midway through the opening period, Kristyna Kaltounkova, who plays for the New York Sirens in the PWHL, took Marie-Philip Poulin hard into the boards. The Czech drew an illegal hit penalty, but Poulin was favouring her ankle or knee and was slow to get up. She played a few seconds of the ensuing power play, but skated gingerly to the bench and headed to the dressing room.
"We don't know her status right now, but I think we played for her and played for everybody," Ella Shelton said. "She's a big part of our team off the ice and on the ice. We missed her. A big part of her game is her leadership. She always plays the right way."
"It was my first time playing against Canada," said 18-year-old Linda Vocetkova. "It was a tough game. I think we played well at the start, but then they scored those goals. Canada and USA are always physical, so we really want to play physical. I think it helps us."
Early in the game, the Czechs went from having a great chance to trailing 1-0. They had a five-on-three for 64 seconds, but they couldn’t convert on the golden opportunity. Instead, when Renata Fast came out of the box to finish the second penalty, she got the puck and drove to the net on a partial break. Julie Pejsova made the save, but Kristin O’Neill batted in the rebound at 5:44 to give Canada the early lead.
As Poulin went to the dressing room, Sarah Fillier scored on the power play to make it a 2-0 game. Fillier got to a rebound first, and her quick shot deflected off the stick of Dominika Laskova and high into the net at 13:12.
Just 39 seconds later, Laura Stacey made it 3-0. She took a torpedo pass from Emma Maltais and beat Pejsova over the glove. That was the end of the line for the goalie, who was replaced by Michaela Hesova.
Ann-Renee Desbiens made her best save of the period soon after, stoning Tereza Vanisova from in close. Kaltounkova, who leads the PWHL in goals with eleven, took another penalty for a late hit, giving Canada a two-skater advantage. Julia Gosling banged in a rebound at 18:57 moments after Poulin returned to the bench, acknowledged by a roar from the crowd. Her return, however, was only to boost the spirits of her teammates. She didn’t return to the bench to start the second.
Gosling got her second of the night and third of the tournament just 17 seconds into the second, banging in a loose puck from the top of the crease to make it 5-0. The rest of the period was goalless but very physical. Barbora Jurickova fell hard into the boards and also had to leave the game. She returned for the third, though.
The Czechs ended Desbiens' shutout bid midway through the third on the power play. The goalie stopped a shot by Kaltounkova but couldn't control the rebound, and Natalie Mlynkova was there to bang it in at 8:38.
"We had a lot of good things to take away from that game," Shelton added. "We're trying to build. It's a long tournament. We can take a few things from this game and get ready for the next. We knew it was going to be physical. When it's Canada, we expect everybody is going to be playing their best against us."
Canada vs Czechia
OF