Matchday Recap: S02D05
Bonsoir. Matchday 05 gave us six upsets, an eleven-goal overtime classic in Winnipeg, and a McMurdo collapse that nobody at The Remote Range will want to remember. On y va.
MCM 2 — CAI 6
Upset. The Remote Range was supposed to favor McMurdo—1.85 to Cairo's 1.96—but the Crocodiles ran away with it in the third, Karim Fahmy and Khaled Naguib combining for three goals.
The first period was scoreless, Natasha Borova and Farida Abdel-Rahman dropping the gloves late, five and five.
The second saw Kofi Mensah open the scoring for McMurdo, 2:39, Amira Hassan assisting, before Cairo answered twice. Omar Hassan tied it on the power play at 3:05, Youssef Mansour assisting, and Karim Fahmy converted another power play at 7:56, Layla Mostafa with the feed. 1-2 after forty.
The third was a rout. Chris Elliot tied it for McMurdo just ten seconds in, Yumi Takeda assisting, but Cairo answered immediately—Khaled Naguib at 1:32, Karim Fahmy assisting, then Nour El-Sayed at 3:12, Youssef Mansour with the feed, then Khaled Naguib again at 3:59, Fahmy picking up his second assist. Layla Mostafa capped it at 10:51, Mariam Khalil assisting. Final: 2-6—four goals in under four minutes buried McMurdo's home crowd.
JBG 7 — RIM 2
Die Goue Myn produced the highest-scoring game of the matchday, close to the modest home favoritism, 1.88 to 1.93. Thandiwe Radebe and Pieter Botha combined for three goals and two fights.
Sofia Barbieri opened the scoring for Rimini on the power play at 2:38, Valentina Colombo assisting, but Johannesburg answered with four unanswered. Pieter Botha tied it at 5:28, Bongani Mthembu assisting, and Mandla Zulu put the Jaguars ahead twenty-nine seconds later, Jaco van der Merwe with the feed. Thandiwe Radebe converted a power play at 8:03, Nomsa Mahlangu assisting, before Marco Rossetti and Pieter Botha fought, offsetting majors. Elena Moretti pulled Rimini within one at 11:25, Alessandro Conti assisting. 3-2 after twenty.
The second was Johannesburg's. Nico De Luca and Lindiwe Sithole fought, matching majors, and Giulia Bianchi and Pieter Botha followed with another set, coincidental majors—Botha's second fight of the night. Botha scored anyway at 9:00, Thandiwe Radebe assisting, and Lerato Dlamini made it 5-2 at 14:59, Radebe picking up her second assist. 5-2 after forty.
The third saw Naledi Khumalo extend it to 6-2 at 3:47, Lindiwe Sithole assisting, and Nomsa Mahlangu cap the rout at 8:18, Jaco van der Merwe with his second assist of the night. Final: 7-2—Johannesburg's most complete performance of the season.
BUS 4 — STO 2
The Frozen Dock saw Busan control the night against Stockholm, close to the modest home favoritism, 1.87 to 1.94.
The first period was scoreless and hit-heavy on both sides.
Busan opened the scoring in the second. Tae-hyun Lim converted a power play at 1:19, So-hee Hwang assisting, before Viktor Hallberg and Soo-yeon Park fought, matching majors. Hye-jin Choi doubled the lead at 8:57, Yuna Kang assisting, before Albin Nordlund pulled Stockholm within one on the power play, 11:43, Saga Ekström assisting. 2-1 after forty.
The third saw Yuna Kang extend Busan's lead at 12:13, Seung-ho Jung assisting, before Astrid Engström answered for Stockholm at 12:53, Lucas Bredberg with the feed. Soo-yeon Park sealed it at 14:16, Hyun-woo Kwon assisting, and Albin Nordlund and Yuna Kang closed the night with one more fight, matching majors. Final: 4-2—Yuna Kang with a goal, an assist, and a fight.
WPG 5 — USH 6
Upset. Quel match! The Cold Lodge hosted eleven goals and an overtime winner, and Ushuaia—underdogs at 1.94 to Winnipeg's 1.87—came out on top. Matías Fernández with two goals and two assists, including the overtime winner.
The first period alone produced four goals. Tyler Chicken opened it at 1:33, Curtis Favel assisting, before Matías Fernández tied it on the power play at 4:55, Facundo Álvarez assisting. Curtis Favel restored Winnipeg's lead at 6:16, Leah Blacksmith with the feed, and Facundo Álvarez tied it again on the power play at 11:02, Fernández returning the assist. 2-2 after twenty.
The second kept the pace. Julieta Ríos put Ushuaia ahead at 3:24, Matías Fernández assisting, before Leah Blacksmith tied it for Winnipeg at 5:22, Jonas Brevik with the feed. Valentina Giménez restored Ushuaia's lead at 7:24, Florencia Ramos assisting. 3-4 after forty.
The third matched it again. Brendan Fehr tied it for Winnipeg at 4:08, Tara Ridsdale assisting, before Luciana Romero put Ushuaia back ahead at 11:05, Santiago Figueroa with the feed. Tyler Chicken tied it for the third time at 11:42, Leah Blacksmith picking up her second assist of the night. 5-5 into overtime.
Matías Fernández won it at 4:59, Julieta Ríos returning the assist. Eleven goals, six lead changes, and Ushuaia's road upset. C'est de la folie!
PER 3 — GND 1
The Red Furnace produced a result close to the odds board—Perth at 1.85, Gander at 1.96.
Riley Dawson opened the scoring at 4:28, Sienna Kapoor assisting, before Jack Mitchell and Hazel Strickland fought late, offsetting majors. 1-0 after twenty.
The second saw Oscar Whitfield and Brian Mercer fight, offsetting majors, before Liam O'Brien doubled Perth's lead at 9:48, Whitfield assisting. Janice Hapgood pulled Gander within one at 11:47, Hazel Strickland with the feed. 2-1 after forty.
Tahlia Nguyen sealed it in the third at 11:52, Zara Patel assisting. Final: 3-1, Perth comfortable at home.
PRA 2 — GDL 4
Upset. The Stone Opera was supposed to favor Prague—1.88 to Guadalajara's 1.93—but the Mariachis' third period decided it, Andrés Rojas involved in a goal, an assist, and a fight.
Lucie Šťastná and Andrés Rojas fought early, coincidental majors, before Alejandra Ríos opened the scoring for Guadalajara, 2:08, Mateo Guzmán assisting. Martin Procházka and Camila Flores fought late, matching majors, before Eliška Veselá tied it for Prague at 13:39, Tereza Horáková assisting. 1-1 after twenty.
Martin Procházka put Prague ahead in the second, 1:27, Kateřina Dvořáková assisting. 2-1 after forty.
The third belonged to Guadalajara. Kateřina Dvořáková and Diego Hernández fought, coincidental majors, before Andrés Rojas tied it at 2:50, Sofía Navarro assisting. Emilio Delgado put Guadalajara ahead at 3:59, Rojas returning the assist, and Daniela Salazar sealed it at 12:16, Jimena Castillo assisting. Martin Procházka and Camila Flores fought a second time late, offsetting majors. Final: 2-4—Guadalajara's road upset.
TOK 2 — MUM 3
Upset. The Neon Crossing saw Tokyo favored at 1.86, but Mumbai's overtime winner—Kiran Bhatt, with three hits to go with it—sent the Monsoons home with the points.
Yuki Sato opened the scoring at 5:43, Yūma Hayashi assisting, before Ananya Kulkarni tied it on the power play at 9:49, Meera Naik assisting. 1-1 after twenty.
The second was scoreless, both sides trading hits.
Sōta Watanabe put Tokyo ahead early in the third, 0:23, Riku Mori assisting, but Rohan Deshmukh tied it less than two minutes later, Arjun Patil assisting. Sakura Shimizu and Arjun Patil fought late, five and five. 2-2 into overtime.
Kiran Bhatt won it at 7:18, Meera Naik returning the assist for her second point of the night. Final: 2-3—Mumbai's road upset.
NRB 4 — ANC 2
The Ochre Reserve produced a result close to the modest home favoritism, 1.87 to 1.94, Moses Okello and Wanjiku Mwangi combining for four goals.
Moses Okello opened the scoring at 4:35, Zawadi Mutua assisting, before Cody Tulik tied it on the power play at 5:06, Jake Hensley assisting. Wanjiku Mwangi restored Nairobi's lead at 12:18, James Odhiambo with the feed. 2-1 after twenty.
Isaiah Tobin tied it for Anchorage in the second, 8:55, Tara Alexie assisting. 2-2 after forty.
Nairobi pulled away in the third. Moses Okello scored his second at 9:22, Nyambura Kamau assisting, and Wanjiku Mwangi added her second at 12:19, Faith Wanjiru with the feed. Final: 4-2, Nairobi take control late.
MTL 1 — MDE 2
Upset. The Oldest Rink was supposed to favor Montréal—1.86 to Medellín's 1.95—but Sofía Estrada's power-play winner, with two hits and a fight to go with it, sent Medellín home with the points.
Luciana Vélez opened the scoring for Medellín, 9:27, Sebastián Cardona assisting, before Lucas Pelletier tied it for Montréal late, 13:40, Jean-René Bergeron assisting. 1-1 after twenty.
The second saw Catherine Lavoie and Santiago Restrepo fight, matching majors—the period's only event of note.
Sofía Estrada converted a power play at 6:47 of the third, Santiago Restrepo assisting, and Jean-René Bergeron and Sofía Estrada fought late, five and five. Final: 1-2—Medellín's road upset, sealed by special teams.
SAO 6 — VLA 3
The Green Canopy produced nine goals and a result close to the odds board, São Paulo at 1.88 to Vladivostok's 1.93. Camila Ferreira and Vera Orlova each scored twice.
Felipe Carvalho and Olga Smirnova fought early, offsetting majors, before Camila Ferreira opened the scoring at 11:43, Isabela Costa assisting. 1-0 after twenty.
The second went back and forth. Vera Orlova tied it for Vladivostok, 3:09, Darya Kuznetsova assisting, before Rafael Oliveira restored São Paulo's lead, 10:33, Juliana Santos assisting. Darya Kuznetsova tied it again twenty-four seconds later, Denis Baranov assisting. 2-2 after forty.
The third was a São Paulo flood. Vera Orlova put Vladivostok ahead early, 2:20, Maxim Petrov assisting, before Darya Kuznetsova and Amanda Barbosa fought, matching majors, and Isabela Costa and Olga Smirnova followed, offsetting majors. Bruno Nascimento tied it at 6:00, Gabriel Rodrigues assisting, and Camila Ferreira put São Paulo ahead for good at 11:05, Lucas Almeida assisting. Amanda Barbosa added a fourth at 11:44, Nascimento returning the assist, and Mariana Lima capped it at 13:46, Gustavo Ribeiro assisting. Final: 6-3—four goals in under eight minutes sealed it.
WEL 0 — HAV 2
Upset. The Howling Harbour was supposed to favor Wellington—1.89 to Havana's 1.92—but Havana's shutout, built on four fighting majors, held up against a Kahurangi side that couldn't find the net.
The first period was scoreless and combative—Lázaro Valdés and Aroha Ngata fought, coincidental majors, and Olivia Rangi and Mailén Domínguez followed with another set, also coincidental.
Yordanis Sánchez opened the scoring in the second, 4:36, Claudia Pérez assisting, before Yarelys González and Charlotte Hemi fought, matching majors. 0-1 after forty.
The third saw Aroha Ngata and Claudia Pérez fight, offsetting majors, before Yarelys González sealed it at 11:26, Yanelis Peña assisting. Final: 0-2—Havana's road upset, and a shutout to go with it.
HEL 5 — DKR 2
The Dark Sauna produced a result close to the modest home favoritism, 1.87 to 1.94, Aleksi Korhonen bookending the scoring with two goals.
Aleksi Korhonen opened the scoring at 1:12, Anniina Tuominen assisting, before Saku Järvinen and Awa Diop fought, coincidental majors, and Khady Bâ and Liisa Nieminen followed, five and five. 1-0 after twenty.
The second saw Mikko Hämäläinen convert a power play at 5:12, Saara Virtanen assisting, before Ibrahima Sarr and Juhani Rantanen fought, matching majors. Aminata Sow pulled Dakar within one at 11:21, Ousmane Diallo assisting. 2-1 after forty.
The third was decisive. Petteri Salonen extended Helsinki's lead at 4:43, Saku Järvinen assisting, before Mariama Cissé and Anniina Tuominen fought, matching majors. Moussa Ndiaye pulled Dakar within one again, 6:58, Khady Bâ assisting, but Juhani Rantanen restored the two-goal cushion at 11:52, Noora Koskinen assisting, and Aleksi Korhonen capped his brace at 12:24, Saara Virtanen with her second assist of the night. Final: 5-2, Helsinki comfortable from start to finish.
Twelve games, six upsets, and an eleven-goal overtime classic in Winnipeg that Ushuaia stole at the horn. Quelle soirée encore. See you for Matchday 06.
—JM Laflèche, Voice of Hockay
Le Council acknowledges that Matchday 05 occurred. Six results were inconsistent with pre-game expectations. Le Council notes that the Winnipeg-Ushuaia contest produced eleven goals and six lead changes, and wishes to state, for the record, that it did not see the overtime winner coming either. The record has been updated accordingly.