==================================================================== TOURNAMENT SUMMARY Women's Ice Hockey World Championship 1994 April 11-17, Lake Placid, USA ==================================================================== FINAL STANDINGS: =============== 1 Canada 2 USA 3 Finland 4 Sweden 5 China 6 Norway 7 Denmark 8 Switzerland ==================================================================== RESULTS OF ROUND-ROBIN POOLS: ============================ POOL A W L T P Overall POOL B W L T P Overall Canada 3 0 0 6 5 0 0 United States 3 0 0 6 4 1 0 China 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 Finland 2 1 0 4 3 2 0 Sweden 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 Suisse 1 2 0 2 2 3 0 Norway 0 3 0 0 1 4 0 Germany 0 3 0 0 0 5 0 ==================================================================== RESULTS OF ALL GAMES: ==================== DATE TEAMS TIME RINK Mon Apr 11th Sweden 3 - Norway 1 2:00 pm 32 Canada 7 - China 1 4:00 pm 80 Finland 17 - Germany 1 6:00 pm 32 USA 6 - Suisse 0 8:00 pm 80 Tue Apr 12th Sweden 4 - China 4 3:00 pm 80 Finland 13 - Suisse 0 4:00 pm 32 Norway 0 - Canada 12 7:00 pm 80 Germany 0 - USA 16 8:00 pm 32 Thu Apr 14th Germany 1 - Suisse 2 1:00 pm 32 Canada 8 - Sweden 2 3:00 pm 80 China 8 - Norway 1 4:00 pm 32 USA 2 - Finland 1 7:00 pm 80 Fri Apr 15th Canada 4 - Finland 1 5:00 pm A1-B2 80 USA 14 - China 3 8:00 pm B1-A2 80 Sat Apr 16th Sweden 7 - Germany 1 8:00 pm A3-B4 80 Norway 7 - Suisse 4 8:00 pm B3-A4 32 Sun Apr 17th Suisse 4 - Germany 3 9:00 am 7th pl 32 Finland 8 - China 1 11:15 am Bronze 80 Sweden 6 - Norway 3 1:00 pm 5th pl 32 Championship Canada 6 - USA 3 3:00 pm Gold 80 ==================================================================== Here are number of articles which were written by Richard Hungerford who attended the 1994 Women's World Championships. He posted these articles to the rec.sport.hockey newsgroup and to the hockey-l college hockey mailing list. My corrections are shown in square brackets. Richard Hungerford writes: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PART 1: OVERALL SUMMARY OF THE TOURNAMENT The next WWC will be held in Kitchener, Canada in 1997. The level of hockey at WWC 94 was higher than I had expected. Team Canada, USA and Finland all played some excellent hockey. I would also note that it was more rough than I had expected or wanted. Team China, Sweden, Norway, Suisse and Germany were all way below the top three teams. Those 5 teams reminded me of mid to low level ECAC Women's League play. On the other hand, Team Canada was superb. I could not get enough of them. I found I was attending all of the Team Canada practices and some of the Finland and USA practices. In the end, Team Canada deserved to win their third WWC in a row. With the talent they have in players like Heaney (easily the best defender I have ever seen, in any league!), Goyette (a wonderfully fast striker with all the moves), Nystrom, Page, Diduck, James ... Canada has too big an edge. Team USA was a disappointment to me. I have seen most of these players play a lot better. I was also disturbed by the goon attitude of some of the players. I feel these players deserved a better game plan so as to use their talents effectively. Team Finland was the delight of the WWC in the early games. Their marvelous swarm attack (like one used by Providence College) was great to watch. They also have a very special player in Riikka Nieminen (great skater, passer and scorer, and gets back on defense too!). Finland lost its way when they stopped using the great attack. Overall, it was a wonderful week. Running down the tunnel between the 1980 and 1932 rinks to catch another game or practice was fun. It was inspirational to see Team Canada Women play so well. It brought back for me what I love about hockey. Merci Team Canada! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PART 2: TEAM CANADA SUMMARY Results of all Team Canada games: Canada 7 - China 1 Canada 12 - Norway 0 Canada 8 - Sweden 2 Canada 4 - Finland 1 Canada 6 - USA 3 Winner of Gold Medal Team Canada has a wonderful group of players. Their talent level sets the standard for everyone else. The skating skills of the Canadians is fantastic. The mobility and speed they have on the ice is that much better. Add to that brilliant passing and playmaking skills and you have a lethal team. They seem to have a pack of players who can rise to the occasion. Head coach Les Lawton, along with assistants Shannon Miller and Melody Davidson prepared their team extremely well. Lawton I feel is a smart head coach because he listens to his assistants. For example, in practice all the coaches run drills. I felt Miller ran the most complex learning drills. When Canada was preparing for Finland, Miller ran a series of drills with extra turns into the boards. That was very intelligent as Finland had been running a swarm attack that would require a lot of turning to stop. I felt the main strength of the Canadian coaches was details. They saw to everything: whether it was the finer points of taking a face-off, or putting in a variant offense that would post-up on a loose box, or making sure "team unity" was going well. On the down side, I would have liked Canada to use a more interesting offense. They went with a flat/power game. I believe with the skillful intelligent players they have, that they could have run an even more exciting attack. Goalies: Manon Rheaume was pretty strong in net. Her main fault would be that she tends to go down early on one knee, and leaves high near side and all the far post open. The other teams seemed to know that and that is where they often scored. However with the team she has in front of her, she did not face many shots. Comparing her to Erin Whitten (USA, UNH 93) I would say Whitten played better last week. She made the tougher saves. Lesley Reddon played in a few games and I thought was a very solid netminder. She stands up and covers her angles well. Defenders: I have to start with the most dynamic force on the ice: Geraldine Heaney. Her skating is incredible! Her defensive skills are im- peccable. Heaney can make the great pass, or join the attack with her speed. She is the perfect team player always anticipating just what is needed by her mates. Some coaches would say that she takes too many chances. I would say, look at the results. She set up the two big goals in the final: sending in Goyette to tie the game at one, and playing her part in a nice triangulation passing play to re- establish a 2 goal lead in the third period. Heaney is a smart player who teaches others on the ice and listens also! While I still love the fluid skills of Harvard's defender Ashlin Halfnight, he would become a better player if he attended one of Heaney's camps. Judy Diduck was another outstanding defender. She was impossible to get around. Therese Brisson was Canada's other top notch defender. Like Heaney she liked to join the attack, but was tough in her own end. Cassie Campbell was a newcomer who played very well. Nathalie Picard and Cheryl Pounder rounded out a defense that did not give you many chances to shoot, let alone be in their end. Attackers: Dan Goyette was a fantastic striker. Her swooping speed let her walk around defenses. Add to that some marvelous moves and stick skills and you have goal scoring at its highest level. I loved watching her play! Her linemate Nancy Drolet was also highly skilled. More of a digger Drolet helped maintain pressure, but at any moment could also burst out on her own run. Jane Robinson provided excellent support for Goyette and Drolet. She was there to make the telling pass or finish the lovely play. Karen Nystrom was an elegant player with great speed and moves. She was always dangerous on the ice. She had a stellar match against Sweden. Margot Page was Canada's main digger. An excellent face-off artist, she would lock on in the corners and usually come out with the puck. While I think of her as a checker, her fluid moves also produced many goals. Stacy Wilson was one of the reasons Canada is so good. What you would think of as an average player, but putting out so much effort that she pulls off the big play. Angela James is a forward dripping with talent. Her two marvelous oh- la-la solo goals in the final is what broke the USA. You never knew when she would ignite, but when she did, look out. France St. Louis was Canada's captain and truely a team leader. She along with linemates Laura Leslie and Marianne Grnak often set the pace and made it too tough for the other teams to do anything against Canada. That line put in tons of skating and also was able to string together some wonderful passes. It was a shame that Andria Hunter (UNH 90) and Hayley Wickenheiser (Harvard/NU 01?-please!!) had injuries. Hunter came back and played an exceptional game against Finland. Wick hurt her ankle on about her third shift in game one. She played the semifinal and final, and I thought was just about to let-it-rip towards the end of the final. I can't wait to see her in 96! What makes Team Canada Women go: 1) speed - they are great skaters. 2) intelligent playmaking - they use a simple attack, but are clever when they make up their own plays. 3) the diggers - they have a group of back/fore-checkers that lock on when they don't have the puck, and they get it back. 4) teamwork - all the players help each other and realize who is hot, and use that person. They are a very unselfish team. Team Canada is a special team who thrilled my senses. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PART 3: TEAM USA SUMMARY Results of all Team USA games: USA 6 - Suisse 0 USA 16 - Germany 0 USA 2 - Finland 1 USA 14 - China 3 USA 3 - Canada 6 Winner of Silver Medal Team USA used a flat/control game. Yet for all their efforts, they often looked disorganized on the ice. Having seen most of these players play, and knowing them to be extremely skillful women, I was very let down by the USA performance. I think what made it extra hard on them was that it was rare that more than one player on a line was going well. They just didn't seem to hit stride. It was very hard for me to watch them as I knew they could all play much better. Along with Finland and Canada, the USA has the talent to win it all. With the system they use however, I don't think that will happen soon. I was not happy by the goon attitude of some players on Teams Germany, China and USA. The win at any cost stuff just makes your team look cheap. The no body checking rule in the women's game I support. I feel the hits lead to junk. I go to watch hockey for its skill. I have no desire to see a talented player injured. One of the reasons I go to more women's hockey these days is that it is more skillful. I applaud the vast majority of women players who can play the game, and play it fast and clean. It is still a very physical game! Goalies: Erin Whitten (UNH 93) had a very good week in goal. It is the best I have seen her play. She tends to go down a little early, but seemed to always get something in the way of the puck. Kelly Dyer (NU 90) played in a couple of games and was very strong. She is a large goalie and is able to cover a lot of net. Defenders: Chris Bailey (PC 94) was easily the USA's best defender. Her mobility placed her in the right place all the time. It was a pity that she and the other defenders were told not to rush the puck. One of Bailey's strong skills is leading an attack, but we never got that. I feel it is one of the reasons the USA did not look sharp. Shelly DiFronzo (UNH 89) had an up and down week. At her best she was a tough defender to try to get by. At other times she could get caught up with the more negative sides of hockey. Vicki Movsessian (PC 94) played a very steady series on defense. With her left ankle taped, she did not have the moves I associate with her. Still, she got the job done on her side of the ice. Attackers: Karyn Bye (UNH 93) was the USA's best player for the week. Her presence on the ice made things happen. Bye scored or set up numerous goals for Team USA. Big in size, she also plays big every game. Cammi Granato (PC 93) was one of Bye's linemates and while she ended up with an equal number of points, I felt Cammi had an off week. I am use to seeing this marvelous center dominate games. For some reason she just didn't get it going this week. Even so, a player as good as Granato was able to score the game winner against Finland. Cindy Curley (PC 85) played a brand of hustle hockey all week. She picked up a leg injury early on, but played through it. Curley was always there for her mates. I thought she was an excellent captain because she demonstrated the most team play. Sandra Whyte (HU 92) was on Curley's line and at times made some terrific plays. I remember 4 or 5 precision passes across the front of the goal to a teammate that were outstanding. Beth Beagan (PC 92) had a great week. If one player could have gotten Team USA on a roll, it would have been Beagan. Her fast skating and clever moves were a joy to watch. Gretchen Ulion (DU 94) started the week great. In the early games she scored many goals and was often my player of the match. Shelley Looney (NU 94) played great at the end of the week. She blitzed Team China. When Looney skates watch out. She also had a very good start of the match against Team Canada. If she had hit home a few more half chances, things could have been different. As I think back about Team USA I am left with two feelings. If some players had been less selfish, the team would have played better. As it was, the games always seemed to be hard for the USA. I also believe that these skillful players needed a better offensive set. Sure you need a good defense, but if you have the puck in the other team's end, its hard for them to score. Just trying to stop the other side does not win games. You need to practice new ideas. It was so sad for me to see these wonderful players not allowed to excel. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PART 4: TEAM FINLAND SUMMARY Results of all Team Finland games: Finland 17 - Germany 1 Finland 13 - Suisse 0 Finland 1 - USA 2 Finland 1 - Canada 4 Finland 8 - China 1 Winner of Bronze Medal Team Finland was the most interesting squad to watch in the tournament. They have a core of wonderfully talented players. I was very impressed with the attack game they used at the start of the week. To describe the attack, if you have ever seen John Marchetti's swarm offense at Providence College, you have the basic idea. Take those weaving patterns, elongate them for the large ice surface and add a few extra curls to the patterns and you have the set. Now, run it for attacking and fore-checking, and also use it as a back-checking pattern! The result is you have players flowing all over the ice, constantly picking up speed off the angular momentum of the turns. It was marvelous. Bill Cleary and Badger Bob would have been smiling! The downfall of the Finns occured when they played Team USA and slowed their swarm down. They also started to use it only to attack. When the USA got the puck, they would retreat outside the USA blue line!? That was a major mistake. They gave way too much respect to the players on Team USA. I believe they could have won that match if they had believed in their own talents and run the swarm as usual. Against Team Canada they did not use the swarm attack at all. I guess they were totally freaked out by what the Canadians "could" do. In its place they tried to match Team Canada's power game. That was too tiring for them. Against Team China in the bronze medal game Finland stayed with the flat attack. I think they were tired and saw they could just rely on individual talent to win the game. It was disappointing to watch a team play so well, and then give it up. Goalies: Liisa-Maria Sneck was the outstanding goalie for the championship. She was a tower of strength in the net for Finland. A big stand-up netminder she played her angles well and made the tough save look easy. Defenders: Kirsi Hanninen was good at both ends of the ice. On defense she read plays well and was super tough to get by. On offense she had a real good shot from the point, and made excellent passes as well. Paivi Halonen played a great game breaking up rushes. Her speed and quick thinking let her stop plays that other larger defenders couldn't see. Attackers: Riikka Nieminen is one of the best strikers I have ever seen. She plays with a lot of heart. A great skater and passer, Nieminen was all over the ice. Her shot from the point on power plays was deadly. Add to that, when the team needed help in its own end, she was there to rag the puck or break it out. Riikka is an outstanding player. Katja Lavonius was a linemate of Nieminen's and had a heck of shot. Those two combined for some marvelous plays. Hanna Terrijoki is another special player for Finland. A wonderful skater who had fine touch and a gift for scoring or setting up goals. Sari Krooks and Petra Vaarakallio were linemates with Terrijoki. Both would periodically come swooping in and make the big play. Tiia Reima and Sari Fisk play together on another line. Both showed some strong skating and clinical finishing. Looking back I suppose what hurt Finland the most was that they only played three lines. Both the USA and Canada had four lines. Finland played three units of five players. I always like that approach because all the players can interact better. However you need that fourth line (doubling a defense pair?) if you are going to last in a tournament. I now can see how Finland beat Team Canada in an exhibition game the week before the games. If they could have stayed with their game plan I think they would have ended up with the silver. Team USA had better get its act together, because the Finns are moving up! ==================================================================== ----------------------------------------------- File last Updated: Thu Mar 9 14:40:30 EST 1995 -----------------------------------------------