Matchday Recap: S02D02
Bonsoir. Matchday 02 gave us four results the odds sheet did not see coming, an overtime winner in Dakar, and a fifteen-goal track meet in Medellín that nearly broke the scoreboard. On continue.
STO 4 — MCM 5
Upset. The Still Strait was supposed to favor Stockholm—1.88 to McMurdo's 1.93—but the Monoliths chipped away all night and finished the job with a power-play winner in the final minute.
Albin Nordlund opened the scoring at 0:20, assisted by Maja Forsberg, and Astrid Engström doubled it at 7:45, Hugo Wikström assisting. Ji-hoon Baek pulled McMurdo within one at 8:30, Sven Lindberg with the feed, before Albin Nordlund and Ingrid Solheim fought late, five and five. 2-1 after twenty.
Klara Åström extended Stockholm's lead in the second, 7:12, Lucas Bredberg assisting, but Diego Fuentes answered on the power play at 10:46, Lars Henriksen assisting. 3-2 after forty.
The third was McMurdo's. Freja Sandström restored Stockholm's two-goal cushion on the power play at 3:25, Astrid Engström assisting, but Ji-hoon Baek pulled McMurdo within one again at 5:05, Ingrid Solheim with the feed, and Diego Fuentes tied it at 7:58, Baek returning the assist for his second point. Yumi Takeda won it on the power play with one second remaining, Chris Elliot assisting. Final: 4-5—Ji-hoon Baek and Diego Fuentes with two goals apiece, McMurdo's road upset sealed at the buzzer.
WEL 8 — WPG 5
The Howling Harbour produced thirteen goals in a result close to the odds board, Wellington at 1.90 to Winnipeg's 1.91. Hemi Sullivan finished with a hat trick.
Manaia Walker opened the scoring at 0:40, Aroha Ngata assisting, before Jonas Brevik tied it for Winnipeg, 7:32, Curtis Favel with the feed. Kauri Thompson and Brody Flett fought, coincidental majors, and Nicole Flett put Winnipeg ahead late, 9:12, Anna Flett assisting. 1-2 after twenty.
Winnipeg pulled further ahead early in the second—Marissa Spence at 7:36, Nicole Flett assisting, and Jake Fehr at 8:51, Jonas Brevik with the feed—before Wellington stormed back. Charlotte Hemi made it 2-4 at 9:40, Kauri Thompson assisting, and Hemi Sullivan pulled within one at 10:32, Anahera Reid with the feed. 3-4 after forty.
The third was all Wellington. Mereana Brooke tied it at 1:52, Charlotte Hemi assisting. Liam Tomoana put Wellington ahead at 3:53, Anahera Reid assisting. Hemi Sullivan converted a power play at 5:24, Kauri Thompson with the feed, for his second of the night. Brendan Fehr answered on the power play for Winnipeg, 5:52, Leah Blacksmith assisting, but Hemi Sullivan completed his hat trick at 6:42, Charlotte Hemi picking up her second assist. Aroha Ngata capped it at 8:35, Manaia Walker assisting. Final: 8-5—Wellington's third period decided a wild one.
HAV 1 — PRA 3
Upset. The Rhythm Bureau was supposed to favor Havana—1.88 to Prague's 1.93—but the Phantoms built an early cushion and survived four fighting majors to hold it.
David Růžička converted a power play at 3:12, Kateřina Dvořáková assisting, before Yarelys González and Eliška Veselá dropped the gloves moments later, matching majors. Jakub Černý doubled Prague's lead at 11:59, Lucie Šťastná assisting, and Claudia Pérez and Barbora Králová fought late, also matching majors. 0-2 after twenty.
The second was scoreless but combative—Adonis Reyes and Barbora Králová fought at center ice, matching majors, the period's only event of note.
Havana clawed back in the third. Yoandri Hernández converted a power play at 3:20, Yordanis Sánchez assisting, before Yanelis Peña and Barbora Králová fought, matching majors—Králová's third fight of the night. Tomáš Novák restored Prague's two-goal cushion at 13:22, Martin Procházka assisting. Final: 1-3—Prague's road upset, settled early and defended through a chippy finish.
DKR 5 — JBG 4
Quel match! The Sandy Parlor produced nine goals and an overtime winner, close to the odds board, Dakar at 1.89 to Johannesburg's 1.92. Ibrahima Sarr with two goals to lead the home side.
Awa Diop opened the scoring at 7:57, Modou Diouf assisting, before Zanele Ndaba tied it for Johannesburg, 8:59, Bongani Mthembu with the feed. Moussa Ndiaye and Thandiwe Radebe fought at center ice, coincidental majors, and Ibrahima Sarr restored Dakar's lead late, 14:59, Awa Diop returning the assist. 2-1 after twenty.
Khady Bâ extended Dakar's lead in the second, 7:38, Mamadou Guèye assisting. 3-1 after forty.
The third was frantic. Jaco van der Merwe converted a power play at 1:47, Nomsa Mahlangu assisting, and Thandiwe Radebe tied it less than ninety seconds later, Thabo Mokoena with the feed. Mokoena himself put Johannesburg ahead at 7:07, Naledi Khumalo assisting, before Ibrahima Sarr tied it again on the power play at 11:00, Khady Bâ assisting for her second point of the night. 4-4 into overtime.
Rokhaya Faye won it at 5:54, Fatou Mbaye assisting. Final: 5-4—Dakar survive a third-period collapse and finish it in extra time.
GDL 0 — SAO 5
Upset. El Rincón Perdido was supposed to favor Guadalajara—1.88 to São Paulo's 1.93—but the Serpents delivered a shutout that built steadily across all three periods. Felipe Carvalho and Camila Ferreira each scored twice.
Felipe Carvalho opened the scoring at 9:18, Isabela Costa assisting, and converted a power play at 13:48 to double the lead, Gabriel Rodrigues with the feed. 0-2 after twenty.
Isabela Costa extended São Paulo's lead in the second, 13:17, Lucas Almeida assisting. 0-3 after forty.
The third saw Carlos Morales and Juliana Santos fight, coincidental majors, before Camila Ferreira made it 0-4 at 10:52, Isabela Costa with her second assist of the night, and added a second forty-eight seconds later, Amanda Barbosa assisting. Final: 0-5—Guadalajara's home shutout, and São Paulo's most complete road performance of the season so far.
GND 3 — MTL 2
Upset. The Waypoint was supposed to favor Montréal by the slimmest of margins—1.90 to Gander's 1.91—but the Geese built a three-goal cushion in the second and held on through a flurry of late chances.
Trina Pickett opened the scoring at 11:31, Brian Mercer assisting, for the only goal of the first.
The second was the difference. Brian Mercer doubled Gander's lead at 3:45, Dermot Power assisting, before Cyril Hynes and Marc-Antoine Dufresne fought, offsetting majors. Gus Maloney made it 3-0 at 5:03, Power picking up his second assist of the night. Montréal answered twice—Marc-Antoine Dufresne at 11:58, Élodie Gagnon assisting, and Chloé Moreau with one second remaining, Jean-René Bergeron with the feed, after Calvin Roebothan and Amélie Bouchard fought, offsetting majors. 3-2 after forty.
The third was scoreless, mostly penalties on both sides. Final: 3-2—Gander hold on for the upset, Dermot Power with two assists in the difference-making second period.
VLA 4 — PER 0
The Last Terminal produced a comfortable Vladivostok shutout, close to the modest home favoritism, 1.88 to 1.93.
Ruslan Kozlov opened the scoring at 8:26, Olga Smirnova assisting, for the only goal of a hit-heavy first period.
Kirill Morozov doubled the lead in the second, 2:20, Denis Baranov assisting, before Riley Dawson and Denis Baranov dropped the gloves, coincidental majors. Yelena Pavlova made it 3-0 at 6:26, Igor Zaytsev assisting. 3-0 after forty.
Darya Kuznetsova capped it on the power play at 8:03 of the third, Tatiana Novikova assisting. Final: 4-0—Vladivostok's defense the story, Perth never finding a rhythm.
USH 1 — TOK 0
The South Passage produced the lowest-scoring game of the matchday, close to the odds board, Ushuaia at 1.90 to Tokyo's 1.91—a defensive struggle decided by a single late goal.
The first two periods were scoreless, mostly hits and minor penalties on both sides, neither goaltender seriously tested.
The third stayed tight until the final minute. Valentina Giménez scored at 14:11, Agustín Medina assisting. Final: 1-0—Ushuaia's defense the story of the night, a clean sheet built on patience.
ANC 3 — CAI 0
The Watch Station produced a comfortable Anchorage shutout, close to the modest home favoritism, 1.86 to 1.95. Kira Naluktaq with two assists and a hit.
The first period was scoreless, mostly penalties.
Jake Hensley opened the scoring in the second, 0:43, Kira Naluktaq assisting, and Bryce Denison doubled it at 11:08, Sierra Peters with the feed. Ahmed Zaki and Carlos Medina fought late, five and five. 2-0 after forty.
Cody Tulik capped it in the third, 13:07, Kira Naluktaq picking up her second assist of the night, before Tara Alexie and Khaled Naguib fought, offsetting majors. Final: 3-0—Anchorage's depth scoring did the damage, Cairo never found the net.
RIM 3 — NRB 1
The Coastal Pavilion produced a result close to the odds board, Rimini at 1.88 to Nairobi's 1.93. Valentina Colombo with two assists.
Wanjiku Mwangi and Lorenzo Fabbri fought early, five and five, before Luca Ferretti opened the scoring at 12:10, Valentina Colombo assisting. 1-0 after twenty.
Amara Osei tied it for Nairobi in the second, 8:30, Akinyi Ochieng assisting. 1-1 after forty.
The third belonged to Rimini. Giulia Bianchi put Rimini ahead at 3:53, Valentina Colombo assisting for her second point of the night, and Lorenzo Fabbri sealed it at 11:15, Sofia Barbieri assisting. Final: 3-1, Rimini's third period the difference.
MUM 4 — BUS 2
The Salt Pavilion produced a result close to the odds board, Mumbai at 1.88 to Busan's 1.93.
The first period was scoreless—penalties and hits on both sides, no goals.
Yuna Kang opened the scoring for Busan in the second, 0:57, So-hee Hwang assisting, before Soo-yeon Park and Ananya Kulkarni fought, coincidental majors. Priya Sharma tied it on the power play at 10:55, Divya Mehta assisting, and Sanjay Pawar put Mumbai ahead at 13:18, Kavya Iyer with the feed. 2-1 after forty.
The third saw Min-jun Lee tie it for Busan at 2:09, Jae-won Kim assisting, but Mumbai answered twice late—Rohan Deshmukh at 14:05, Arjun Patil assisting, and Meera Naik with one second remaining, Ananya Kulkarni returning the assist. Final: 4-2, Mumbai's depth scoring carries the night.
MDE 9 — HEL 6
Quelle nuit! La Ladera hosted the highest-scoring game of the season so far—fifteen goals—in a result close to the odds board, Medellín at 1.89 to Helsinki's 1.92. Sofía Estrada finished with two goals and an assist; Sebastián Cardona with three assists.
Liisa Nieminen opened the scoring on the power play at 4:30, Mikko Hämäläinen assisting, before Luciana Vélez tied it for Medellín, 9:59, Mariana Zapata assisting. Mikko Hämäläinen restored Helsinki's lead at 11:29, Anniina Tuominen assisting, but Sofía Estrada tied it again on the power play at 13:26, Sebastián Cardona with the feed, before Nicolás Betancur and Mikko Hämäläinen fought late, coincidental majors. 2-2 after twenty.
The second produced six goals. Luciana Vélez put Medellín ahead at 0:45, Camilo Henao assisting, for her second of the night, and Santiago Restrepo extended it at 3:18, Valentina Ospina assisting. Valentina Ospina scored herself at 6:54, Nicolás Betancur assisting, and Isabella Gómez made it 6-2 at 7:22, Sebastián Cardona picking up his second assist. Helsinki answered twice—Jenni Laine at 9:41, Erik Johansson assisting, and Petteri Salonen at 11:43, Noora Koskinen with the feed. 6-4 after forty.
The third kept the pace. Noora Koskinen pulled Helsinki within one at 4:40, Juhani Rantanen assisting, but Andrés Quintero restored Medellín's two-goal cushion at 7:23, Sofía Estrada assisting. Petteri Salonen scored his second at 8:20, Rantanen with his second assist, before Mariana Zapata answered for Medellín at 10:12, Sebastián Cardona completing his three-assist night, and Sofía Estrada capped her two-goal, one-assist night at 10:59, Nicolás Betancur assisting. Final: 9-6—a track meet from start to finish.
Twelve games, four upsets, and a fifteen-goal explosion in Medellín that will take the league a while to top. À la prochaine. See you for Matchday 03.
—JM Laflèche, Voice of Hockay
Le Council acknowledges that Matchday 02 occurred. Four results were inconsistent with pre-game expectations. Le Council further notes that the Medellín-Helsinki contest produced fifteen goals, a figure Le Council has filed away for future reference. The record has been updated accordingly.