Swiss goalie Norina Schrupkowski celebrates a goal during the team's 2-0 win versus Hungary on Tuesday night.
photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF
IIHF.com writers Carol Schram and Andrew Podnieks are in Sydney for the U18 Women’s World Championship. On the off day between the preliminary round and quarter-finals, they share some thoughts on the events to date and what might unfold in the coming days.
Q: What has been your favourite moment of the tournament so far?
CS: This might be recency bias, but Switzerland's celebration after beating Hungary in the final game on Tuesday night was really special. As I watched from behind the Swiss net, goalie Norina Schrupkowski must have jumped three feet in the air when Norina Muller finally broke the scoreless deadlock early in the third period. Schrupkowski also seemed to be leading the charge when the Swiss players linked arms and sang their national anthem at the top of their lungs as their flag was raised after the game. She seems like the heart and soul of the Swiss team — and pitched a 31-save shutout in the win!
AP: I think Reka Hiezl’s goal against Sweden still resonates. The Hungarians last played up at WW18 in 2014, so this has been a long time coming. And in their first game, they fell behind 2-0, suggesting another loss on the way to demotion. But Hiezl’s goal made the team believe anything was possible, and even though the game ended 4-1, this was one of the most competitive and impressive games of the preliminary round.
Q: The Canadians are defending champions. The Americans have been scoring at will. Is there anything to prevent a North American gold-medal game?
AP: Not really, no. The Finns might well be playing in the relegation game. Sweden held its own with Canada briefly, and the Czechs look like the best team in Europe but still far behind the North Americans. The speed and skill and goaltending are just better. But even more than that is the tenacity on the puck, the relentless pursuit of opponent and opportunity, that sets Canada and the U.S. apart from the other six teams.
CS: Agreed. It would be a huge surprise. Even the coaches from the higher-ranked European nations have been deferential about just how good Canada and the United States have looked so far. As you said, both sides are getting offensive contributions from the top to bottom of their lineups and their goaltending has been terrific when needed. The Canadians even showed that they can regroup quickly when they encountered a bit of adversity after giving up an early goal to Sweden on Tuesday.
Q: Is Nela Lopusanova the real deal?
CS: It sure looks that way. The little 14-year-old who went viral with her Michigan goal a few years back has grown into a full-sized power forward at 1.71m/5'7" and 68kg/165 pounds, and has taken another step from last year, when she was named tournament MVP. Lopusanova carries a big load for the Slovak team, averaging 21:43 minutes of ice time through the first three games. She plays a two-way game and is able to get the puck to the net — and score. Five goals on 25 shots for 20 percent shooting accuracy is superstar calibre for sure.
It's really incredible that she could match or surpass Kendall Coyne Schofield for the all-time tournament scoring record. She's must-see TV for me when the Slovaks kick off the quarter-finals against Sweden on Thursday!
AP: Absolutely. Those 25 shots lead all players in the tournament. The entire Slovakian team has 64 shots in three games, so she alone has nearly 40 per cent of them. The team has seven goals, and she has six points. Her skating is superior. Her passes snap, and her puck pursuit is indefatigable. Most of all, you can see her drive. Every shift she wants to score, to get the puck, to do something. I think in five years’ time, when she’s 22, she’ll be a star in the PWHL, if she chooses that route.
Q: Is there a player who you maybe didn’t know much about before the tournament started and has impressed you here in Sydney?
AP: I can’t believe the wealth of talent in goal. Considering most of the goalies here are making their WW18 debut, I’m seeing amazing speed and discipline in the blue ice. You mentioned Schrupkowski, who has been fantastic. There is also Lili Chmelarova (CZE), Zoe Takacs (HUN), and Mariana Sumegova (SVK). All have made big saves and kept their team in various games. Against Canada and the United States, it’s been tough, but against other European teams these ‘tenders have been first rate.
CS: How much time do you have? Hearing about Hungarian captain Reka Hiezl's passionate commitment to supporting her younger teammates and Kendall Doiron's pride in showing off her home province at this tournament have really underscored the human side of hockey for me. On the ice, I can't avoid mentioning U.S. scoring star Jane Daley. Back in 2010, when some of the players at this tournament weren't even born yet, I saw Alex Burrows score back-to-back hat tricks for the Vancouver Canucks. Daley went one better with hat tricks in all three of the Americans' preliminary-round games! I'll remember that for just as long.
Q: Looking at the quarter-finals matchups, is there a potential upset?
CS: My default answer is 'Finland,' no matter the level and whether it's women's or men's hockey. At the senior women's level, the Finns pulled off the upset against Canada in the semis in 2019, so it's not impossible, but it does feel unlikely based on what we've seen so far. The Czechs have looked strong, but I wonder if Switzerland's game will rise to another level now that they've broken their goalless drought and picked up an important win?
AP: I will aim to be consistent, if nothing else (!), so I will say Canada and the U.S. will win hands down. The Czechs are too strong, I think, and Switzerland has had so much trouble scoring. But they do have Schrupkowski. It might be close-ish, but I still see the Czechs coming out on top. If I’m going to put on my upset goggles, it’s perhaps to see a Slovakia win over Sweden. The Nela factor in general, with the addition of the excitement of her chasing Coyne Schofield’s record, might produce enough adrenaline to eke out a surprise win.
Q: What has been your favourite moment of the tournament so far?
CS: This might be recency bias, but Switzerland's celebration after beating Hungary in the final game on Tuesday night was really special. As I watched from behind the Swiss net, goalie Norina Schrupkowski must have jumped three feet in the air when Norina Muller finally broke the scoreless deadlock early in the third period. Schrupkowski also seemed to be leading the charge when the Swiss players linked arms and sang their national anthem at the top of their lungs as their flag was raised after the game. She seems like the heart and soul of the Swiss team — and pitched a 31-save shutout in the win!
AP: I think Reka Hiezl’s goal against Sweden still resonates. The Hungarians last played up at WW18 in 2014, so this has been a long time coming. And in their first game, they fell behind 2-0, suggesting another loss on the way to demotion. But Hiezl’s goal made the team believe anything was possible, and even though the game ended 4-1, this was one of the most competitive and impressive games of the preliminary round.
Q: The Canadians are defending champions. The Americans have been scoring at will. Is there anything to prevent a North American gold-medal game?
AP: Not really, no. The Finns might well be playing in the relegation game. Sweden held its own with Canada briefly, and the Czechs look like the best team in Europe but still far behind the North Americans. The speed and skill and goaltending are just better. But even more than that is the tenacity on the puck, the relentless pursuit of opponent and opportunity, that sets Canada and the U.S. apart from the other six teams.
CS: Agreed. It would be a huge surprise. Even the coaches from the higher-ranked European nations have been deferential about just how good Canada and the United States have looked so far. As you said, both sides are getting offensive contributions from the top to bottom of their lineups and their goaltending has been terrific when needed. The Canadians even showed that they can regroup quickly when they encountered a bit of adversity after giving up an early goal to Sweden on Tuesday.
Q: Is Nela Lopusanova the real deal?
CS: It sure looks that way. The little 14-year-old who went viral with her Michigan goal a few years back has grown into a full-sized power forward at 1.71m/5'7" and 68kg/165 pounds, and has taken another step from last year, when she was named tournament MVP. Lopusanova carries a big load for the Slovak team, averaging 21:43 minutes of ice time through the first three games. She plays a two-way game and is able to get the puck to the net — and score. Five goals on 25 shots for 20 percent shooting accuracy is superstar calibre for sure.
It's really incredible that she could match or surpass Kendall Coyne Schofield for the all-time tournament scoring record. She's must-see TV for me when the Slovaks kick off the quarter-finals against Sweden on Thursday!
AP: Absolutely. Those 25 shots lead all players in the tournament. The entire Slovakian team has 64 shots in three games, so she alone has nearly 40 per cent of them. The team has seven goals, and she has six points. Her skating is superior. Her passes snap, and her puck pursuit is indefatigable. Most of all, you can see her drive. Every shift she wants to score, to get the puck, to do something. I think in five years’ time, when she’s 22, she’ll be a star in the PWHL, if she chooses that route.
Q: Is there a player who you maybe didn’t know much about before the tournament started and has impressed you here in Sydney?
AP: I can’t believe the wealth of talent in goal. Considering most of the goalies here are making their WW18 debut, I’m seeing amazing speed and discipline in the blue ice. You mentioned Schrupkowski, who has been fantastic. There is also Lili Chmelarova (CZE), Zoe Takacs (HUN), and Mariana Sumegova (SVK). All have made big saves and kept their team in various games. Against Canada and the United States, it’s been tough, but against other European teams these ‘tenders have been first rate.
CS: How much time do you have? Hearing about Hungarian captain Reka Hiezl's passionate commitment to supporting her younger teammates and Kendall Doiron's pride in showing off her home province at this tournament have really underscored the human side of hockey for me. On the ice, I can't avoid mentioning U.S. scoring star Jane Daley. Back in 2010, when some of the players at this tournament weren't even born yet, I saw Alex Burrows score back-to-back hat tricks for the Vancouver Canucks. Daley went one better with hat tricks in all three of the Americans' preliminary-round games! I'll remember that for just as long.
Q: Looking at the quarter-finals matchups, is there a potential upset?
CS: My default answer is 'Finland,' no matter the level and whether it's women's or men's hockey. At the senior women's level, the Finns pulled off the upset against Canada in the semis in 2019, so it's not impossible, but it does feel unlikely based on what we've seen so far. The Czechs have looked strong, but I wonder if Switzerland's game will rise to another level now that they've broken their goalless drought and picked up an important win?
AP: I will aim to be consistent, if nothing else (!), so I will say Canada and the U.S. will win hands down. The Czechs are too strong, I think, and Switzerland has had so much trouble scoring. But they do have Schrupkowski. It might be close-ish, but I still see the Czechs coming out on top. If I’m going to put on my upset goggles, it’s perhaps to see a Slovakia win over Sweden. The Nela factor in general, with the addition of the excitement of her chasing Coyne Schofield’s record, might produce enough adrenaline to eke out a surprise win.