Team USA will face Russia and Team Canada will square off against Finland in the semi-final round of of the IIHF Women’s World Championships tomorrow. Winners will face each other in the championship game on Saturday, April 4. The game will be broadcast on Universal Sports at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Team USA beat Russia in round-robin play, 9-2, and Canada beat Finland 6-2 in their round-robin game.
However it’s Team USA that is the perfect team so far in the tournament, going 3-0 with 17 goals for and 5 goals against. Team USA’s Hilary Knight is second in tournament scoring with five goals and two assists. She trails Anna Borgqvist of Finland in tournament scoring; she has five goals and three assists.
While America’s blowout 9-2 win against Russia in the round-robin is encouraging for the USA National Team, Russia mustered two goals on five shots in that in game, beating USA netminder Molly Shaus. Jocelyne Lamoureux registered a hat trick in the game.
Canada’s round-robin game against the Finns was a little closer of a match, with shots 29-17 in favor of Canada. Canada’s Natalie Spooner notched a goal and an assist in the game, as did Jennifer Wakefield. Finland beat Canada’s goaltender Genevieve Lacasse twice, first in the first period on the power play, and second in the third period on a slap shot off a rush that slipped past her.
Canada’s only loss in round-robin play came against the United States. The US won 4-2, and out-shot Canada 34-11. Three of four USA goals came on the power play.
The U.S. faces Russia tomorrow at 12 p.m.; Canada’s game time against Finland is set for 4 p.m.
Winners of each semi-final game will face each other in the gold medal game on April 4; losers will play in a bronze medal game.
It has been pretty much “forever and a day” since the Sharks played at home. After the two-week roadie I was itching to get back to the chill of the rink and, of course, not be watching hockey at home in my pjs!
Between the breezy climate outside and the fact that the Tank wasn’t quite as cold as usual, a late-season springy outfit was in order. Despite having a bit of a week, and wanting to just wrap myself up in all black, this game called for color, and lots of it. After a bit of outfit trying-on the day before, I came up with something that would work for work–see what I did there?–and ended up with a better accessory game than I had previously planned. Here we go:
The Main Dish: I typically wear this periwinkle Victoria’s Secret tunic with leggings since it is runched up a bit high on the sides. I combatted the length with this BCBG wrap–in a complimentary shade of green–which drapes perfectly down the sides of my thighs to prevent “too much leg” for the workplace. Pair it with Donna Karen stockings and black flats et voila!
The Bobbles: Once I had my outfit together I was inspired to get a little extra funky with my accessories. I went with gold to balance out the cool color palette of my ensemble which meant busting out my grandmother’s gold-and-jade jewelry and Grecian midi rings. To satisfy my watch fix, I went with my dainty Gucci watch along with my clunky Betsey Johnson charm bracelet. (And for those of you who noticed: Yes, I have an Easter-themed manicure!)
I’m typically opposed to wearing long necklaces to games because they get tangled with my landyard on my press pass. This evening, however, I broke my own rule and sported two: My grandmother’s jade pendant and coral pendant, and my mom’s gold heart.
Now that the outfit is set, let’s hope the team is ready to put on a show as well!
Until the next puck drops,
The Girl In The Black Tights
On April 2, the Minnesota Wild will square off against the New York Rangers in what some people think could be a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals. The game will be played on Minnesota’s home ice at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This will be the second time the two clubs have faced each other this season, with the last game ending in a heartbreaking loss for the Wild, as the Rangers scored three goals in the third period in a come-from-behind win. The Wild hope their fate for this game is better, as each victory earns them two points and gets them closer to a playoff berth. The Rangers have already clinched a playoff spot in what is widely considered a weaker Eastern Conference.
Both clubs are playing extremely well as of late. The Wild, who are 8-2-0 in their last ten games, currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Rangers, with a record of 6-4-0 in their last ten games, currently hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have six games left on the regular season schedule.
The Minnesota Wild are enjoying a much deserved four day break after back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, and hope to continue their recent hot streak, after their two wins against the Calgary Flames and the Los Angeles Kings over the weekend. After missing three games due to injury, Kyle Brodziak will be back in the line-up for the Wild and it is likely he will replace Erik Haula as the team’s fourth line center. The Rangers will also get a key player back from injury for Thursday’s game. Veteran star, Martin St. Louis, has been out of the lineup since the middle of March. St. Louis will provide a scoring boost, as he had posted 47 points in the 68 games prior to being injured.
Both teams’ success has largely revolved around excellent goaltending and that should continue in Thursday’s meeting. Devan Dubnyk will make his 35th consecutive start for the Wild, while Henrik Lundqvist will make his third start in the four games after coming back from a two-month injury.
With both teams gearing up for the playoffs and a lot on the line, a highly intense game is expected. The Wild need a win to keep their edge in the Western Conference Wild Card race, while the Rangers are looking to maintain their position as number one seed, which will give them home ice advantage for the playoffs.
Tuesday night the Boston Bruins hosted the Florida Panthers. For both teams a win was essential to their standings in the final push to maintaining a play off position or in the case of the Florida Panthers attaining one. Going into the game, the Panthers were just four points behind the Bruins, who have been holding onto their wild card position like someone gripping a ledge with their fingertips. They have been pushed off at least once.
Hounding the Bruins just three points behind are the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers had been essential in assisting the Bruins in that three points going into Tuesday’s game. Prior to arriving in Boston to take on the Bruins the Panthers played in Ottawa the same night that the Bruins were in Raleigh taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers won their game in regulation, while the Bruins were forced to wrestle the second point in overtime with a goal scored by David Pastrnak, the first teenager to score a game-winning goal in OT in the Bruins’ history.
As the puck dropped on the first period, the Bruins appeared to understand what was at stake. Though the shots on goal were even at seven a piece at the end of the period, the Bs were the ones with a goal—scored by Loui Eriksson, whose patience with the puck proved essential to the goal—with 3:03 remaining in the period.
As the teams returned for the second, the Panthers took control of the ice—scoring the tying goal just 55 seconds into the period while on the power play when Brad Marchand was sent off for high sticking. And then the inevitable began, the “terrible twos” of the Bruins’ season. It was clear that they were once again struggling to bring their game in the middle frame. This sentiment was punctuated by a second goal scored by Brad Boyes for the Panthers as a result of Matt Bartkowski fanning on his pass and Tuukka Rask not being prepared for the shot off Boyes’ stick.
“I just wasn’t ready enough for that shot. He was so far out that I was looking for options there, I wasn’t ready for it,” Rask said after the game. “When I’m not ready for it—you know it just caught me off guard.”
Where was the fight from the first period? Were the Bruins going to just coast through the remainder of the game? As the second period continued, it appeared that way. And after being outshot and outscored the period ended.
Coming out for the third period, it was quickly apparent that something had been said during the second intermission. The Bruins were back to playing big and showing the emotion they had exhibited in the first. However, the first almost ten minutes of the period it looked like despite the effort that the Bruins were going to find themselves on the losing end.
Milan Lucic, Ryan Spooner and Pastrnak had just come onto the ice and Dennis Seidenberg was able to push the puck up to Pastrnak, who made a nice cross-rink pass to Lucic barreling down the left boards. He corralled the puck and passed it back to Spooner, who was able to get it on goal. It took a funny bounce up and, when it came down, it was behind Roberto Luongo and the referee was signaling a good goal. Originally attributed to Pastrnak, it was announced on Wednesday that Spooner was indeed the one being credited with the goal—his eighth—while Lucic and Pastrnak each earned an assist.
From that moment on, the Bruins were rejuvenated and with just 1:09 remaining in regulation—as it looked like there would be bonus hockey—Lucic was able to get one five-hole on Luongo, with assists from his linemates. In fact, since this line was put together as a result of a knee injury to David Krejci, it has been able to put together energy and goals and points.
When it was over, it was clear that the Panthers realized that they had the game in their hands and they let it go. Despite the words in the room about regrouping and getting ready for the next game, the atmosphere spoke to the monumental loss those two points were in their quest to make it to the playoffs.
Adam McQuaid
Meanwhile in the Bruins locker room there was an obvious exuberance but questions still remain about what they need to do to play a full 60-minute game. While happy they were able to win, the players realized that they played with fire and got out without burning down the barn.
In hearing Adam McQuaid talking to reporters after the game about having had that energy throughout the entire game, I couldn’t help asking why this seemed to be something that had been mentioned over and over this year. Why couldn’t they solve it?
“That’s a good question, I mean, I think just being focused and getting the consistency of playing a full 60-minute game,” smiled McQuaid. “You know, it’s not easy to do. You have to really focus, mentally you have to be there and you have to be there the whole time and it doesn’t take much to have a little lapse here and there and it can be costly. So, we know this time of year what’s at stake for us moving forward. I think just focusing on being consistent for the whole game.”
Perhaps looking at the amount of time that a person focuses at work before checking their iPhone or visiting their FaceBook page could be a measuring stick to how difficult it is to focus for a full game. Consider that a 60-minute game traditionally takes closer to 2.5 hours with whistled stoppage of play, commercial breaks, and intermissions.
After practice on Wednesday, the Bruins hopped on their plane and headed to Detroit, where they will take on the Detroit Red Wings. Once again they and the Ottawa Senators will be playing on the same night, so it will again be a must win game for the Bruins, as the Senators have a game in hand and stubbornly remain on their heels.
The past two weeks have been a roller coaster ride for Dani Rylan.
The commissioner of the brand new National Women’s Hockey League has put together a business model where women get paid to play hockey – and now she has to make it work.
“The money to pay the players is coming from both sponsors and donors,” said Rylan. “We’re looking for three to five year (financial) commitments.”
And finding those commitments hasn’t been as difficult as she thought it would be.
“Usually the conversations start with, ‘I had no idea this didn’t exist before’ and it turns to ‘this is a no brainer, this is something we want to support’ ,” Rylan expanded. “It’s great when you don’t have to pitch the actual sport itself, and when people know the women’s game is competitive and it’s worth the sponsorship dollars and donations because it is a great sport to watch.”
Rylan knows first hand what a professional female hockey player is looking for, after all. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2012, where she played hockey for two years. She earned 20 career points and was named tri-captain of the team her senior year.
But the last few weeks she has found herself dodging questions about how the NWHL will co-exist with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
“This was never about the CWHL’s U.S. expansion,” said Rylan. “We’re grateful for what the CWHL has done for the sport and it’s just a different model.”
The NWHL is in (mostly) different markets than than the CWHL, after all –the only exception being Boston. The NWHL will plant a team in Boston called the Boston Pride, while the CWHL’s Boston franchise is the Boston Blades.
“Boston is a hockey hotbed and you can look at the college and universities in the area like BU, BC, Northeastern, and Harvard, it’s the best college hockey in the world and a lot of girls and Olympians plant their roots in Boston and train with Mike Boyle in between (seasons), so that’s why we decided on Boston in particular,” she said. “And all the others are nice and close and good viable hockey towns.”
Rylan said she isn’t worried about fighting for players or fans of women’s hockey in Boston.
“There’s enough talent in Boston, there will be enough players to play in two organizations,” she said.
Rylan is also looking for NHL franchises to partner with those NWHL franchises in the area, and she has already approached the NHL about a league-wide partnership.
“I do feel optimistic about an NHL partnership down the road,” she said. “The NHL definitely wants to support women’s hockey, starting at the grassroots level, all the way to professional hockey.”
Rylan–who will be league commissioner and possibly general manager of the New York Riveters–will still only get one vote on the league’s Board of Governors, she said. She discussed also looking at hiring a general manager for the team in the future.
The NWHL is looking to differentiate itself in the way it markets its teams.
“We want to bring the focus to the players,” she said. “They are the best players in the world, so we will have a huge emphasis on marketing and conveying the passion that hockey fans have, and putting the spotlight on the best women’s hockey players in the world.”
The response to the new league has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It just goes to show how excited these markets are for women’s hockey and it makes me excited to put the merchandise out there and get apparel to the fans,” she said.
Rylan described the last two weeks as having been a whirlwind since the league launched.
“It’s been an exciting journey and I’m really excited that this is the next step in women’s hockey, but at the end of the day it’s not about me, it’s about what these women deserve and even though we are paying them it’s not enough. So the goal is to make it a full time, viable job, as opposed to right now it’s a part-time job,” she said.
As for people who read into the NWHL as an American answer to the CWHL, and just another battle of the USA vs Canada rivalry – Rylan dismisses that assumption and anything but true.
“It’s not on my radar at all,” she said.
What is on her radar is expanding in the Midwest, into Minnesota in particular, or even in Canada.
“Minnesota is the center of hockey in America and it’s a great place for hockey so we hope to expand in that direction too,” Rylan explained.
But year number one will be about making the NWHL as successful as possible, before expansion is considered.
“And after that we want to make this successful so it can be a one and only job for these athletes,” she said.
Rylan knows it’s a tough road out there for women’s hockey leagues, but that isn’t deterring her.
When asked what makes the NWHL different than other women’s leagues of the past, Rylan goes back to the business model.
“We’re starting off small. The first thing we got is a bus partnership. We are going to grow when the time is right and I think there’s a lot of thought into the business model and that is what makes it a viable league,” she said.
When it’s 59 degrees inside of the arena and 95 degrees outside, figuring out how to dress is disorienting. How can I possibly think about dressing for warmth when I can’t go outside in anything more than a sundress? A leather jacket in this weather? The real question is why I even own a leather jacket living in Phoenix!
Just like everything else in my life, (and every other look this season) my outfit was put together last minute. What do I do when I have no idea what to wear and am running out the door? I throw on all the black I can find, throw on a leather jacket and tuck my shirt in to whatever is on the bottom.
These turner pants from J.Crew are so simple, yet so chic…The best part is they feel like sweatpants. The shirt just happened to be one that I had been wearing along with my Lululemon leggings, and in the process of changing into my pants, I found that they looked pretty good together. The Zara leather jacket was a no-brainer; I hadn’t worn leather in a while and it makes anything look 200x better. Throw on some strappy heels and I’m out the door!
Announced right before the game by the head coach Peter Horachek, a new team member signed his contract for one day. The date of the game was Saturday March 28th, 2015. The new member came from Duck Lake Saskatchewan, in Canada. He got to pick his jersey number so he picked 42 and Tyler Bozak was ok with it. Bozak picked number 32 for the Saturday night game. Besides getting 42 on his jersey, the new guy got printed “G-Man” on the jersey. Who is this G-guy? Why haven’t we heard about him? Contract for one day?
The new team member was 11-year-old Garrett Gamble. Another Saskatchewan native and past leaf captain, Wendal Clark brought Garrett out on the ice and skated with him around the rink. Then in the middle of the ice rink Garrett dropped the puck as the team captains for the two teams looked on. Pictures were taken and tears were shed by many. A standing ovation after the puck was dropped was taken up by fans, team members and the players. My eyes got a bit moist too.
The Make-A-Wish-Foundation got this amazing day together for Garrett and his family. Garrett has Morquio Syndrome. It affects the skeletal development of the person. Its incurable and can lead to an early death.
Two miracles happened on that day. First was the fact that Garrett was there and he had one of his wishes come true. The other miracle was for him and the other Leaf fans. The Leafs broke their seven game losing streak on that night. Who was blamed for that? A hat trick from Bozak, that’s who! I don’t know who to hug, Garrett or Bozak? One of them was the lucky thing to change the team’s luck. Maybe it was the fact that Tyler changed numbers on his jersey? Maybe 32 is better for him? Or it could be that Garrett is lucky on the ice? It could be that they both mix their luck together and unknown to each other, a win is granted. Maybe Tyler should keep the new number for a while to see what happens? Maybe the “G-MAN” is full of hockey luck? I really don’t know. All I know is that the game was great to watch. The Leafs finally won a game and a boy got to fulfil a wish. Isn’t that what hockey is all about?
After an overtime win for the Arizona Coyotes last week in Buffalo, it was time for the Sabres to come and seek revenge in the desert. An all-around messy game ultimately led to a 4-1 loss to the last place Sabres.
Finding positive in the negative
The hype about the game was unfortunate; the focus of the game wasn’t about winning, but rather about who was going to lose. Why would anyone want to see their team lose? Well the Coyotes are now within four points of last place, something that might not look positive, but could guarantee them a chance at either Jack Eichel or Connor McDavid in this years NHL Draft. This is definitely something positive to look forward to even in all of the negative. Both players could lead to the success of the Coyotes in the future, but no one wants to see people hoping for a loss.
“There was certainly a lot more of that talk in Buffalo but for us, it’s just another game where you have to show up and play,” said David Moss about the situation they are in. “The circumstances are what they are. As a player, you try not to worry about that aspect of it. You try to prepare like a professional and go out and do your job.”
Connor Murphy on the concluded Sabres series: “It’s frustrating when people make it about the losing instead of about the team efforts.”
The Coyotes have made it clear that they aren’t going to just roll over and admit defeat, but rather try to finish off the season on a positive note. Losses like this obviously don’t point to much positive, especially after the season they have had. An early goal by defenseman Connor Murphy looked to be promising, but they were not able to build upon the lead, resulting in their defeat.
“We didn’t come to work obviously. We left Smitty (Mike Smith) out to dry and didn’t show the effort we needed to in front of your own home crowd,” said Murphy on the game. “We got the result we deserved for how we played.”
Smith the biggest factor out on the ice
Smith has definitely been a positive in the latter part of the Coyotes season. Smith has been the main reason that they have been able to stay in games. The players have praised him lately for his play and last night was not an exception. He was the most consistent person on the ice, but if he isn’t getting the offensive or defensive help, he obviously isn’t going to prosper.
Coach’s thoughts
What does a coach take from a game like this and how does he correct mistakes? They look past it and look towards the future. With several days in between their game last night and their game on Saturday against San Jose, they have a good amount of time to practice and “tweak” some things about the team’s game. Dave Tippett leads his squad in the final five games of the season, and just like the rest of the team, isn’t going to just give up.
“Yeah there wasn’t much there tonight that’s for sure. We couldn’t win battles down low in the offensive zone or sustain anything; we were sloppy with the puck… So that’s where we’re at.” – Head coach Dave Tippett
The Boston Bruins hosted the New York Rangers on Saturday for a matinee game. The Rangers had been riding the hot glove and stick of goal tender Cam Talbot for a number of weeks to the astonishment of many who expected the Rangers to struggle while Henrik Lundqvist was recovering. However it was announced that Lundqvist was going to start the game for the Rangers.
Had Lundqvist been playing the past eight weeks, then it would probably have been a different story. But like all goalies, he was a little rusty from being out and the Bruins were able to capitalize on that.
The first goal came off of Milan Lucic’s skate and was originally disallowed on the ice as going in as a result of a kicking motion. The referees immediately got in touch with Toronto and everyone waited for the verdict. This was one of the rules that was addressed at the beginning of the season. The ruling was changed to allow any goal scored from a skate when the player was just driving toward the net. The ruling said that there had to be a distinct kicking motion of the skate toward the goal. In Lucic’s case, he was using his skate to block the puck from squirting past him so he could get his stick on it. Instead the puck ricocheted off of his skate and past Lundqvist. After some time, the call on the ice was overturned and the goal was allowed.
Lundqvist, post game, felt that this was a distinct kicking motion and that the goal would be disallowed.
“I was 100 percent sure it was not a goal, so I kind of stayed confident and calm,” Lundqvist told the media. “But when they called it a goal, obviously it kind of set the tone for the first period.”
That goal did offer the Bruins a boost and it was clear that they were feeling the confidence. There was a cohesion of the team that carried through the second period—a period they traditionally struggle through—and into the third. In many ways, this team resembled the Bruins of the previous season.
Torey Krug
“Yeah I think if we play the right way, that’s what you see,” Torey Krug said after the game. “Our system is a positive thing for this team and when we’re playing the right way, there are layers and guys are where they’re supposed to be and everybody knows where everyone is. So we’re forced to play good hockey right now so it’s nice to get a result for sure. We’ve got to bottle this up and use it tomorrow.”
The Bruins were able to win the game in regulation and take the two points. And the Toronto Maple Leafs helped out the Bruins by beating the Ottawa Senators in overtime. This put the Bruins up by one point in the playoff standings. Both the Bruins and the Senators were also playing on Sunday.
Going into Sunday’s game there was some question if Tuukka Rask would be playing in net as he left Saturday’s game just after coming onto the ice for the start of the second. Originally listed as dehydration, it turned out that he was diagnosed with a migraine.
“We talked with the doctors and all the symptoms, looked like it was a migraine,” Rask said after Sunday’s game “When you can’t really see, it’s pretty tough for a goalie to stay out there.”
Fortunately for the Bruins, he was able to start the game in Raleigh, where the Bruins were hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes. When it comes to back-to-backs the Bruins often struggle in the second game. However, they came out in the first period showing much the same energy they had the day before. Just 2:21 into the game Ryan Spooner put the Bruins on the board first with a wrister from a pass by David Pastrnak. The other assist came from Adam McQuaid, who was sporting some stitches over his left eye from the butt end of Tanner Glass’ stick at the end of the Rangers game.
The score would continue with the Bruins ahead until just 22 seconds before the horn sounded to end the second period, when Nathan Gerbe tied the game. The teams would continue this way taking the game into overtime, in large part due to the outstanding performance of Rask.
It was looking like this game was going to go to a shoot out—which has not been kind to the Bruins—when Pastrnak got a slap shot past Anton Khudobin to get the Bruins their second win in as many days.
Pastrnak’s positioning during the four-on-four shift was completely open. Carl Soderberg had been able to draw the attention of the two defensemen and Lucic was in the area as well. Pastrnak skated across from the bench side while every one’s attention was on Soderberg, who made a great pass to Pastrnak for his one-timer.
Pastrnak is the youngest player in the NHL this season and he has his moments when he makes mistakes, especially defensively. It is this reason that head coach Claude Julien often sits the eager forward toward the end of a game. However, his hockey sense is top notch and was clear in this play. He just glided to the other side of the rink and was wide open, just waiting. With the space he had, and his impressive shot, it was a great play.
The Bruins took an additional, and much needed, two points from this game. They were once again aided in their standings by the Senators’ opposing team. The Florida Panthers were able to beat the Senators in regulation. As a result, the Bruins now sit in the play off wild card spot with three points between them and the Senators.
The Bruins take on the Panthers this coming Tuesday night, and the Panthers sit just four points behind the Bruins in the standings. The Panthers, a team that was, by many, dismissed as not being a contender this season has proven to be “sneaky good” as forward Shawn Thornton said on the radio Monday morning.
Both teams want the win, so Tuesday’s game should definitely have a playoff feel to it.
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