S59 IIHF Day 3 Recap
(1328 words, ready for grading)

Day 3 of the S59 IIHF Round Robin continues with some expected results and also some unexpected results! The standings continue to look very different, with Team Norway leading Group A and Team Switzerland leading Group B. The gold medalist and silver medalist from last season are both currently out of the elimination round bracket - one can wonder if they can turn it around in time.

Here are the current standings after the second day of sims:



Here is the second day of sims and the games so far:




Czechia vs Great Britain - CZE 2 - GBR 0




Team Czechia and Knox Booth blanked out Team Great Britain as fists flew in the second period. Rhys Pritchard and Mikkel Asmus Sondergard got into a scrap right before a faceoff early in the second, and tempers continued rising all game. Dominic Montgomery got a game ejection late in the second with a nasty head-hunting high stick, and the post-whistle jawing continued until the bitter end. Aron Hernadivic’s power play goal in the first period was the game winner as Knox Booth did not allow a single shot past him.

Germany vs Ireland - GER 3 - IRL 2




Tempers definitely were running high in this matchup as Team Germany and Team Ireland got off to a scrappy game. The Germans would score two goals in the first, and Team Ireland responded with two goals in the second. Ruggs McOooh would drop the gloves against Alexander Selich after some shoving ensured near the Irish crease, and McOooh handily beat the veteran defender who is not known for his fighting prowess. A goal from Cassius Darrow late in the third put the Germans ahead, and unfortunately pulling the goalie for an extra attacker didn’t yield an equalizing goal for Team Ireland.

Russia vs Switzerland - RUS 5 - SUI 6 (SO)




Team Russia pushed Team Switzerland to the brink in this game, as they launched an early offensive which kept the Swiss on the back foot. Mitchell Van Der Heidjen had an egregious hooking penalty as he latched his stick on Mika Kandinsky’s pants to drag him down, and was given a misconduct penalty as a result. Goals nine seconds apart from William Hartmann and Elijah Jones allowed the Swiss team to pull even, and Cal Labovitch and Slap McShotty would score in the shootout to break the deadlock.

Finland vs Canada - FIN 1 - CAN 5



Team Canada seems like they have returned to form following the insertion of goaltender Frans Eller, as they beat Team Finland 5-1. Canada’s top line was full steam ahead, seemingly doing magic with the puck, and Commander Shepard had bushels of chances against Finnish netminder Harry Carpet who was sharp as usual. Aumy Jr. scored the only goal for the Finns as he continues to impress this tournament.

Austria vs USA - AUT 3 - USA 6




The first game in a back-to-back against Team USA, the Americans unleashed a barrage against Cale Amundsen. Team Austria would open the scoring early in the first, but the American would continue to dominate from then on. The second period was all America, as was the third, and Eric Hudson would cap the game on a slick move for Team USA’s 6th goal.

Sweden vs Germany - SWE 3 - GER 4 (SO)




Though the ice was tilted in Team Sweden’s favour Team Germany found themselves the winner of a shootout duel with the Tre Kronor. Scoochie Stratton managed to shut the door in the shootout, and Gunnar Soderberg couldn’t keep the Swedes hopes’ alive. Veteran Ola Wagstrom was lights out in this game, opening the scoring and then giving the Swedes a 3-2 lead in the third, but Jack Kanoff would equalize on a sweet saucer pass from Steve Harrington.

United States vs Austria - USA 3 - AUT 2




The second game in a back-to-back featuring these two teams, Team Austria nearly pulled off a win against Team USA. Austrian goaltender Cale Amundsen turned away 47 shots from the potent American offense, but unfortunately the Austrian team could not get anything going in the third to equalize. Alexander Wachter was penalized for having an illegal stick as he had broken his stick and taken teammate Zayne Rotzbua’s stick - however, since Rotzbua is 6’ 8” his stick, at 65 inches of length, was longer than is allowed for players under 6’ 6” such as Wachter. Kudos to the officials for the eagle eye in catching this infraction.

Latvia vs Switzerland - LTV 4 - SUI 5




Team Latvia nearly beat the Swiss as Kata Vilde was once again outstanding in net, turning away 48 out of 53 shots and giving his team a chance at a win. FR Finn-Rhys showed his dynamic offense for the Swiss as he distributed the puck to his teammates. Nat Emerson scored a shorthanded goal in the first period, and was driving the bus for the Latvian side all night. Fred Wanesly would have the game winner in a late third period power play, powering the puck past Kata Vilde with a blistering slapshot.

Japan vs Norway - JPN 2 - NOR 4




Team Norway’s four-goal second period proved decisive in this game as Team Japan was unable to match that output to equalize the game. Adam Scianna scored two goals including the gamewinner, and Goku Muerto added an insurance marker for Team Norway.

Canada vs Germany - CAN 3 - GER 7




A shock result as Team Canada fell to Team Germany by a large margin with veteran netminder Frans Eller in goal. Eller replaced Weaver who has not had a great tourney so far, but coming in cold could have affected his play as he let in 7 goals in 26 shots. Team Germany scored four unanswered goals in the first period which left Canada reeling. Team Canada recovered and struck back in the second and the third period but were unable to overcome the early deficit.

Czechia vs Russia - CZE 3 - RUS 4




First period heroics from Jakub Bruchevski put the Russians to an early lead which they managed to hold until the end, as the Czech comeback came close but not quite. Zakkira Diporov would have the game-winner as he scored on a power move close in the Czech crease, which the referees ruled to not be goaltender interference.

Great Britain vs Switzerland - GBR 2 - SUI 3 (OT)




Team Great Britain fell to the Swiss in a game where good goaltending from both sides kept things extremely close. The Britons took an early lead, but a power play marker from Cal Labovitch gave the Swiss some lift, and rookie Narboza Manyhands tied the game up 11:35 in the third off a nice pass from Arsene Leclerc. Cal Labovitch was the star of the game as he weaved through the British defense to put the game away in overtime.

Finland vs Japan - FIN 2 - JPN 3



Firing on all cylinders, Team Japan peppered Finnish netminder Harry Carpet with 37 shots in this game, and would win 3-2 in the end. Aumy Jr. continues to have a good tournament, scoring a goal and an assist, and had a couple more chances that could have resulted in a different ending. Nicholas Owens was terrific for the Japanese, setting up linemates for point-blank chances which Harry Carpet had to be sharp to keep out of the net.

Ireland vs Norway - IRL 5 (SO) - NOR 4




Team Ireland found their first win in a shootout with Team Norway, with netminder Elizabeth Doyle facing 54 shots from the Norwegians. Robert Feltersnatch was dynamite for the Irish side as he created multiple chances late in the third, but Dwight Knight would even up the game late in the third period off a set play. Adam Scianna scored for Team Norway in the shootout but Austin Roenick and Mika Mayfield beat Cillian Kavanagh to seal the game for Team Ireland.


Hope these short recaps help you guys keep up with IIHF action!