Matchday Recap: S02D03
Bonsoir. Matchday 03 gave us five results the odds sheet did not see coming, a feisty but low-event Tokyo-Dakar affair that the visitors closed out late, and a Prague side that simply never showed up. Allons-y.
PER 5 — STO 2
The Red Furnace hosted seven goals and five fights, and Perth controlled most of it despite Stockholm being slight underdogs at 1.94 to Perth's 1.87—a close one on paper that wasn't close on the ice.
Eliza Cartwright opened the scoring at 6:48, assisted by Zara Patel, for the only goal of a hit-heavy first period.
The second belonged to Perth's depth. Riley Dawson doubled the lead at 3:05, Sienna Kapoor assisting, before Callum Reeves and Albin Nordlund dropped the gloves at 3:37—coincidental majors. Nate Hargrove made it 3-0 at 10:10, Kapoor picking up her second assist, and Klara Åström and Nate Hargrove fought late, followed by Freja Sandström and Gemma Fletcher trading blows in the final second of the period.
Stockholm got on the board quickly in the third—Saga Ekström at 0:09, assisted by Hugo Wikström—but Wikström and Callum Reeves fought thirty seconds later, coincidental majors, before Eliza Cartwright restored the three-goal cushion at 2:42, assisted by Oscar Whitfield. Mia Thornton made it 5-1 at 6:37, Kapoor with her third assist of the night, and Klara Åström added a late consolation at 9:15. Hugo Wikström and Sienna Kapoor closed the show with one more fight at 14:28. Sienna Kapoor: three assists, the engine of Perth's night.
NRB 4 — VLA 1
The Ochre Reserve produced a comfortable Narwhals win, close to the modest home favoritism on the board—1.88 to 1.93.
Kevin Otieno opened the scoring at 5:31, assisted by Wanjiku Mwangi, for the only goal of a penalty-filled first period.
Vladivostok tied it in the second—Darya Kuznetsova at 7:56, assisted by Igor Zaytsev—but Samuel Njoroge restored Nairobi's lead forty seconds later, Amara Osei with the feed. Kirill Morozov and Wanjiku Mwangi fought at 4:46, matching majors, in an otherwise even period.
The third was all Nairobi. Moses Okello made it 3-1 at 0:59, assisted by James Odhiambo, before Igor Zaytsev and Brian Kipchoge dropped the gloves at 2:35—coincidental majors. Peter Kimani sealed it at 7:30, Kevin Otieno returning the assist for his second point of the night. Four-one, the Narwhals comfortable from the second period onward.
PRA 0 — USH 4
Upset. The Stone Opera was supposed to favor Prague—1.87 to Ushuaia's 1.94—but the Undertow delivered a shutout that was never really in doubt.
Ignacio Herrera opened the scoring at 4:32, assisted by Agustín Medina, and Julieta Ríos doubled it at 13:19, Medina with his second assist. Two-nothing after twenty, and Prague had no answer.
The second saw Luciana Romero make it 3-0 at 11:05, assisted by Facundo Álvarez, in a period that was mostly Ushuaia controlling the pace and Prague taking penalties.
The third was Ushuaia's special teams doing the rest of the damage. Matías Fernández converted a power play at 6:06, Álvarez assisting again, for the eventual 4-0 final. Pavel Krejčí picked up two more penalties for Prague in the closing minutes, accomplishing nothing. Agustín Medina and Facundo Álvarez combined for four points between them—Ushuaia's most complete road performance of the young season.
CAI 5 — GND 3
The Pyramid Basin delivered eight goals and a Layla Mostafa brace in a result that matched the modest home favoritism—Cairo at 1.88, Gander at 1.93.
Habiba Sherif opened the scoring at 2:10, assisted by Salma Ibrahim, before Cyril Hynes tied it for Gander at 4:57, Brian Mercer assisting. Mariam Khalil and Gus Maloney fought at 7:35—five and five—and Calvin Roebothan and Khaled Naguib followed at 8:04, matching majors. Karim Fahmy restored Cairo's lead at 11:52, Sherif with her second point, and Layla Mostafa made it 3-1 at 14:06, Nour El-Sayed assisting. A wild twenty minutes.
Gander answered in the second. Janice Hapgood scored on the power play at 0:29, Mary Quinlan assisting, and Mostafa Rashad restored Cairo's two-goal cushion at 2:11, Farida Abdel-Rahman with the helper. Liam Coish brought Gander within one at 10:07, Hapgood returning the assist. 4-3 after forty.
Layla Mostafa sealed it in the third at 12:52, Nour El-Sayed picking up her second assist of the night. Five-three, Cairo survive a Gander push.
WPG 3 — MDE 1
The Cold Lodge saw Winnipeg control most of the night against Medellín, close to the modest home favoritism, 1.87 to 1.94.
Dylan Fife opened the scoring at 12:20, assisted by Marissa Spence, in a hitting-heavy first period. Medellín answered late—Andrés Quintero on the power play at 14:43, Nicolás Betancur assisting—to tie it 1-1 after twenty.
Dylan Fife restored the lead at 5:45 of the second, Anna Flett with the feed, and a Leah Blacksmith–Camilo Henao fight at 14:59—matching majors—closed out the period with Winnipeg up 2-1.
Jake Fehr made it 3-1 at 5:30 of the third, Jonas Brevik assisting, and that was the final tally. Dylan Fife: two goals to lead Winnipeg's attack. A clean, businesslike win at home.
TOK 0 — DKR 2
The Neon Crossing saw three fighting majors and ten penalties but only two goals, with Dakar's discipline in front of the net enough to take it on the road—the visitors favored at 1.59 to Tokyo's 2.38.
The first period was all fists and no finish. Yuki Sato and Khady Bâ dropped the gloves at 0:11, coincidental majors, and Riku Mori and Ibrahima Sarr followed at 7:12, same result. Scoreless after twenty.
Ibrahima Sarr broke through late in the second, finishing a feed from Awa Diop at 14:59 to make it 0-1—after Abdoulaye Touré and Hina Takahashi traded punches at 7:18. Ousmane Diallo doubled Dakar's lead on the power play at 11:10 of the third, Moussa Ndiaye assisting, and that was all the room the Djinns needed. Two-nothing, Dakar shut the door.
MCM 1 — ANC 3
Upset. The Remote Range was supposed to favor McMurdo at 1.87, but Anchorage controlled the night from the second period onward.
The first period was scoreless and physical, Isaiah Tobin involved in several of the building's heaviest hits.
Anchorage broke through twice in the second. Levi Simmonds converted a power play at 2:01, Mason Kluane assisting, and Cody Tulik doubled it at 8:45, Jake Hensley with the feed. 0-2 after forty.
The third saw Paige Riordan and Lars Henriksen fight at 7:55—five and five—before Kofi Mensah pulled McMurdo within one at 10:53, Elena Varga assisting. But Heather Braund restored the two-goal margin at 13:55, Tara Alexie with the helper. Final: 1-3, Anchorage take the road points against the odds.
BUS 3 — RIM 5
Upset. The Frozen Dock saw Busan build a 2-0 first-period lead, only to watch Rimini score five unanswered—four of them in the third—to steal it, against odds that favored Busan at 1.87.
Nico De Luca and Hye-jin Choi fought at 1:37—five and five—before Dong-wook Yoon opened the scoring at 2:16, Eun-bi Han assisting. Eun-bi Han doubled it herself at 4:07, Tae-hyun Lim with the feed. Marco Rossetti pulled Rimini within one at 10:43, Valentina Colombo assisting. 2-1 Busan after twenty.
The second was quiet—no goals, mostly penalties.
The third belonged entirely to Rimini. Lorenzo Fabbri tied it on the power play at 2:41, Chiara Ricci assisting. Francesca Serra put Rimini ahead at 5:29, Elena Moretti with the feed, and Matteo Galli extended it at 6:45, Davide Marchetti assisting. Sang-hoon Bae pulled one back for Busan at 7:10, Soo-yeon Park with the helper, but Lorenzo Fabbri struck again nine seconds later, Moretti picking up her second assist. Sofia Barbieri and Jae-won Kim fought late, coincidental majors. Five goals in seven minutes—Rimini steal one on the road.
SAO 3 — MUM 4
Upset. The Green Canopy delivered an overtime classic that São Paulo, the slight home favorites at 1.87, ultimately lost. Felipe Carvalho with two goals and an assist; Rahul Nair with three assists, seven hits, and a fight.
Arjun Patil opened the scoring on the power play at 10:16, assisted by Rahul Nair, for the only goal of a chippy first period that also saw Pooja Verma fight Mariana Lima and, later, Rahul Nair fight Felipe Carvalho—both coincidental majors.
Felipe Carvalho tied it for São Paulo in the second, 5:17, Gabriel Rodrigues assisting.
The third was frantic. Thiago Pereira put São Paulo ahead at 3:28, Carvalho assisting, and Carvalho doubled his own tally sixteen seconds later, Camila Ferreira with the feed—3-1. Rohan Deshmukh answered on the power play at 6:11, Rahul Nair assisting, and Vikram Joshi tied it at 12:22, Nair picking up his third assist of the night. Three-three.
Overtime belonged to Mumbai. Priya Sharma struck at 3:13, Rohan Deshmukh returning the assist. Incroyable—Mumbai steal it on the road against the odds.
MTL 1 — WEL 2
Upset. The Oldest Rink was supposed to favor Montréal at 1.85, but Wellington's defense held and their special teams delivered, against the long odds of 1.97.
The first period was all hits, no goals—a physical, scoreless twenty minutes.
Amélie Bouchard broke through for Montréal at 0:52, assisted by Sarah-Maude Fortin. Wellington answered on the power play at 11:35—Mereana Brooke, Kauri Thompson assisting—to tie it 1-1 after forty.
Rāwiri Patel won it for Wellington at 12:15 of the third, Hemi Sullivan with the feed. Tane Wiremu and Dmitri Volkov fought late, coincidental majors, but it didn't change the outcome. Wellington's road upset—their defense conceded just the one goal all night.
JBG 3 — GDL 1
Die Goue Myn hosted a scoreless, hit-filled first period that ended with Camila Flores and Zanele Ndaba fighting in the final second—coincidental majors—setting the tone for a result close to the modest home favoritism, 1.87 to 1.94.
Guadalajara broke through in the second. Daniela Salazar converted a power play at 10:06, assisted by Mateo Guzmán, for a 0-1 lead. Kagiso Molefe and Mateo Guzmán fought late, offsetting majors.
Johannesburg took over in the third. Naledi Khumalo tied it on the power play at 2:28, Pieter Botha assisting, and added a second at 12:29, Thandiwe Radebe with the feed. Kagiso Molefe sealed it at 13:01, Lindiwe Sithole assisting. Three-one, the Jaguars finish strong at home.
HEL 3 — HAV 1
The Dark Sauna produced eleven penalties and five fights, and Helsinki's special teams made the difference against Havana, close to the modest home favoritism, 1.87 to 1.94.
Elina Heikkinen opened the scoring at 1:35, assisted by Jenni Laine. Saku Järvinen and Yarelys González fought at 3:44—coincidental majors—before Saara Virtanen made it 2-0 on the power play at 5:54, Mikko Hämäläinen assisting. Yarelys González and Aleksi Korhonen fought late, matching majors. Two-nothing after a wild twenty minutes.
Havana got on the board in the second—Adonis Reyes at 12:17, Yoandri Hernández assisting—to make it 2-1.
The third was almost entirely fights: Liisa Nieminen vs Orlando Machado, Dayana Rodríguez vs Noora Koskinen, Anniina Tuominen vs Adonis Reyes—three fighting majors in five minutes. Jenni Laine sealed it on the power play at 10:51, Niko Mäkelä assisting. Three-one, Helsinki's discipline—or lack thereof—still paid off on the scoreboard.
Twelve games, five upsets, and a Tokyo-Dakar affair that was heavier on fists than on goals. Quelle soirée. See you for Matchday 04.
—JM Laflèche, Voice of Hockay
Le Council acknowledges that Matchday 03 occurred. Five results were inconsistent with pre-game expectations. Le Council further notes that the Tokyo-Dakar contest produced three fighting majors and a winner, a combination Le Council finds merely adequate. The record has been updated accordingly.