The female lions were left out of the medal games again – Petra Nieminen downloaded the direct words about the tournament system of the World Championships: “Fucked”

The Finnish women’s national ice hockey team was once again disappointed in the quarterfinals of the World Ice Hockey Championships, when the Czech Republic won 2–1 in Brampton, Canada.

This is the second time in history that the Finnish women’s national ice hockey team is excluded from the medal games. This happened for the first time last fall in Denmark. Also then, the Czech Republic crushed Finland’s medal dreams.

– The match was simply decided by the ineffectiveness of scoring, we should make the positions more efficient. The game made it possible to win, but unfortunately the loss came today. In recent years, we have had really even games with the Czech Republic, head coach Juuso Toivola comment.

Finland took the shots 42–22 and collapsed especially in the final set by rushing towards the Czech goal. Czech keeper Blanka Skodova played a brilliant match against Finland, stretching the puck 41 times.

Finland’s fate befell a dark 49 seconds in the second period, Natalie Mlynkova leveled the game first with superiority and just a moment later Katerina Mrazova shot the Czech Republic into the lead.

He was responsible for Finland’s only hit Viivi Vainikka, who gave Finland a 1–0 lead in the opening set. Vainikka was also awarded as the best player in Finland.

Before the World Cup, the Czech goalkeeper was not considered the team’s strength, because the number one goalkeeper Klára Peslarová the season ended with an injury already in November, when Peslarova collided with Vainika in an SHL match.

However, Skodova emerged as the hero of the team. About the Finnish attackers Petra Nieminen shot towards the goal more greedily, but despite numerous attempts, the equalizer was not born.

– There were shots, but maybe we didn’t get to good sectors in front of the goal. A bit on the outside (we were shooting) all the time. Their goalkeeper played a good game, it was not enough to score today.

Vice-captain Nieminen was also involved in last fall’s World Cup tournament, when Finland was also disappointed in the quarterfinals.

– There are a lot of tough countries in the WC tournament these days. It’s hard to fight against tough guys when you’re in the B group, Nieminen lamented.

The Finnish striker did not spare his words when asked about the tournament format. Switzerland and Japan finished fourth and fifth in Group A and will therefore meet each other in the quarterfinals. In the other pairs, Canada will face Sweden and the USA will face Germany.

– Switzerland has been nagging for two or three years that they will avoid playing against us. I think it’s crazy that they can lose on purpose, that they can play against Japan. You can’t help it either, we were in Group B and if we want to win, we’ll have to face the third country…

– I would like the groups to be mixed, so that everyone would have to play against each other.

Head coach Toivola was also on the same lines.

– The series system is such that the good teams play against each other already at this stage. I would have loved to play this game in the bronze match.

One goal not achieved

Last fall, Finland’s disastrous tournament ended with relegation from the A group. First, Finland succumbed to the Czech Republic in the World Cup quarter-finals, then it defeated Hungary in the ranking matches after extra time, but lost For Japan at the end of the shootout (you will switch to another service). It knew about Finland’s relegation to Group B.

In group B, Finland overcame the difficulty of its opening series, winning all four matches with a goal difference of 26–3. Of the opponents, only Sweden managed to seriously challenge Finland, but a strong final set turned the game into a 4–2 victory for the Women’s Lions.

Nieminen saw both bad and good sides in the easy starting block.

– It gave us a lot of confidence when we scored goals, but the truth is that when the first hard game came just now, it’s difficult.

Nieminen played in the previous WC tournament in the first chain together Susanna Tapani and Michelle Karvinen with. However, Tapan and Karvis were not selected for this year’s team. Head coach Toivola said that during the World Championships Karvinen decided to focus on the games of his club team Frölunda and Tapani focused on the ringette. In last fall’s World Championships, he became the most effective player in Finland Elisa Holopainen is on the sidelines due to injury.

In the last games, the Naisleijonat also got into the middle of the commotion, when Tapani traveled to her friend’s wedding in the middle of the games and the second goalkeeper Meeri Räisänen had to be in the stands after her social media update. In recent years, the former head coach of the Women’s Lions has also been in the middle of the commotion Pasi Mustonen and former national team goalkeeper Noora Rädyn due to bad spacing. Pasi Mustonen told MTV at the beginning of March that he had submitted an investigation request to SUEK about six Naisleijonien players. In the same context, Vice-Captain Nieminen said that the members of the Players’ Association had contacted the captaincy because of reports about Musto. He said he was surprised by the announcements and found them threatening.

At the World Championships in Canada, Nieminen assures that the team’s spirit was good.

– The team has had a really good feeling throughout the games. It was a pity that we couldn’t see it in the quarter-final game.

According to the vice-captain, the team’s eyes were quickly turned towards the placement games starting on Friday after the quarter-final loss.

– Of course, it’s sad that we didn’t get to play for the medals, but when the moment has passed, we have a direction towards the next game. We want to win the next game so we can fight for a place in Group A then. One of our goals, getting back to Group A, is yet to be achieved. All eyes on the next game.

Head coach Toivola was also on the same lines.

– This will be briefly blown over. There were good talks in the booth. When we step out of the hall, our eyes are on tomorrow and the next two games. There’s nothing to worry about here.

In order to get back to Group A, Finland must win both of its placement matches.

Women’s hockey on the rise in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, which defeated Finland for the second time in the World Cup quarterfinals, has invested more and more in women’s hockey in recent years. The Czech striker who won the Women’s League points exchange Michaela Pejzlova recalled in an interview with Urheilu that in the early days of her career women still played in the I-division.

– This has changed in recent years. We have been given better conditions and every year we are taken more seriously, Pejzlova said.

Pejzlova singled out the team’s former coach as the key factors of success, Tomas Pacinanwho piloted the Czech Republic to the Olympics, and the current head coach, Carla MacLeod’s. The Canadian ex-ice hockey player already piloted the Czech Republic in last fall’s World Championships and led the country to its first bronze medal in history.

One of the reasons for the development is that more and more girls go abroad at an early age to develop. For example, more than half of this year’s under-18 girls World Cup team already played outside their home country. They were also seen in the Women’s League in the last season: for example TPS Eliska Hotovaof HPK Barbora Jurickova and Tereza Pistekova.