BEIJING, Feb. 11 (BUS): Once the relief after a jittery victory in the quarter-finals of the Olympic women’s hockey champion settled, US coach Joel Johnson’s focus shifted to how far other countries have gone.
In a tournament that looked destined for a gold medal showdown between world powers the United States and Canada, the arrogant Czech Republic almost broke the party, The Associated Press reports.
There are plenty of reasons for the unevenness in the sport that some have been obsessing over after the US and Canada made it through their first three preliminary round matches, outperforming their opponents by a 47-5 overall margin.
“When I read some articles from people who have no idea what to talk about, this match is a good reminder for them,” Johnson said after the Americans’ 4-1 victory over the Czechs. “There may be some rungs that seem a little lopsided, but that’s exactly what everyone knows, that people are making strides.”
The Americans overcame a 1-0 deficit and avoided what could have been an amazing upset by scoring three times in the third game.
Lee Steklin scored the green light in the 6:49 minute in the third half when her shot from the right corner hit the stick of Czech striker Mikaela Bigzlova. Hilary Knight scored a goal and an assist, Savannah Harmon also scored a goal, and Kendall Quinn Schofield added a net-less goal. Alex Cavallini stopped five shots, while getting plenty of help from her defenders who blocked the shots.
The American second seed, who has never failed to reach the semi-finals since the introduction of women’s hockey at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, will play next Monday against an opponent who will not be determined until Saturday’s quarter-final results.
Canada, seeded first in the tournament, faced Sweden later on Friday.
The Czech Republic’s women’s hockey program took 23 years to qualify for its first Olympics, but it took just five matches in Beijing to show why the country can be a fixture for years to come after finishing second in Group B.
As he excelled 59-6, the Czechs are credited with their psychedelic rope defense technique, which kept most of the Americans’ chances at perimeter. Goalie Klara Peslarova then covered most of the errors by stopping 55 shots, including the first 22 she encountered.
“It’s great to see them frustrated and to see them angry,” Bislarova said of the American players. “We hope to show people that we are not underdogs, and that we can also play hockey. They didn’t really know about us, and now they know.”
The Czechs became the sixth women’s hockey team to go without a shot during a stint at the Olympics, after the United States topped it 18-0 in 20 minutes. But they managed to open the registry. It came in with his second shot on the net 4:59 in the second half, when Bigzlova’s shot was fired in Cavallini’s attempt to clear her out of the hole.
The Americans responded with a tie 48 seconds later, when Knight converted a rebound in front. After Stecklein scored, Harmon sealed it with a 3:09 left.
“We don’t expect any less,” Steklin said of the Czechs. “It definitely makes the quarter-finals difficult, and that’s what we honestly need to go into the semi-finals.”
The Czech Republic came to prominence with a roster of 14 players with current or previous college experience in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Czech team qualified for their first world championship in 2013. After relegating them for two years, the team played four consecutive World Championship matches, including a sixth place in 2019.
“I’m very proud of them,” said coach Thomas Pacina, noting that he was okay with the uneven shots after 20 minutes as long as the match was goalless.
“That’s exactly what we wanted. Maybe the fact that they scored too early to equalize it. If we can hold out maybe five or six minutes longer for that lead,” he added. “But, you know, the United States is an incredible team and I think we surprised a lot of people today.”
This is the kind of performance many in Beijing have said is possible by countries still playing catch-up with the United States and Canada, the teams that have dominated the Olympics and the world championships.
Rather than being intimidated, players are suggesting that just a chance to take on the two world powers is an opportunity to gauge evolution and learn what it takes to compete at an elite level.
“It shows what is possible in women’s hockey. Everyone can learn a lot from these games. I mean, I love playing these games. It is so much fun to play against the best hockey players in the world and to try fighting there.”
Czech captain Alina Mills expressed similar sentiments, noting that there was a time when the Russian men’s team dominated almost every Olympic tournament before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
“European teams are getting better, and it will take some time because the sport is still young. You know, the NHL hasn’t grown in a single day,” Mills said.
“I think we’ve learned a lot of lessons here through losses, through some tears. And I think we’ll be stronger in four years,” Mills added. “We needed that experience to become a better team. And I think we showed that today.”
Notes: The goal was the 10th of Knight’s Olympic career, and she tied it up with Cami Granato for fourth on the US roster. Knight also increased her career Olympic score to 24 to move up to third on the list, one point ahead of Katie King. … The Czech national team became the first women’s team since Italy at the 2006 Turin Games to fail to score a shot at the net in a period at the Olympics.