(Herning) A 5-2 loss to the United States revealed cracks in the armor of Canada’s reigning women’s hockey world champions.
Posted at 6:33 p.m.
Heading into Thursday’s quarterfinal against Sweden, generating more offense near the net, displaying a stronger defense, gaining control of the puck and deploying a more effective power play were among the drills in practice Wednesday.
“It went really well,” defender Renata Fast said. The energy was there. It was obvious that the girls were focused on the small details. We won’t let the result of a preliminary match bother us. We are ready to look ahead. »
Canada, which finished second in Group A behind the United States, with three wins and one loss, will face second-placed Sweden in Group B on Thursday.
In the other quarter-finals, the United States will face Hungary, Finland will play the Czechs and Switzerland will face Japan.
Saturday’s semi-finals will be followed by Sunday’s medal matches.
Canada shut out the Swedes 11-0 in their Olympic quarter-final in February, but Thursday’s game will be their first world championship meeting since 2009.
The Americans won one-on-one battles along the boards, in the corners and in front of the net.
We have to do a better job of countering the opponent in front of our net. Small misses can seem like nothing but become big. That goes for puck runs too…you have to lift a stick, be tougher and find solutions.
Troy Ryan, head coach of the Canadian team
Sarah Nurse, Erin Ambrose, Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner and Sarah Fillier, all employed on the power play, were the first on the ice Wednesday for a few minutes of extra work, before other skaters arrived.
Canada failed to convert a superiority in the third period, as the United States led 3-2.
“It was a key moment and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Ambrose said. We have to adjust and be more precise and efficient. »
The Kvik Arena has the smallest ice surface in the Danish league – 58 meters long and 28 meters wide.
IIHF rules state that the ice surface must be 60 meters long and between 26 and 30 meters wide, and that deviations require IIHF approval.
“The weirdest part is the placement of the lines,” Fast said. The neutral zone is tiny. »
“The neutral zone is very confusing because of how short it is,” added Ryan. The ice is wider than usual but quite short, with very pronounced corners. The players discuss it, that’s for sure. »