IIHF U18WC Day 2: USA Comesback, Sweden & Russia Dominite

Day 2 saw a bit less drama but the top seeds were able to comeback. Especially the U.S.A. where just a day after Sweden beat them 4-2, the Americans were to fight off an early Swiss Surge, but a two goal performance by Austin Czarik helped the Americans find their grove to beat Switzerland 5-1 to even up their group stage record at 1-1 through 2 games.

Sweden & Russia continued their great starts with 7-0 & 9-0 wins over the big underdogs in Belarus & Latvia while the Czech Republic had to fight off a comeback attempt against arch rival Slovakia to win the Czechs first game of the tournament 4-3 over Slovakia, that win could be huge as many people saw that as the grudge match for 3rd place in Group A.

Tomorrow's matchup's will see some interesting matchup's as we could see which Swiss Team could emerge as the Swiss will play the Swedes. Slovakia will look to comeback against Finland while Canada and the Czech Republic will look to get over Belarus & Latvia as well.

From Jenny Wiedeke of the International Ice Hockey Federation: http://www.iihf.com/

Group A in Bobruisk

Sweden 7 Belarus 0 (0-0, 5-0, 2-0)

Sweden VS. Belarus Photos: www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm18/pictures/page/0/game/SWE%20-%20BLR.html

Thanks to a stellar 5 goal second period, Sweden stayed unbeaten at this year's U18 World Championship with a 7-0 thumping of host Belarus.

It was the opening game for the host nation, and the fans in Bobruisk turned out in droves, nearly selling out the modern arena. And while the fans may have been able to help stall the Swedish attack through a scoreless first period, there was little they, or the Belarusian team, could do the Swedes sparked to life in the 2nd period.

Sweden made up for the sluggish start with a lighting fast pair of goals to open the 2nd. Ludvig Rensfeldt scored both goals, with the first coming just 56 seconds into the period and the 2nd trailing three minutes later. The goal took a little spirit out of the near sell-out crowd.

Another quick duo of goals mid-period took Sweden out to a 4-0 lead. Both goals came on the power play as Sweden Capitalized on both extra-man chances of the period. Adam Larsson scored the 3-0 goal at 31:08 mark of the 2nd period, and it was followed by Max Friberg's marker two minutes later. Johan Larsson put in the 5-0 goal just moments later to make it a 5-0 lead Sweden Lead, effectively dashing any hopes that Belarus had for an opening game upset.

Johan Larsson put in his 2nd goal of the opening shift of the third period, while Erik Thorell made it 7-0 4 minutes later. Sweden out-shot Belarus 46-8.

Sweden is now in poll position to take first place in the group, although it still has two more preliminary round games. The first of those contests is on Friday against Switzerland. Belarus will look for its first win tomorrow against winless Canada.


Switzerland 1 U.S.A. 5 (1-1, 0-2, 0-2)

Switzerland VS. U.S.A. Photos: www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm18/pictures/page/0/game/SUI%20-%20USA.html

It was harder then they would have liked, but in the end the U.S. was able to earn its first win at this years World U18 Championship with a 5-1 win against Switzerland.

Austin Czarik was the man of the hour for the Americans. He scored the first two goals which came a critical point when the U.S. needed momentum and stability.

The Americans were whistled for five minors in the first period and spent most of the period killing the Swiss Power Play. Despite having 10 minutes with the extra man, Switzerland scored once in the stanza - an-even-strength goal from Gregory Hofmann. The lead stood for only 27 seconds as Czarnik put in the equalizer, one of the few bright spots for the Americans in the period.

Czarnik struck again 4:01 into the 2nd to give the U.S.A. its first lead of the game. The goal settled the Americans down and got them into their game plan as they took only one penalty the entire period. Bill Arnold put in a late bonus goal in the last 15 seconds to give the Americans some breathing room at the intermission.

The U.S. Continued to steadily improve and by the end of the game were easily able to put the Swiss away with two 3rd period goals. Adam Clendening and Jason Zucker each got their first goals of the tournament to pull the Americans through to the 5-1 win.

Both teams stand with a 1-1 record after the first two game days and the day off tomorrow. On Friday, the U.S. will take on Canada, while Switzerland has Sweden.


Group B in Minsk

Czech Republic 4 Slovakia 3 (1-0, 2-0, 1-3)

Czech Republic VS. Slovakia Photos: www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm18/pictures/page/0/game/CZE%20-%20SVK.html

The Czech Republic and Slovakia finished neck-and-neck at last year's World U18 Championship in 6th and 7th place, but today, the Czech's were the superior team with a 4-3 win against the Slovaks.

The Closeness of the score was deceiving as the Czechs had the game well in hand through most of the 60 minutes until the Slovaks rallied late in the game. But Slovakia really didn't threaten for the win, with the 4-3 goal coming only with 5 seconds left in the game.

Slovakia lived dangerously the entire first period, spending much of the time down a man and defending in the own zone. The Penalty trouble finally caught up with them in the final 14 seconds of the period when Michal Vachovec put in a two man advantage goal to give the Czechs the slim 1-0 lead.

The Czech Republic's Petr Zamorsky picked right up where his team left off, scoring the 2-0 goal just 1:37 into the 2nd period. Martin Fyk put in the 3-0 goal before the midway mark of the game.

The Slovaks struggled after falling behind, but created a small spark of hope late in the 3rd period when Marek Tvrdon put in a quirky, odd bouncing goal just as a two man advantage expired. A pair of Dominik's exchanged goals in the waning minutes - Dominik Uher for the Czech's and Dominik Simcak for the Slovaks - to make it a 4-2 affair.

The Slovaks pulled off goaltending Dominik Riecicky in favor of the attacker in the last minute and were last buoyed by a Czech Penalty. The extra two men allowed Simcak to put in the 4-3 goal with five seconds left in regulation, but despite the excitement it gave the crowd, the goal was merely academic as the last 5 seconds ticked off the clock.

Slovakia will take on Finland in tomorrow's game in Minsk and the Czechs have the day off.


Latvia 0 Russia 9 (0-2, 0-4, 0-3)

Latvia VS. Russia Photos: www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm18/pictures/page/0/game/LAT%20-%20RUS.html

Russia stayed unbeaten, and virtually unchallenged, at this year's U18 World Championship with an easy 9-0 win over Latvia. Russia has two wins in two games, while the Latvians are win-less in their two outings.

Russia's first power-play was representative of the entire game. They scored just 25 seconds into their first extra man chance, facing little resistance. Nikita Nesterov scored the opening tally on the rebound. Less then 3 minutes later Vladislav Namestnikov doubled the lead with his 2nd goal of the championship. After taking another pair of late-period penalties, Latvia was lucky to escape with just a 2-0 deficit at the end of the stanza as Russia swarmed the offensive zone.

The Latvian luck ran out in the 2nd period as the Russians poured in 4 unanswered goals. Namestnikov put in another two goals and an assist in the flurry to complete the hat trick. His 3rd goal 5:51 into the period promoted Latvia to pull goaltender Vadims Miscuks in favor of Kristers Gudlevskis.

The Change did little to help the Latvian curse as Russia put in another three goals in the 3rd period, cruising to the shutout win. Evgeni Kunetsov scored twice in the 3rd period, and closed the game with a pair of goals and an assist. Andrei Vasilveski earned the shutout bragging rights in the net.

Both teams are idle tomorrow. Unbeaten Russia has a big game against Finland on Friday that could be the key to taking first place. Meanwhile, Latvia will also resume play on Friday against the Czech Republic-a win is critical for the Latvians if they want to avoid the relegation round.


Day 3 Schedule, 4/15

Group A

Belarus VS. Canada


Group B

Slovakia VS. Finland


Group Standings after Day 2

Group A

1. Sweden 2-0-0-0 6 PTS 11-2

2. U.S.A. 1-0-0-1 3 PTS 7-5

3. Switzerland 1-0-0-1 3 PTS 4-6

4. Canada 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 1-3

5. Belarus 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 0-7


Group B

1. Russia 2-0-0-0 6 PTS 13-1

2. Finland 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 7-2

3. Czech Rep. 1-0-0-1 3 PTS 5-7

4. Slovakia 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 3-4

5. Latvia 0-0-0-2 0 PTS 2-16

IIHF U18 WC Day 1: Switzerland upsets Canada, Sweden comesback against the USA

The IIHF U18 World Hockey Championships got underway today in the Cities of Minsk & Bobruisk Belarus as the Americans are looking to defend their U18 World Championship that they won in Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota last season.

It was a very dramatic first day as the Swiss are looking to win their first ever International Junior Medal after finishing in 4th place at the WJC back over the Holidays. Also, after going up 2-0 early in the 2nd period, the Swedes who finished 4th last year were able to comeback to win 4-2 on the opening day.

Russia is looking to win the U18 Gold after finishing with the Silver Medal last year which was a result of a blowout after the USA beat them 5-0 in the Gold Medal Last year. Also Finland were able to crush Latvia who were promoted from the U18 Division 1 Tournament last year with a strong 2nd period.

By Jenny Wiedeke of the International Ice Hockey Federation Website: www.iihf.com

Group A in Bobruisk


Sweden 4 U.S.A. 2 (0-1, 1-1, 3-0)

Sweden came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat defending U18 Champion United States, 4-2, in both teams opening game at this year's U18 World Championship.

The Americans controlled the first half of the game, but basically fell flat when the Swedes started applying pressure mid-game.

Sweden took an early first-period penalty and paid the price when Chase Balisey gave the Americans the 1-0 lead just 3:36 into action. The Teams exchanged penalties and not much else until Brandon Saad doubled the U.S. Lead 2:24 into the 2nd period. Ten Minutes later, Sweden finally got the puck past American Netminder Jack Campbell with a power play goal, making it a 2-1 affair.

Sweden continued to chip away at the Americans and its patience finally paid off when Henri Snall put in the equalizer 6:29 into the third period. The goal provided a huge momentum shift, as the Swedes had just killed off a penalty just over a minute before Snall Struck, which proved to be the Americans best chance to seal the win.

Johan Larsson delivered the death blow to the Americans with 10:46 left in regulation. The U.S. was rattled by the 3-2 goal and never recovered to challenge for the tying goal. The Americans pulled Campbell in the last 40 seconds, but it was only resulted in the empty net goal for Sweden, bringing the final to 4-2 while Sweden captain Larsson had a hat trick.

The Americans will take on Switzerland tomorrow in a game where both teams have unexpected records. Meanwhile, the Swedes will be the first team to play against host Belarus. The crowd tomorrow in Bobruisk is expected to be a sell-out.


Canada 1 Switzerland 3 (0-2, 1-0, 0-1)

It's only day one and the U18 World Championship already had its first major upset as 8th ranked Switzerland stunned Canada 3-1.

Switzerland jumped out to a surprising 2-0 lead in the first period against a flat Canadian Team that was caught on its heels. The defensemen were the Stars for the spunky Swiss as Dario Trutmann assisted on both first period goals, while his D-partner Samuel Guerra put in the 2-0 goal with 2:27 left in the first period.

Canada worked it's way back into the game, cutting the lead in half midway through the 2nd period when Quinton Howden scored. Although the shots were relatively even, Switzerland had the better chances throughout the game with several breakaways and a few post shots. Canadian goalie Calvin Pickard was largely responsible for keeping his team in the game.

But there was little that Pickard could do in the waining moments of the game to help his team get the tying goal when he was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. Despite spending much of the nail-biting minute in the Swiss Zone, Canada couldn't get the 2-2 equalizer. Joel Vermin got credit for the Swiss empty netter with 5 seconds left after he was slashed on the breakaway, giving Switzerland the 3-1 win.

Switzerland will need to keep its miracle skates sharp tomorrow when it takes on defending champion USA. Canada has the day off to regroup.


Group B in Minsk

Czech Republic 1 Russia 4 (0-1, 1-1, 0-2)

It wasn't flashy, but Russia earned its first win at this year's World U18 Championship with a 4-1 decision against the Czech Republic.

It was a near sellout in the Sports Palace as the fans turned out at the end of a long Belaruisan Holiday weekend to cheer on their Russian neighbors. Sergei Barbashev rewarded their efforts 7:01 into action with the first Russian Goal.

Midway through the game Maxim Shalunov increased the Russian lead, but the two goal lead would not last through the 2nd period as Michal Vachovek cut the advantage in half with the power play goal in the last minute of the 2nd period. It was a much needed boost for the struggling Czech Team, which had four power-play chances in the period, yet was out-shot nearly two-on-one.

But any thoughts that the Czechs had a comeback were squashed when Viktor Antipin scored on a five-on-three and gave Russia a 3-1 lead at the 48:49 mark. Vladimir Namestnikov brought the final to 4-1 with three minutes remaining. Russia out-shot the Czechs 40-15.

The Czechs have a key game against Slovakia tomorrow, while Russia takes on Latvia.


Finland 7 Latvia 2 (2-1, 4-1, 1-0)

Finland opened the U18 World Championship with an easy 7-2 win against newly promoted Latvia.

Finland pulled away in the 2nd period with a 4 goal output. Top prospect Mikael Granlund was the set-up man, getting 4 assists in the game, including three in the 2nd period surge.

Despite the lopsided score, Latvia played well against the Finns, keeping the shot tally balanced. The ulitmate decider was the special teams on both sides. Finland was superior in the 2nd period with three extra-man advantage goals, allowing them to jump to a 6-2 lead.

Until Granlund and the Finnish Power Play struck, the game was close. Latvia put in a five-on-three goal to tie things at 1-1 midway through the 1st period before Finalnd's Mikael Salmivitra scored a rare equal-strength goal to give the Finns a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.

The 2nd period was all Finland, with the exception on one shorthanded breakaway by Latvia's Maris Dilevka midway through the 2nd period. A final Finnish power play goal with just over two minutes left in the third period from Miihkali Teppo brought the final to 7-1.

Latvia returns to action again tomorrow against Russia, while Finland has the day off.


Tournament Standings After Day 1

Group A

1. Switzerland 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 3-1

2. Sweden 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 4-2

3. Belarus 0-0-0-0 0 PTS 0-0

4. U.S.A. 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 2-4

5. Canada 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 1-3



Group B

1. Finland 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 7-2

2. Russia 1-0-0-0 3 PTS 4-1

3. Slovakia 0-0-0-0 0 PTS 0-0

4. Czech Rep. 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 1-4

5. Latvia 0-0-0-1 0 PTS 2-7


Day 2 Schedule on 4/14

Group A

Switzerland VS. U.S.A.

Sweden VS. Belarus


Group B

Latvia VS. Russia

Czech Republic VS. Slovakia

Twitter Updates during the Olympic Tournament 2nd Round

Throughout the day today, I'm going to post udates of the 2nd round games as the teams will look to advance to the Quarterfinals. Right now, Switzerland and Belarus are tied at 1-1 at the 1st intermission as the winner will look to play the top seeded U.S.A. in tomorrow's Quarterfinals. Other 2nd Round Games include Canada VS. Germany, Slovakia VS. Norway and Czech Republic VS. Latvia.

Switzerland VS. Belarus In Progress

Canada VS. Germany 4:30 PM PST

Czech Republic VS. Latvia 7:00 PM PST

Slovakia VS. Norway 9:00 PM PST

2nd Round Olympic Match Previews

The Knockout Rounds of the Men's Olympic Tournament begin today with the 4 2nd Round Games where the winners will advance to play the Quarterfinal Teams as Team U.S.A., Sweden, Russia and Finland earned 2nd Round Byes by winning the Groups and having the best 2nd Place Team.

The Quarterfinals are tomorrow, the Semifinals are on Friday. And then the Medals will be awarded out on the Final Weekend of the Olympics, as the Bronze Medal Game will be on Saturday, then the Gold Medal Game will be one of the final big events of the Winter Olympics before the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday Night.


#8 Switzerland VS. #9 Belarus, 12:00 PM @ Hockey Canada Place

The Swiss have been a very tricky opponent in these games giving the U.S.A. all it can muster in the tournament opener and forcing Canada in a SO before beating Norway back on Saturday.

For the Swiss, Anahiem Ducks Goalie Jonas Hiller have given teams all it can handle while trying to help a team that is mostly European Based, espeically from the Swiss NLA which has been one of the biggest improving leagues in Europe over the last decade.

Just one player has scored mulitplie goals and thats Roman Wick who has 4 points (2G 2A) during the Group Stage where he scored at least 1 point all 3 games and where he will need to be a spart in the Swiss Offense to help them advance to the Quarterfinals.

Among the defensemen for the Swiss are players like Mart Streit and Luca Sbisa who's one of the youngest players in this tournament at 20 years old has provided to be a spark on the physicality aspect of the game and could bully the small Belarus forwards around.

Belarus like Switzerland came back from a bad start against Sweden and Finland. However, the offense of Belarus has been more steady. For Belarus, look for Dynamo Minsk forward Dmitri Meleshko who has been easily the best player for Belarus where he has been giving opposing teams defenses headaches as he scored both goals in their game against Sweden and has been one of the top scores in the tournament with Sergei Kostitsyn who's leading the team with 5 points (2G 3A).

Their team defense has been questioned at times, but if you look at the results. They have been getting better, starting out with a 5-1 loss to Finland, then a 4-2 loss where they made it very tricky for Sweden as they were down 3-2 at one point with just 8 minutes left in the game. Sweden didn't secure the game till the final 10 seconds when Daniel Alfredsson scored an empty netter to win the game 4-2.

Then you have the Germany game where the defense could come into question where Belarus was up 3-1 midway through the game, but the Germans were given hope as Marcel Goc and John Tripp scored goals just under a minute apart to tie the game at 3-3. Then in the final 6 minutes, Aleksei Kalyuzhny and Ruslan Salei scored to win 5-3 for Belarus. Expect this game to be one of the more exicting 2nd Round Matchups and look to give the Americans fits in the Quarterfinals.

Bottom Line: These teams are probably the best of the non powerhouses in this tournament. But with the experience in goal and a stronger team defense. I think the Swiss Experience will help in this game where the Swiss will advance to set up a rematch with the U.S.A. in the Quarterfinals.


My Pick: Switzerland 4 Belarus 2



#6 Canada VS. #11 Germany 4:30 PM PST @ Hockey Canada Place

After a dissapointing Group Stage, the Canadaians will look to put the opening round behind them as the Host Canada will take on Germany. For Germany, the only reason they not the last seed is because Latvia got blown out in their games while at least the Germans were able to keep it close. Don't expect to see very much out of this game as the Canadains have some anger to work out after the loss against the U.S.A. on Sunday night where the Russians could await them in tomorrow's Quarterfinals.

If the Germans are going to have any hope in this game, expect Thomas Greiss of the Worcester Sharks (AHL) to be in the game and he will need to play the game of his life to have any kind of a chance to advance to face Russia in the Quarterfinals.

For Canada, they need to regain focus, have their veteran talent comeup and Roberto Lugano needs to take over this game and prove to Martin Broduer who didn't have a great match against the U.S.A. that he can take over the goaltending duties for the rest of the tournament.

Bottom Line: It will be another end to a very disapointing tournament and a blow to Germany's hopes as they get ready to host the Ice Hockey World Championships coming up in May. Canada is just simply to fast, to strong and to experienced to allow someone like Germany to knock them out. They will need to crush the Germans and get ready for Russia most likely in the Quarterfinals tomorrow.

My Pick: Canada 6 Germany 1



#5 Czech Republic VS. #12 Latvia 7:00 PM @ UBC Thunderbird Arena

After just missing out on a 2nd round bye because the Czechs weren't able to get a full leged blowout that Slovakia and Russia were able to get. This will be the only rematch of the 2nd Round as the Czechs were able to beat Latvia 5-2 back on 2/19. On the contry, Russia was able to win 8-2, while Slovakia put up a 6-0 shutout victory to help them stay in the race to win the group.

Of the last 3 Olympic Winter Games that Latvia has been in. This has cleary been the weakest of the 3 as they have just 1 full time NHL'er as Karlis Skrastins of the Dallas Stars have been doing his best to work on the tournament, but hasen't been able to step up his game to help his less experienced teammates (Many of whom play in the KHL). 4 years ago, they were at least able to pull a tie from the U.S.A. and keep their other games at least close. Latvia has had 3 blowouts and given up 19 goals in the 3 games.

The Czechs bring a powerhouse of talent that is looking to get back on the podium after finnishing with the Bronze Medal back in 2006. With NHL Talent like Milan Michalek, Tomas Plekanec and Tomas Vokoun in net.

This veteran group, esepically the talent that's been in the NHL for well over a decade and been in several Olympics, for some, this could be their last chance to bring home an Olympic Medal in their careers. They would look to find the magic that helped them win Gold in 1998 when the Olympic Games were held in Japan.

Bottom Line: Like the CAN VS. GER Game, expect this one to be a big blowout as the Czechs have already played the Latvians. However, unlike the 1st game, Latvia looks fatigued and just dosen't have the talent to stay in this game. This one won't be close and I would expect the Czechs to have a big first period in this one, so they can give their top players more of a rest and to get them ready for tomorrow's Quarterfinal Matchup.

My Pick: Czech Republic 9 Latvia 1



#7 Slovakia VS. #10 Norway 9:00 PM @ Canada Hockey Place

After being outscored 14-1 in the first 2 games against the U.S.A. & Canada. Norway came back with a nice performance against Switzerland in a back and fourth game where Switzerland won in OT. Despite the losses (8-0 against CAN, 6-1 against USA), they have been able to keep games close through the 2nd intermission as players like Tore Vikingstad, Patrick Thorsen and goaltender Pal Grotnes have fustrated oppoents and the stragtey they have used has been working as the team is back in the Olympic Tournament for the first time since 1994.

If the Norwigaens are going to look for an upset, Tore Vikingstad will need to have an encore performance where he had the tournaments only hat trick so far. Other guys that will need to help set up Vikingstad and hopefully get involved in the scoring themselves are Patrick Thoresen who has 3 assists.

However, it's the defense that's playing better with every game in this tournament with players like Jonos Holos and Mats Trygg have been fantasitic in playing in nearly every situation imiagable as both players played over 25 minutes in their game against Switzerland.

Expect Pal Grotnes to start in net as he as played all but 15:31 of this tournament for Norway, the only game he got pulled in was 4 minutes into the game against Canada when Canada was up 4-0.

Slovakia missed a chance to improve their seeding situation with a 3-1 loss against the Czechs to open the tournament. They were able to beat Russia in a SO, but that loss has put them in a tough situation as they could have gotten at least a 5 or 6 seed if they were able to take advantage of when Alexander Ovechkin and Fedor Tyutin got penalites late in the 2nd and early in the 3rd where they could have taken the lead after trailing 1-0 at the 2nd intermission. Marian Hossa was able to to score SVK only goal of regulation midway through the 3rd period.

Then in the SO, SVK was able to win the SO 2-1 with goals by Pavol Demitra and Jozef Stumpel scored. Alexander Ovechkin was the only Russian player to score in the SO, but it came to little to late in the as Stumpel scored on his next turn, goalie Jaroslav Halak was able to turnaside 6 of 7 shots to win the game.

SVK will needs to be able to get through the Norway Gridlock early on to break away from the Norway's tough defense. If not, this could be the best of the 2nd Round Showdowns and will need to increase their offensive output from their star players like Zigmund Palffy and Richard Zednik. In goal, expect SVK to go with the young 24 year old Jaroslav Halak who's been enjoying a nice run for the Montreal Canadaiens this season. But if he has problems, they can go with Peter Budaj to help them out in a possible secarnio.

Botton Line: This could be the best of the 2nd Round Games. If Norway can contuine to put the fustrations into their oppostion like they did against Switzerland. And if someone like Tore Vikingstad or Patrick Thorsen can come alive, this could be the big upset of the 2nd round. I think SVK will win this game, but don't expect NOR to make it easy and they will give them a challenge to advance to the Quarterfinals.

My Pick: Slovakia 3 Norway 2 (OT)



My Projected Quarterfinal Matchups.

#1 U.S.A. VS. #8 Switzerland

#2 Sweden VS. #7 Slovakia

#3 Canada VS. #6 Russia

#4 Finland VS. #5 Czech Republic