TEAM SCANDINAVIA TAKES HOME GOLD AT THE WJC

The Scandinavian players and coaching staff pose for photos after receiving their medals.

In the USA vs Scandinavia gold medal match, the European scorers manned a lethal power play unit that carried Scandinavia to a 4-1 victory over the stars and stripes. Some naysayers gripe that the refs helped the team, but regardless, it was a dominant performance by their special teams, and on the scoreboard. USA's lack of restraint came back to bite them, as they drew a ghastly 7 penalties. 5 of those were taken in the first, gifting their opponents an early lead off of two power play goals and sapping the American squad's momentum in the first period. Scandinavia certainly made the Yanks pay for their recklessness; the USA penalty killing unit was hardly able to fend them off. The Europeans cashed in on 3 out of 7 chances, settling for an impressive 42.86% conversion percentage. Both teams seemed satisfied, though, with their great runs, and for advancing to this stage.

"Lots of proud Scandinavians in the audience today, and lots of proud Americans as well. They won silver, but today is not their day as they were outmatched by the Scandinavian powerplay," said USA's netminder Aleister Cain.

The road to the finals was far from easy for Scandinavia, and paved with many challenging matchups. The quarterfinals were much closer than the 3-1 final score suggested, as Team World trailed by only one in the final minute and pulled their goalie. Scandinavia was able to send the puck across the ice and score an empty net goal to seal the deal. After vanquishing Team World, they narrowly edged the British Isles in a 3-2 nailbiter, with the Brits nearly pulling off a comeback after a late power play goal. Going into the finals, USA was considered a slight favorite, as they had performed well against the Europeans in the Round Robin and Exhibition stages.

"We had a lot of worthy opponents, but we just dug in and found the extra mettle. I think all the teams we faced certainly played well and made it really tough for us. At the end of the day, we had the most heart, and we were playing to prove people wrong. That's what motivated us and allowed us to pull through," said Scandinavian co-GM Ola Wagstrom. "I had a great experience in my first WJC tournament and first international contest, and I'm looking forward to representing my country in the future."

So how did Scandinavia, who was most definitely not a favorite going into the tournament, end up winning it all? They were taken over by two unseasoned GMs, Dank Boija and Ola Wagstrom, who had fantastical ideas for sweeping changes. The duo were not afraid to tamper with the norms and to think outside the box, wandering into uncharted waters with their lines' arrangements. Rather than burning out their stars and keeping Line 4 glued to the bench, each line received equal playing time. Wagstrom also proposed the team's 4-forward power play unit, which, as shown by their efficiency in the finals, boosted fire power and helped them to capitalize. Other GMs have taken notice of the pair's unconventional strategies.

"Yeah, that 25-25-25-25 really worked," said British Isles GM Noah Nowes. "Wouldn't expect it."

But while GMs can dictate the boundaries under which players play, they cannot control the diligence and skill of the skaters and goalies that they ice. They beat their opponents and got their hardware by receiving contributions from all four lines. The bottom-six players will be the unsung heroes of the event, and the GMs were willing to cede the recognition from their players, with Dank Boija skating on Line 3 and Ola Wagstrom placed on Line 4. The 3rd line brought an edge to a team that is known for not playing physically. This was largely because Boija's efforts, as he threw 5 hits, good for 3rd on the team, and spent a lot of time along the boards and in tight corners. Defenseman Gilmore Tuttle slid onto the third pairing, and performed admirably on both ends of the ice. He clicked with third line winger Tobias Viklund on the power play to open the scoring against the British Isles in the semi-finals, flashing untapped offensive potential. Tuttle was paired with Oliver Dahl at even strength, who led the team in blocked shots and had great metrics. And lastly, Pingy Pingu delivered in the finals, scoring a power play goal to open the scoring today, when the tournament title was on the line.

Additionally, the 4th line pitched in offensively more than almost anyone would expect, surprising rival defenders as much as analysts. Forwards Waffles Man and Ola Wagstrom, Falcons teammates, meshed well on the bottom line, and each had a goal and an assist in the semi-finals. Wagstrom, who is pegged by some as a sleeper for SMJHL goal scoring lead in S44, elated his fans with a point per game pace in the medal games. The Swedish winger came in clutch, scoring the game-winning goal that would decide the match and send Scandinavia to the finals. And with neither Wagstrom or Man delivering a single hit in the medal round, Makinen was the line's resident tough guy, dealing 5 jarring hits and ensuring that nobody would mess with the snipers.

"Everyone got at least 10 minutes of ice time in all 3 of the medal round games, so everyone got their time in the spotlight. None of our guys made the coaches regret that either; everyone knew their role, and they all went above and beyond. Each line was not only a scoring threat, but also responsible defensively," said Wagstrom. "I love that this piece is showcasing the underappreciated guys on the bottom lines, they deserve the praise. There were no underachievers on this team."

That is not to say that the top two lines weren't just as proficient, if not more so. Defenseman Veikka Toivanen shouldered the most minutes on the team, and was excellent in his own end. He had a team-leading 8 hits, and tied Oliver's Dahl 5 shots blocked. Rafe Ulrich, the top line left wing, was the ultimate power forward, matching Toivanen's hit total and tying for second place in points, with 2 goals and 2 assists. He was tied in points with linemate Eero Niemi, who had an identical scoring total. Niemi also banked both of his goals with perfect timing, leading Scandinavia with 2 game-winning goals. The last member of that top line was center Goku Muerto, who served in a playmaker function, registering 1 goal and 4 assists. His point total of 5 was number one on the team. The trio of line 1 forwards found instant chemistry, and finished in all of the top 3 positions on the scoring leaderboard.

The second line was not as instrumental in scoring goals, but 2C Jax Aittokallio set up a few goals on the power play, tallying 2 assists on the man advantage. As both of his assists were on the power play, he revealed himself to be a great complimentary forward on a unit stacked with snipers. Hippo Passamus was given a spot on one of the penalty killing units, and he finished tied with Eero Niemi for most blocked shots by a forward, with 2. And while he didn't tally any points, he, along with linemate Jax Aittokallio, made opposing netminders work. Aittokallio led the team with 12 shots on goal, and Passamus was one behind, with 11. David Fantobens was a jack of all trades, dealing 4 hits, tallying a power play assist, and drawing a team-high 4 penalty minutes thanks to his gritty style of play. And second pairing rookie defenseman Stolp Skottson averaged just over 20 minutes a night, and earned one power play assist with his excellent passes.

"Our stars showed up to play for sure, and were important leaders in the locker room. They were ready to go out there in all situations and to do whatever was necessary to win. I love our versatility; we have playmakers like Jax (Aittokallio), power forwards like Rafe (Ulrich), snipers like Eero (Niemi), and volume shooters like Hippo (Passamus)," said Wagstrom. "And that's without even going into defense. People said defense was a weakness on our team, but I thought they did a great job clearing pucks out of the zone and blocking shots."

But perhaps the most important player on the team was netminder Kata Vilde. Vilde continued establishing impeccable numbers, leading the medal round in both save percentage and goals against average. With an insane 1.33 goals against average and a remarkable 0.938 save percentage, he frustrated opposing shooters night in and night out. The pressure never got to him, as it seems that he only got better with time, stopping 29 of 30 shots in the gold medal match. That translates to a 0.967 save percentage for the game.

"Vilde flat out stole games, and he never faltered throughout the whole tournament. Everyone is saying that the gold medal match was a blow-out, but that's not the least bit true. We were actually even in shots with USA; Vilde was the difference maker. He's going up to the SHL this year, and it was so clear to us that he's at that level. I bet he's going to contend for rookie of the year. Whoever he's sharing the net with, he's going to win starts, because his agility and athleticism are out of this world," said Wagstrom. "I don't envy the players who had to play against him, and it makes me nervous that one day, I'll have to face him. He's a stud."

So, with the entire team shining on the international stage, Scandinavia is basking in the glory of their accomplishment, and gearing up for next year. The coalition will return to their respective nations and celebrate with their countrymen, preparing and training at home for the upcoming SHL season. The talented young blood coming up the pipeline for these countries is promising, particularly for Sweden, as they had a rough year in the IIHF tournament, finishing last in their group. But the outlook for the competitions of tomorrow is not so bleak; the future seems to be in good hands with the budding Scandinavian stars.

Word Count: 1850 Words

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Nice write up man!

Thanks for leading us to the top of the world!

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Nice write up man!

Thanks for leading us to the top of the world!

Thanks! And thank you for playing for us and leading us in points

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