FIN 0:3 1CA | Finland - Canada2 (Olympics - Women)

Olympics - Women

USA – Switzerland

9:0 (end)

Finland – Canada2

0:3 (end)

final

Finland

0:3 (0:0, 0:0, 0:3)

Canada2

Monday 10.02.2014, 16:00 • Olympics - Women

		Thank you for following the game with us! We continue our Olympics coverage with the two group B games tomorrow! (18:16:22)
		Finland played with heart and passion and kept Canada shutout for almost 50 (!) minutes but in the end the pressure and the individual class by the Canadians was just a bit too high for them! Meghan Agosta, Jayna Hefford and Rebecca Johnston scored the goals for a deserved 3-0 win after which Canada and the USA are qualified for the semifinals directly while Finland will play in the quarterfinals first. Shots on goal: Finland 4 (14) – Canada 15 (42)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:58	A last back hander from the right wing by a Finnish defender goes wide past the left bottom corner!
	59:29	Timeout taken by Team Canada!
	59:29	Finland is still fighting for the consolation goal but right now the puck has been deflected out of the rink.
	58:19	Noora Räty left her net for an additonal skater for the remainder of the game. It's 6 vs 4 now.
	58:15	Meaghan Mikkelson (Canada) gets two minutes for an unallowed check!
	58:00	Two minutes left on the clock. The only thing left in question is if Szabados can keep her shutout.
	56:36	Goal for Team Canada! The Canadians destroy the last hopes for a comeback the Fins might have still had! With the most beautiful play of the match Canada scores the 3-0! Jayna Hefford dekedout two opponents inside the neutral zone and gave a well-timed pass to Marie-Philip Poulin who waited at the Finnish blue line and gave a perfect cross-pass to the left for REBECCA JOHNSTON who one-timed the puck into the left corner from short distance! Assisted by Marie-Philip Poulin and Jayna Hefford.
	55:58	Minttu Tuominen with a highly optimistic shot from the right wing that ends up behind the Canadian net.
	55:07	Canada are back at full strength. Very important penalty killed by them.
	54:23	In the very next situation Jayna Hefford almost scored another one for Canada but her powerful shot from the right circle during a 2-on-1 rush was blocked by Räty with a big save!
	54:12	One-timer by Saija Tarkki from the blue line, forces Szabados to show all her goalie skills!
	53:07	Tara Watchorn (Canada) gets two minutes for tripping. If Finland wants to have a word in who gets the points in this match, they better score very soon!
	52:24	Goal for Team Canada! JAYNA HEFFORD conqueres the puck inside the neutral zone, dekes out several opponents, skates towards the net coming from the right circle and beats Noora Räty from short distance into the right top corner! The Canadians have more or less decided the match within three minutes! Without assist.
	52:12	A long distance shot almost ends up in the back of the Canadian net but Szabados shows a great reaction before the Finnish offense missed the net from short distance with the rebound!
	51:08	Icing called against Finland.
	49:27	Goal for Team Canada! Huge, huge goal for Canda with the power play!!!!! MEGHAN AGOSTA's powerful shot from the right circle was blocked by Noora Räty but the Canadian forward was able to get her own rebound and fired the puck into the net just below the crossbar! Brilliant goal! And what a relief for the Canadians! Without assist!
	49:15	Dangerous shot from the blue line, goes just wide after a deflection!
	48:15	Emma Terho (Finland) gets two minutes for an unallowed body check against Jennifer Wakefield who was hit hard into the boards. The next good chance to score for Canada comes with the next power play!
	47:07	The Fins successfully killed another penalty. It is still 0-0.
	45:58	When the Fins finally cleared the puck they almost scored a really crazy goal as Szabados completely undererstimated the long and high clearance when she blocked the puck to the side which only stopped just in front of her net!
	45:52	Fast passing combination by the Canadians in front of the Finnish goalie crease but they don't get a shot on goal.
	45:07	Rosa Lindstedt (Finland) gets two minutes for tripping for the situation with Poulin.
	44:34	Poulin gets the puck inches in front of the net but fails to get the shot on target before she is stopped unfair – delayed penalty against Finland!
	43:30	So far Finland barely entered the Canadian zone in this period and they fail to escape from the pressure.
	42:19	Melodie Daouste with an assist for Jocelyne Larocque but from within the slot she misses the net with a one-timer!
	41:27	The Canadians hit the crossbar when Marie-Philip Poulin fires the puck from the left circle! What a start by them into the last 20 minutes!
	41:03	Poulin with a brilliant scoring opportunity after getting a pass from the right circle by Hefford but Räty stops the shot!
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		The third period starts in a few moments. Let's see how Canada reacts to the pressure!
		Finland continues to give Canada a huge fight today. They do their best to avoid big scoring opportunities and could have earned the lead several times themselves! Still 0-0 after 40 minutes and the sensation is possible today! Shots on goal: Finland 6 (10) – Canada 17 (27)
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:58	Desperate rush by the Canadians – offside.
	39:44	A blue line shot by Mikkelson is deflected by a defender just in front of Räty but she stays calm and gets the puck!
	38:24	Tapani tips a bue line shot just wide!
	37:24	Emma Nuutinen from short distance with a back hander but great pad save by Szabados!
	37:00	Big blue line shot by the Fins into the gloves of Szabados!
	35:19	Melodie Daoust (Canada) gets 2+2 minutes for slashing and roughing. Finland will have a two minute power play!
	35:19	Michelle Karvinen (Finland) gets two minutes for roughing.
	35:19	Again Spooner, this time with a double chance from just right to the net, but the puck doesn't get through the crowd. Afterwards there is a fight between several players. Something you rarely see in women's ice hockey.
	34:41	A scoring attempt by Natalie Spooner from the right circle is blocked by a defender. It is very calm in the arena. The spectators are extremly surprised by this result.
	32:46	Brianne Jenner with a back hand attempt from just right to the net but Räty blocks it.
	31:23	Natalie Spooner's solo ends with a deke from short distance against Noora Räty but the Finnish goalie makes the pad save!
	31:01	Nuutinen with a lot of space on the right wing but her shot is stopped by Szabados.
	30:00	The "half time" of the game has arrived and we are having a 0-0 score. Maybe a lucky punch for Finland could give us a hugh surprise this afternoon!
	29:32	Brianne Jenner tries it from the left circle towards the left top corner but Noora Räty makes a glove save without much trouble.
	29:02	Emma Nuutinen, the youngest of the Finnish players, with a shot from the right circle, easily caught by Szabados.
	28:00	The puck goes back and forth from one third to the other with clear advantages for Canada but it is still a scoreless game – can you believe it?
	25:59	Icing against Finland after a long clearance just after Venla Hovi blocked a shot by Tara Watchorn. She was hit in the hand by the puck and is bleeding heavily – there must be a nasty cut!
	25:19	The Fins are back at full strength and they should be lucky to have killed this penalty with all these chances for Canada.
	24:53	Jayna Hefford tries to battle in the puck from just right to the Finnish net but Räty makes a brilliant pad save!
	21:29	The Canadians are trying it from all possible angles and distances but either Räty or bad luck prevent them from having the lead – yet!
	23:19	Venla Hovi (Finland) gets two minutes for slashing.
	22:59	Suddenly the Finnish defense is out of position and there is a 3-on-1 rush for Canada but Rebecca Johnston misses the net from short distance with a one-timer! What a chance!
	22:05	The Canadians are intensifying their efforts now.
	21:35	Canadian defender Meaghan Mikkelson with a hard shot from the blue line that is stopped by Räty.
	21:27	A shot by Hayley Wickenheiser from the right circle is blocked by a defender.
	20:50	Nina Tikkinen with a big chance for Finland, tries it with a wrap-around that is kept outside with a great pad save by Szabados! What a start into the middle period!
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		The first period between Canada and Finland offered top women's ice hockey. The Fins were heavily outshot by their Canadian opponents but they always looked dangerous whenever they crossed the blue line to the Canadian zone. They made life very difficult for them and the North Americans are losing their patience a bit. This could become a very interesting game! Shots on goal: Finland 4 – Canada 10
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:12	Catherine Ward with a blue line attempt that makes all the way through but Räty blocks it to the side.
	18:11	Canada are back at full strength.
	17:34	First Finnish defender Saija Tarkki tried it with a powerful shot from within the slot and then Venla Hovi tried to battle in the puck with several attemps against Szabados who did a great job keeping her net clean! The situation ended when several other players crashed into the goalie crease.
	16:22	Fast passing combination by the Fins just in front of the Canadian net but the following one-timer goes just wide past the right bottom corner!
	16:11	Team penalty against Canada for having too many players on the ice.
	15:17	Rebecca Johnston tries to protect the puck from Karoliina Rantamäki inside the Finnish third but isn't able to keep the puck on the blue line for an offside call when she crosses it again.
	14:43	Gillian Apps with a nice solo on the left wing, nobody attacks her and she tries it with a back hand shot from the left circle through the five hole of Noora Räty but the goalie makes the pad save!
	14:00	We have seen a couple of good shots on goal by now but nothing really big by now.
	13:11	Good job by the Finnish special team, having killed this penalty.
	12:30	The Fins wait in front of their own net with all four players and defend aggressively whoever has the puck.
	11:11	Susanna Tapani (Finland) gets two minutes for an unallowed body check. She rammed Jennifer Wakefield into the boards with the head first and hadn't the Finnish team personell not reacted as fast as they did she would have crashed through the open doorf to the players bench! Very dangerous situation! First power play for Canada!
	10:19	Spooner with a great pass towards the Finnish blue line and Agosta's hard shot towards the right corner is just kept outside by Räty.
	09:29	Michelle Karvinen with a lot of space on the right wing, is stopped by the defender while trying to skate towards the net.
	09:01	Offside call against the Fins.
	08:05	Canadian defender Meaghan Mikkelson almost surprises Räty with a one-timer from within the slot as the Finnish goalie barely saw anything with several players in front of her.
	07:53	Quick shot by Rebecca Johnston from close to the left circle, easily blocked to the side by Räty.
	07:40	Finland are able to play at the same level as Canada in these first minutes and they even make the better impression, being able to force the Canadians back into their own zone several times already.
	06:24	The Canadians are back at full strength.
	06:22	Szabados has to deflect a shot from the left circle with her shoulder.
	06:05	Another long clearance by the North Americans who do a great job killing this penalty without allowing any chances.
	05:12	Long clearance by Gillian Apps deep into the Finnish third.
	04:24	Jocelyne Laroque (Canada) gets two minutes for an unallowed body check. It's the first power play of the match and it goes to Finland.
	03:49	Noora Räty, the Finnish goalie, was for a moment out of position and this was almost punished by Lauriane Rougeau whose shot from the left circle was cleared just in the last moment!
	03:07	Jayna Hafford with a nice solo inside the Finnish third, tries it with a shot from the right circle which is caught by Räty without problems.
	02:42	Again Finland in offense and this time a powerful shot from the right circle hits the chest of Szabados.
	02:03	Almost the break away for the Fins but the last defender goes in between.
	01:04	A blue line shot by the Canadians is easily cleared by the Finnish defense.
	00:45	Both teams start with very high speed and want to impress their opponents.
	00:01	Game started.
		As we saw it previously today in the case of Team USA, also their Canadian rivals change the goalies. In for Charline Labonte who gained a shutout against Switzerland that barely ever was in danger is Shannon Szabados for the match against Finland.
		The teams are coming to the ice. The atmosphere in the well-filled arena is great.
		After the 9-0 win of Team USA against Switzerland this morning, Canada can qualify for the semifinals already if they beat Finland in this match.
		Starting lineups: Finland: Räty (Räisänen) – Hiirikoski "C", Jalosu, Terho, Tarkki, Lindstedt, Kilponen, Villila – Tuominen, Karvinen, Tapani – Hovi, Välimäki, Tikkinen – Välilä, Rantamäki, Nuutinen – Rajahuhta, Tanskanen. Canada: Szabados (Lacasse) – Ward, Watchorn, Rougeau, Fortin, Larocque, Mikkelson – Johnston, Hefford, Poulin – Agosta, Wickenheiser, Spooner – Wakefield, Apps, Daoust – Ouellette "C", Jenner. Referees: Joy Tottman (GBR) – Therese Björkman (SWE), Laura Johnson (USA)
		For Finland the first match in group A on Saturday against the USA (1-3) showed that they have the chance to compete with the two top national teams from North America on a good day. Today the Fins get another chance against the favourites Canada who beat Switzerland (5-0) – the result was the lowest ever for Canada against the Swiss women mostly due to a stellar performance by their goalie Florence Schelling and the lack of efficiency – during their first match and who could already qualify for the semifinals of the 2014 women's Olympic hockey tournament in Sochi. If Finland can surprise Canada with another good performance of their goalie Räty, we'll see this afternoon!
		Welcome. Game starts at 10:00 ET / 16:00 CET / 19:00 MSK which is also the local time in Sochi.

Commentary by

Dennis Mende

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 50. Agosta, 53. Hefford, 57. Johnston (Poulin, Hefford)

Finland: Räty (Räisänen) – Hiirikoski "C", Jalosu, Terho, Tarkki, Lindstedt, Kilponen, Villila – Tuominen, Karvinen, Tapani – Hovi, Välimäki, Tikkinen – Välilä, Rantamäki, Nuutinen – Rajahuhta, Tanskanen.

Canada2: Szabados (Lacasse) – Ward, Watchorn, Rougeau, Fortin, Larocque, Mikkelson – Johnston, Hefford, Poulin – Agosta, Wickenheiser, Spooner – Wakefield, Apps, Daoust – Ouellette "C", Jenner.

Referees: Joy Tottman (GBR) – Therese Björkman (SWE), Laura Johnson (USA)

1st period
	04:24
	11:11
	16:11
1st intermission
2nd period
	23:19
	35:19
	35:19
2nd intermission
3rd period
	45:07
	48:15
	49:27
	52:24
	53:07
	56:36
	58:15
Final