Ann-Renee Desbiens became the first Canadian goaltender to face, and stop, a penalty shot at the women’s world hockey championship in a 4-1 win over Finland to open the tournament Thursday.
The 28-year-old from Clermont, Que., preserved Canada’s 2-1 lead when she stopped Kira Yrjanen on a penalty shot in the last second of the first period.
“That was huge,” defender Meagan Mikkelson said. “I said, right when they called the penalty shot, I turned to Jocelyne Larocque on the bench and said ‘she’s got this.’ She lives for these moments.”
Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse each had goal and an assist for Canada, which is the defending champion having won the title a year ago in Calgary.
Mikkelson also scored and Blayre Turnbull added an empty-net goal at Kvik Hockey Arena. Desbiens stopped 16, shots including the penalty shot at a pivotal juncture in the game.
With her right pad, Desbiens repelled Yrjanen who skated in, backed into the Canadian goalie and then spun for a forehand try.
WATCH | Canada tops Finland to open tournament:
Canada opens up women’s worlds with a win over Finland
9 hours ago
Duration 2:32
Canada kicked off the IIHF women’s world championship tournament with a win, defeating Finland 4-1 Thursday.
“Definitely a move you don’t see too often in a game. Probably something more you see in practice,” Desbiens said. “You’ve just got to stay patient, see which way she’s going to go. Is she going to just shoot backhand and pull it on her forehand?”
Desbiens was unaware she’d executed a hockey first in her country’s history in the tournament.
“It think it was more important for me to just make that top and have that lead after the first period,” Desbiens said. “I love penalty shots. I love shootouts in practice. I think the girls know I love those moments, so I was ready for it.”
Sooooo close ????<br><br>Kiira Yrjanen almost ties it up with this penalty shot<br><br>Canada leads 2-1 heading into the second period<a href=”https://twitter.com/leijonat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@leijonat</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FINCAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FINCAN</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensWorlds?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WomensWorlds</a> <a href=”https://t.co/GfKwMwlxV5″>pic.twitter.com/GfKwMwlxV5</a>
Canada faces Switzerland on Saturday and Japan on Sunday in back-to-back Pool A games. The Japanese opened with a 10-0 loss to the United States on Thursday.
Hungary doubled Germany 4-2 and Sweden beat host Denmark 5-2 in Pool B games.
Here are your standings after game day 1️⃣<a href=”https://twitter.com/usahockey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@usahockey</a> & <a href=”https://twitter.com/Trekronorse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Trekronorse</a> are at the ???? <a href=”https://t.co/kKXgfg4KN6″>pic.twitter.com/kKXgfg4KN6</a>
Julia Likala scored Thursday for the Finns, who were bronze medallists last year in Calgary. Finnish goaltender Anni Keisala, who was named the 2021 championship’s top goalie, made 39 saves in the loss.
“We’re not happy with the way we played at all,” said Canadian head coach Troy Ryan. “Our first [period] wasn’t great, we were pleased with our second and the third was probably somewhere between the two, but it is the first game.”
Finland travelled fewer time zones to get to Herning, Denmark, than Canada, but was hampered by both a 1-for-5 power play and the ejection of top forward Petra Nieminen early in the first period for checking from behind.
“Of course she’s a big player for us, but it’s hockey,” said Finland captain Jenni Hiirikoski, who is playing in a record 14th world championship.
“We started really good and we had really good fighting spirit today, but small things we need to adjust and do better. Also better scoring.”
Big save by <a href=”https://twitter.com/Annikeisala?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Annikeisala</a> ????<br><br>Canada leads 3-1 going into the third period <a href=”https://twitter.com/leijonat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@leijonat</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FINCAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FINCAN</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensWorlds?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WomensWorlds</a> <a href=”https://t.co/XVTIKS3PBS”>pic.twitter.com/XVTIKS3PBS</a>
Finland’s power play couldn’t convert almost four straight minutes with an extra player — including a dozen seconds of five-on-three — into a goal at the end of the second period and the start of the third.
Mikkelson chipped in a rebound from an Ella Shelton shot for a 3-1 Canada lead at 13:01 of the second period.
The 37-year-old defender has returned to the national team after surgery and rehabilitation of a knee injury kept her out of February’s Winter Olympics. Mikkelson scored her first goal since the 2018 Winter Olympics.
“It felt amazing more so because it put us up 3-1,” she said. “It felt good to put on in the back of the net, especially my first game back in quite a while.”
Poulin scored the eventual winner at 14:51 of the first period. The captain skated the puck across the blue line and beat Keisala far side with a quick release for a 2-1 lead.
Likala pulled the Finns even in the final seconds of a Canadian penalty at 12:07 when she poked in a rebound during a goalmouth scramble.
Five minutes after the opening puck drop, Nieminen was slapped with a five-minute major and game misconduct for checking Canada’s Kristin O’Neill from behind.
Nurse scored a power-play goal 7:38 from the slot where she redirected a Poulin pass over Keisala’s glove.
The host Finns upset Canada 4-2 in the 2019 world championship semifinals in Espoo and went on to lose the final to the U.S. in a shootout. Canada has gone 5-0 against them since then.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
