Matchday Recap: S01D15
Matchday 15 came in loud and left loudly—five upsets across ten games, two overtime finishes, a shootout on a Caribbean island, and enough lumber along the boards to build a dock. C'est une soirée pour les livres d'histoire, mes amis. Buckle up.
MTL 1 — VLA 2
The Oldest Rink was ready for a war, and the Vladivostok Vodkas delivered it. The Montréal Maples entered as mild home favorites at 2.28, and the Vodkas were the pick at 1.63—that number proved correct in the end, though not without a detour through some nasty first-period hockay.
The first twenty minutes saw zero goals but eight penalty minutes and a dozen hits, including Igor Zaytsev and Anastasia Ivanova teaming up to punish Amélie Bouchard repeatedly in the corners. Zaytsev earned a trip to The Sixth for his troubles at 3:10.
The second period turned electric in a span of ten seconds. Darya Kuznetsova finished Élodie Gagnon along the boards at 5:13, Gagnon fired back immediately, and the gloves came off at 5:15. Both earned five-minute majors—and then, seven seconds after the drop, Dmitri Volkov pounced on the chaos and buried a Bouchard feed to make it 1-0.
Montréal's lead lasted nineteen seconds into the third. Ruslan Kozlov scored at 0:21, then Zaytsev—the same man who'd been in the box in the first—put the Vodkas ahead for good at 4:45 on a Kuznetsova assist. Anastasia Ivanova and Simon Côté staged a late brawl at 12:46, but the damage was done. Igor Zaytsev: a goal, an assist, and the decisive impact. Quelle performance.
PRA 1 — TOK 3
An upset at The Stone Opera—Prague entered at 1.67, Tokyo at 2.22, and yet the Titans walked out of Prague with a convincing road win. The Phantoms will want to forget this one, but it's worth examining why it unravelled.
The first period was a genuine fireworks display. Yūma Hayashi opened the scoring at 1:08, Yuki Sato converted a power play at 7:22 to make it 2-0, and Pavel Krejčí—who was outstanding all night—ripped one home at 12:24 to pull Prague back to 2-1. Sakura Shimizu and Markéta Polák dropped the gloves at 10:48, setting the tone for a feisty evening.
The second period stayed scoreless despite more physical intensity. Shimizu continued to punish Prague's forwards, and Yūma Hayashi and Krejčí traded five-minute majors in a fight at 14:34—Krejčí finishing a period in the box after being one of his team's best players. That kind of discipline problem will cost you.
In the third, Tereza Horáková took a penalty at 11:58, and Shūta Tanaka made no mistake on the power play at 12:40. A 3-1 cushion with under three minutes to play was insurmountable. Shimizu and Polák even went again at the final horn, a third fight between the same pair—an extraordinary display of mutual contempt. Yuki Sato's goal-and-assist line was the engine. Quel talent.
RIM 2 — STO 1
An upset at The Coastal Pavilion—Stockholm entered as 1.69 favorites, Rimini at 2.19—and the Rinklers had the answer. This was a tight, well-structured game with a clear physical edge to the home side, especially through the middle periods.
The Sirens drew first blood in spectacular fashion: Albin Nordlund, top shelf, at 1:01 of the first. But Rimini's Nico De Luca answered with a highlight-reel deflection at 10:08—batting the puck out of the air for one of the prettier goals you'll see at this level. Oscar Söderström and Davide Marchetti didn't wait long after that to sort things out with their fists at 12:51, both earning major penalties.
The second period belonged entirely to the Rinklers. Alessandro Conti and Matteo Galli were relentless in the physical game, wearing down Stockholm's defense through sheer persistence. Marco Rossetti, collecting a De Luca feed, put Rimini ahead at 10:45—a goal that proved to be the winner.
The third was Rimini's period to defend, and they did it without flinching. Luca Ferretti was particularly active on the forecheck, and the Rinklers held the Sirens to nothing despite a late Söderström power play. De Luca's goal-assist night and Rossetti's gritty finish carry this team to two points. Bravo, Rimini.
HEL 1 — JBG 3
The Johannesburg Jaguars had a slight edge in the pre-game numbers—1.81 against Helsinki's 2.01—and they validated the market in a workmanlike road performance at The Dark Sauna. The Howlers fought hard in flashes, but the Jaguars were simply the better team on this night.
The first period was scoreless but not without tension—Helsinki's Aleksi Korhonen and Saku Järvinen both delivered clean, aggressive checks, and the Howlers were clearly looking to establish the physical game on home ice. Jenni Laine took a penalty at 8:38, but Johannesburg couldn't convert.
The second period was where the game was decided. Saara Virtanen opened the scoring for Helsinki at 2:05—a wonderful finish, batting the puck out of the air—and it looked for a moment like the Howlers might ride that energy. But Elina Heikkinen took a penalty at 3:20, and Pieter Botha converted the man advantage at 3:52 to level it. Then Jenni Laine took her second penalty of the game at 10:14, and Kagiso Molefe made her pay with a power play goal at 12:09. Two costly penalties, two power play goals against. The discipline cost Helsinki the period.
Thabo Mokoena put the game away at 7:04 of the third—a clean, unassisted finish from Thandiwe Radebe's feed—and the Jaguars managed the clock from there. C'est comme ça.
MUM 1 — ANC 2 (OT)
Mon dieu. This was the game of the night, perhaps the upset of the season so far. The Mumbai Monsoons were installed as heavy favorites at 1.43—the Anchorage Auroras a distant 2.85—and the Auroras went into The Salt Pavilion and took it in overtime. Extraordinary.
The first period was a fitting preview of the chaos to come. Jake Hensley set the tone with a punishing hit at 0:18, Bryce Denison gave Anchorage the lead at 7:52, and Mumbai's Rahul Nair answered at 13:36 off a Sanjay Pawar feed. 1-1 heading to the second.
The second period was a penalty festival—six infractions called in fifteen minutes, with names like Arjun Patil, Molly Kavairlook, Tara Alexie, Divya Mehta, Cody Tulik, and Kira Naluktaq all taking turns in The Sixth. Somehow, nobody scored. The ice felt like it was tilting in multiple directions.
The third was no calmer. Divya Mehta and Isaiah Tobin dropped the gloves at 12:28, and barely two minutes later, Pooja Verma and Mason Kluane were trading punches at 14:39. Mumbai's Meera Naik even took a penalty at 14:03 to threaten the final minute. Still 1-1 after sixty.
Then, 1:43 into overtime, Jake Hensley—the man who opened the game with a jarring hit—ended it. Kira Naluktaq fed him in transition, and Hensley buried it. The Auroras, 2.85 on the board, are leaving Mumbai with two points. Incroyable.
WPG 3 — SAO 1
The Winnipeg Wendigos were favored at 1.79 and delivered comfortably at The Cold Lodge, but don't let the score fool you—the São Paulo Serpents made them earn every point. Three fights, nineteen hits, and a four-goal second period that swung the game definitively.
The first period set the tone immediately: Leah Blacksmith scored fourteen seconds in off a Brody Flett feed—one of the earliest goals you'll see in this league. Fourteen seconds. Before anyone had settled into their seat. Curtis Favel and Gustavo Ribeiro followed almost immediately with a spirited fight at 2:17, and the Cold Lodge was at full volume.
The second period was extraordinary. Anna Flett scored at 2:06, then converted a power play at 3:55 off Tyler Chicken's feed—two goals in under two minutes gave Winnipeg a 3-0 cushion. Isabela Costa and Brody Flett exchanged punches at 13:56, and Amanda Barbosa pulled one back for São Paulo at 14:41 to make it 3-1 heading to the third.
Winnipeg managed the third period cleanly, allowing only peripheral chances. Marissa Spence and Lucas Almeida fought at 12:06—the third fight of the night—but it couldn't turn the tide. Anna Flett's two-goal performance was the difference. She was unplayable in that second period.
GDL 0 — MCM 2
Another upset—Guadalajara entered at 1.77, McMurdo the outsider at 2.06—and the Monoliths made their way back from El Rincón Perdido with a clean sheet and two goals. It wasn't flashy, but it was effective.
The first period opened with a statement. Mateo Guzmán hit Natasha Borova at 3:07, Borova responded by dropping her gloves, and within two seconds they were both earning five-minute majors. Guadalajara's enforcer in the box, and then—thirteen minutes later—Yumi Takeda quietly scored with a Ji-hoon Baek assist at 13:41 to give McMurdo the lead they'd never relinquish.
The second period saw Kofi Mensah add to the lead at 3:51—an acrobatic deflection off a Borova feed—and suddenly the Gatos found themselves chasing a two-goal deficit on home ice. Guzmán remained active physically, finishing three checks across the night, but physicality doesn't light the lamp.
The Gatos pushed in the third, Sofía Navarro taking a penalty in frustration at 6:05, but McMurdo's structure held. Diego Fuentes and Daniela Salazar were effective in limiting space, and the Monoliths' goaltending did the rest. Yumi Takeda's goal was the catalyst. C'est tout.
HAV 3 — BUS 2 (SO)
Quel match! The Havana Hammers entered at 2.17, the Busan Blizzards at 1.70—and in an upset that had the Rhythm Bureau shaking into the night, Havana won in a shootout. This one had everything.
The first period was breathtaking. Three goals in under eight minutes: Adonis Reyes at 0:59, Claudia Pérez at 2:49, and Soo-yeon Park pulling one back for Busan at 7:09. 2-1 Havana after a period that felt like it lasted fifteen seconds.
The second period saw Mailén Domínguez step up on Park at 0:44, and before the referee could blow the whistle, they were fighting. Park was a one-woman story in this game—two fights, a goal, and total refusal to back down. The period ended 2-1 Havana despite sustained Busan pressure.
Then in the third: Domínguez and Park fought again at 3:09—for the second time in two periods, matching majors, the Rhythm Bureau going absolutely wild. Jae-won Kim buried the equalizer at 11:15 off So-hee Hwang's feed to send it to overtime at 2-2.
Overtime produced hits but no goals—Hye-jin Choi caught Claudia Pérez cleanly at 3:41—and in the shootout, Orlando Machado stepped up and ended it at 3:31. The Hammers, underdogs at 2.17, take the extra point in dramatic fashion. La Havana explodes tonight.
DKR 2 — PER 1
Another upset at The Sandy Parlor—Perth entered at 1.42, Dakar the long shot at 2.91—and the Dakar Djinns put on a first-period clinic that Perth simply couldn't recover from. This was a statement performance.
The Djinns came out on fire. Fatou Mbaye scored at 1:04 off an Awa Diop feed, and before Perth had figured out what hit them, Rokhaya Faye fired home at 7:26 from a Modou Diouf pass. Two goals in the first seven and a half minutes. Perth's response was mostly physical—Riley Dawson drove Khady Bâ into the glass at 7:47—but the Pyres were chasing from the jump.
The second period brought Perth's only goal: Tahlia Nguyen, who had taken a penalty at 0:39, made amends with a finish at 4:26 on an Oscar Whitfield feed. 2-1 heading to the third, and now there was a game.
But Dakar's defense was sound. Mariama Cissé, Abdoulaye Touré, and Cheikh Fall made life difficult for Perth's forwards in the third, and Nate Hargrove's energy for the Pyres—three hits, constant pressure—couldn't produce the equalizer. Moussa Ndiaye and Oscar Whitfield both took late penalties as frustration crept in, but the clock ran out on Perth. 2.91 on the board. The Djinns didn't care. Extraordinaire.
USH 0 — NRB 2
Ushuaia entered at 1.58, Nairobi at 2.40—yet another upset, making it five on the matchday. The Nairobi Narwhals went into The South Passage and kept the Undertow off the board entirely in a composed, professional road win.
The first period was a tight, scoreless affair—clean defensive hockay from both sides, with neither team generating meaningful offense. Dennis Wafula and Akinyi Ochieng made their physical presence known early for Nairobi, and the Undertow's forwards never found clean looks.
Kevin Otieno broke the deadlock at 11:22 of the second—a Faith Wanjiru setup, clinical finish—and from that point forward, Nairobi controlled the tempo. The Undertow pushed but couldn't manufacture a response despite some dangerous puck movement through the neutral zone.
Peter Kimani sealed it at 14:10 of the third, collecting an Amara Osei feed and converting with authority. Only one penalty all game—Santiago Figueroa for Ushuaia at 3:31—and no fights. This was a quiet, measured, entirely convincing road victory. Sometimes the scoreboard does all the talking. Félicitations à Nairobi.
Matchday 15 will be remembered for what it did to the betting markets—five upsets, three overtime finishes between overtime and shootout games, and two clubs in Anchorage and Dakar who simply refused to read the pre-game odds. We'll be back for Matchday 16, mes amis. Don't touch that dial.
—JM Laflèche, Voice of Hockay
Le Council acknowledges that Matchday 15 took place. O.D.D.S is recording the upsets and evaluating recalibration. Recalibration isn't guaranteed