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WJC Round Robin - Day 1 - Team Finland - JURT - 04-09-2021
Team Finland off to a hot start
The World Junior Cup of hockey entered its Round Robin phase yesterday and Team Finland is off to a really good start, one of three teams still undefeated in regulation in the whole tournament.
After a few wonky games during the preseason phase, where the whole roster couldn't make it in time and a few overager had to join the team for Finland to roster a full line-up, the Finnish squad was all set for the beginning of the actual tournament. The 22-men roster submitted unsurprisingly included several borrowed players from other nations and quite a few forwards playing defense. "As soon as we started building our team, we noticed both of these problems : a cruel lack of good young players from Finland and a majority of available forwards overall", said one of the GMs, "I think we found a decent solution to them, or so the results so far seem to indicate".
Team Finland would play its first game against Team Canada White. While Finland outshot Canada 15-3 in the first period, the score is still null at the first intermission. Canada opens the scoring with their first shot of the second when Wile Coyote beats Mat Smith with a quick shot. Finland's answer comes a few second later to bring us back even. Jarmo Kekalainen was the one to figure out Yanno Rosejac's enigma. Before the second period ends, Sven Gunnar puts Canada back ahead and the period ends with a 2-1 advantage for the north american team, despite them being outshout 4 to 1 (24-6).
Kaapo Kampainen relieves his team from a great stress when he ties the game up again just past the midpoint in the third period, but Rosejac's inspiring performance in between the posts keeps his team holding on. Going into overtime, Finland has outshoot Canada 34 to 12. Lemo Pihl takes a holding penalty midway through overtime, but Finland holds on for the duration of the penalty. However, Canada's acquired momentum during the powerplay carries on and Freyja Hellstrom seals the deal with less than a minute to go in overtime. Somehow, none of the three stars is awarded to Rosejac for his 33 saves performance.
First game result : 2-3 OTL vs Team Canada White
Points :
- Jarmo Kekalainen : 1G, 1A
- Jesse Seppanen : 2A
- Kaapo Kempainen : 1G
The second game has Finland going up against Team World. Ragnar-Alexandre Ragnarsson-Tremblay has the start in net for this one. The white-and-blue crew is the one to open up the scoring, and this time in the first period. The team gets its first point from a borrowed player when High Haschdi finds the back of the net on a pass from Saberro Torreta. In the second period Kekalainen and Kampainen keep putting up points, this time both getting assists on a powerplay goal from Jari Heikkinen. Then, another borrowed player triples the lead : Robert. E. O. Speedwagon scores with the help of Jack Nishimori and William Salming. Jari Heikkinen score his second of the game to put Team Finland ahead 4-0 in the third and this holds on to become the final score. RART gets a 32 saves shutout.
Second game result : 4-0 W vs Team World
Points :
- Jari Heikkinen : 2G
- Jack Nishimori : 2A
- High Haschdi : 1G
- Robert E. O. Speedwagon : 1G
- Saberro Torretta : 1A
- Kaapo Kampainen : 1A
- Eero Makinen Jr. : 1A
- William Salming : 1A
Mat Smith is back between the pipes for the third game against the strong and absolute rivals of Team Sweden. After a scoreless first period, Kampainen puts Finland on the board first with a powerplay goal to which Seppanen and Heikkinen are complicit. Less than 30 seconds later, Tokkulu Lakkamaa, playing as a defencemen for the aforementioned reasons, scores his first of the tournament to double down on the lead. The powerplay unit of Kekalainen, Kampainen, Seppanen, Salming and Heikkinen is really picking up speed and scores a second goal in the game; Kekalainen is the one to light it up this time. Robert Black completes the scoring sheet for this one and Finland takes the win in another shutout; a 31-saves performance for Mat Smith.
Third game result : 4-0 W vs Team Sweden
Points :
- Jari Heikkinen : 2A
- Kaapo Kempainen : 1G, 1A
- Tokkulu Lakkamaa : 1G
- Robert Black : 1G
- Jarmo Kekalainen : 1 G
- Janne Virtanen : 1A
- Lemo Pihl : 1A
- Jesse Seppanen : 1A
For their last game of the day, Finland had another matchup with Team World. World breaks the scoreless sequence for Finland's opponents at 150:07 minutes, when Shirakami Fubuki scores halfway through the first, beating Mat Smith up high. Finland comes back in the second period, however, when Janne Virtanen slaps one right past Chimkin Tendy. Pihl and Makinen both get an assist on this one. Makinen keeps up the good work and scores his first of the tournament, putting his team ahead 2-1 at the end of the period. Despite the World's effort to tie it back up, Finland plays a very solid and disciplined game in the third period and the only scorer is Speedwagon, putting the game out of the reach of Team World who was outshot 28-17 in this game.
Fourth game result : 3-1 W vs Team World
Points :
- Eero Makinen Jr. : 1G, 1A
- Janne Virtanen : 1G
- Robert E. O. Speedwagon : 1G
- Kaapo Kampainen : 1A
- Robert Black : 1A
- Lemo Pihl: 1A
- Jack Nishimori : 1A
The two other teams still undefeated in regulation are actually undefeated overall. British Isles and DACH are both sitting atop of Group A, tied with four wins apiece in as many games. This leaves Finland alone in first place of Group B with 10 points, closely followed by Team World. World has played one more game already and has 9 points, their two losses having come at the hands of our very own Finnish squad. It is worth noting that the international point system grants a team 3 points for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime or shootout win, 1 for an overtime or shootout loss and none for a regulation loss.
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1108 words, ready for gradingRE: WJC Round Robin - Day 1 - Team Finland - Ronniewalker - 04-09-2021
