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***Valpix*** · 03-14-2023, 02:24 AM

Hello and welcome to the third daily recap of the IIHF tournament! I'm your host, Val Pix, bringing you a breakdown of everything that happened on Day 3 here in Paris. We're going to go in daily order, and focus on the games that were streamed - after all, they're sort of the spotlight games, no? (Well, except every game was streamed, so I took some liberties toward the end....)

Day 1 - October 12

Sweden

Sweden 1-4 France France

Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson knocked home a rebound less than two minutes in, giving Tre Kronor a dream start. That lead was not a sign of things to come. In the final minutes of that first period, Friedensreich Hundertwasser ripped home an equalizer from the slot off a feed from Theo Kondos to level things. Les Bleus took the lead six and a half minutes into the third through Duncan MacKenzie, and added an insurance marker just past the halfway point on a slot shot from Miguel Hefeweizen. A dazzling 38 save performance from Enes Gündoğan and an empty netter from Hundertwasser wrapped things up nicely for the hosts.

Russia

Russia 2-0 Latvia Latvia

What's this? Another heroic performance from Latvia goalie Toms Zīle? Throughout this group stage so far, Zīle has stood out, but a young Latvian team has let him down occasionally through a lack of goal support, and we see it again here. Jay Cue opened the scoring at the halfway mark of the game after Latvia fell asleep on a faceoff. Zīle did his best to keep the team in carmine within one, but eventually the Russians found an insurance marker. Valentin Kalashnikov's point shot evaded the shot-stopper and cemented three key points for Sbornaya, despite 30 saves from Zīle.

Evgeni Petrov made 23 saves for a shutout in his final IIHF tournament.

Usa

USA 4-1 Germany Germany

For about two periods, this game was defined by a goalie duel between Olof Korsikko and Justin Time. The only blemish for either was a late-second-period power play goal by America's JR Frankenstero. In the third, however, the Yanks opened up the floodgates. Lord Raiden, Ralph Ryan, and Rand al'Thor scored within a five minute timespan, as the German side struggled to prevent shooting opportunities in the slot. Steve Harrington's late third period power play goal was a mere consolation marker.

Raiden and Hale finished the game with 3 points each, and Time made 36 saves for the Stars and Stripes in a game that could help them recover from a slow 1-3-1 start to the event.

Canada

Canada 8-2 Finland Finland

Entering the day with a tournament-high 26 goals and going up against a talented Finnish side, Canada's offense remained red hot. A shot from the slot by Ben Waters Jr. opened the scoring for the Canucks. A parade of Finnish penalties led to two power play goals, one each from Sarah Burke and Max Manning, to balloon the lead to 3-0. The Finns battled back some, with Sconnie McHits scoring late in the period to get Leijonat on the board and Shoyo Hinata cutting the lead to one in the first minute of the second. But from that point on, Canada put pedal to the medal. More Finnish penalties led to two more power play goals via Ben Jammin and Burke, and Canada struck three more times in the third, including Burke completing the hat trick.

Japan

Japan 1-6 Ireland Ireland

An early goal by Guinness O'Bigbers set the tone for this one. Mads McBride doubled the lead about ten minutes later, and Kyle Murray potted early in the second for an early 3-0 Irish lead. Ryuuji Kawashima beat Caleb Hayden down low less than two minutes later to dent the lead. Like the Finns earlier, though, Japan ran into penalty trouble, trouble compounded by an inability to actually kill them. Goals on back-to-back second-period power plays by veterans McBride (his second goal of the game) and Anton Harrier upped the lead to 5-1, and Erik Bergmark wrapped up the scoring early in the third.

Day 2 - October 13

Sweden

Sweden 2-6 Russia Russia

Valentin Kalashnikov put Russia ahead 70 seconds in, and the Sbornaya never trailed at any point in this one. Luke Laraque's equalizer about six minutes later was quickly overwritten by Jay Cue's power play goal not long after, and the Russians put the power down from there. Cue added a second early in the second; Igor Petrov followed up with a goal of his own just twenty seconds later. Adelie de Pengu cut the margin to 4-2, but Vaseline Podcalzone scored late in each of the last two periods (including a shorthanded goal in the third) as Russia pulled away. Cue and Podcalzone finished the game with three points each.

Germany

Germany 4-3 Czechia Czechia

A back and forth, see-saw affair saw neither team open up a multi goal lead. Zayne Dangle opened the scoring for the Czechs 88 seconds into the game, as he continues to impress offensively. Germany leveled the scoring midway through the first, when Rex Kirkby came out of the penalty box, received a pass from Finn Brandt, and ripped one home from the top of the circle. Stan Din'desque put the Czechs back ahead with a power play goal midway through the second, but Dominik Froste's goal at the horn tied the game up once more going to the third. There, Germany took their first lead of the game. High Haschdi ripped home a shot from the circle; however, that lead would last a meager twenty seconds before Noel Blanchet tied the game again. With just over two minutes to go, Steve Harrington's shot from the blueline caught Brick Wall napping, and earned Germany the three points.

France

France 3-5 Switzerland

When Luca Hunziker's second goal of the game made it 4-1 Switzerland early in the third, you could've been forgiven for thinking this game was over. With a McBride finalist in Rebecca Montagne in goal, and as the game got under the five minute mark, the margin seemed comfortable. However, the French battled back, taking advantage of some Swiss indiscipline to pot two power play goals, one each from Duncan Mackenzie and Paul Binder. Binder's set up a fascinating final 38 seconds, but the Swiss were not only able to avoid conceding again, they added an insurance marker as the final seconds ticked away through Ivan Lacksamus.

Japan

Japan 3-2 USA Usa

(OT)

Nothing says hockey like a dominant performance except the other team's goalie has a blinder. The US struck first through an Atticus Hale power play goal, but struggled to beat Sir Devoir for an insurance marker. That proved costly when Nicolas Owens leveled the score just past the game's halfway point, and even more costly when Shion Okamoto cashed in on the power play six minutes into the third to put Japan in the lead. They finally solved Devoir with two and a half minutes to go in regulation via a Benson Fiorentini deflection. That got them the overtime point, but late in OT Evil AllBran ripped home Japan's winner from the slot. Devoir finished the game with 46 saves, and got a very deserved star of the game (should've been first tbh).

Norway

Norway 4-5 Latvia Latvia

(SO)

This one was a back and forth barn-burner where, much like the Czechia-Germany game earlier, no team ever led by multiple goals. Tom Pedersen put Norway ahead just past the halfway mark of the first, but a Filip Lund tripping call led to a Latvian equalizer off the draw by Chimkin Wing. Aksel Fiske put Norway back ahead early in the second by cleaning up a rebound. Wing answered that with a second power play goal, and less than a minute after that Patricija Ozerova gave Latvia its first lead. Dwight Knight re-tied the game five minutes into the third, and Gonzo Gobbledygook netted a power play goal to put Norway ahead with 5:43 to go. That lead didn't even last 90 seconds, as Mats Marner leveled it up and forced OT and later a shootout, which the Latvians took when Zīle denied Vladimir Petrov in the fourth round.

Day 3 - October 14

Great Britain 2-1 Switzerland

(SO)

Low scoring games have been the Brits' bread and butter. Lev Lebedev put them ahead late in the first just seconds after a successful penalty kill. That goal stood until an unsuccessful penalty kill, with Marcel Beck leveling things midway through the third. Junior goalies Alexis Texas and Tibuk Soonika took the game all the way to a shootout, where Conner Snooks scored the lone goal.

Day 4 - October 15

Ireland

Ireland 3-8 Germany Germany

Konstantin Selich's four goals included three in Germany's six-goal third period as they beat down the Irish.

Sweden

Sweden 6-2 Great Britain

Six different goal scorers pace the way for the Swedes, with a four goal onslaught in the third burying the Brits.

Russia

Russia 1-6 France France

Russia scores first, then faces a bombardment they can't survive behind Freidensreich Hundertwasser's four points.

Day 5 - October 16

Latvia

Latvia 4-0 Switzerland

Toms Zīle stops all 26, and Chimkin Wing scores twice for the Latvians.

Czechia

Czechia 0-7 USA Usa