Matchday Recap: S02D33
Three upsets on Matchday 33, and the last one might be the best hockay has given us all season. Ushuaia scored twice in the final ninety seconds at The South Passage to beat a Busan side that was supposed to win comfortably. Medellín let a lead slip away at home to Johannesburg. Havana lost as favorites at The Rhythm Bureau. And Saku Järvinen scored a hat-trick to help bury Montréal at The Oldest Rink. Allons-y, there is a great deal to cover.
GDL 6 — PER 3
Guadalajara were the modest favorites at El Rincón Perdido and delivered exactly what the odds promised, if not exactly how anyone expected. Perth actually led the way early—Eliza Cartwright opened the scoring at 1:16, Nate Hargrove assisting, before Jimena Castillo and Hargrove dropped the gloves two minutes later. Alejandra Ríos answered for the Gatos at 1:32 off Rodrigo Vargas's feed, but Cartwright struck again at 9:49, assisted by Liam O'Brien, and Perth took a 1-2 lead into the first intermission.
The second period belonged entirely to Guadalajara. Camila Flores tied it at 2:58, Ríos assisting. Cooper Hale briefly restored Perth's lead on the power play at 5:22, but Mateo Guzmán and Valentina Ramírez answered in the same period—both off Vargas assists—before Daniela Salazar's power-play goal at 12:11 made it 5-3. The Puck paused play at 10:02 for a measured Sixth visit in between, players returning without incident. Sofía Navarro closed the scoring in the third at 13:46, assisted by Andrés Rojas, capping a four-goal middle period that buried Perth's early nerve. Vargas finished with three assists, orchestrating from behind Guadalajara's four different scorers.
HAV 2 — SAO 4
Havana were 1.60 favorites at The Rhythm Bureau. São Paulo left with the two points anyway, 4-2, and the upset was built in the building's first twenty minutes. Rafael Oliveira opened it for the Serpents at 5:36, Felipe Carvalho assisting, and Yoandri Hernández pulled one back for Havana at 6:12 off Dayana Rodríguez's feed—but Carvalho scored himself at 10:08, Lucas Almeida assisting, and São Paulo led 1-2 after one.
Dayana Rodríguez tied it briefly for Havana at 2:25 of the second, Yordanis Sánchez assisting, before Juliana Santos restored São Paulo's lead on the power play at 7:39, Mariana Lima assisting. The Puck paused the game moments earlier at 7:01, a quiet Sixth visit that settled nothing when play resumed. Gustavo Ribeiro added an insurance goal in the third at 7:05, Gabriel Rodrigues assisting, and Havana never found the equalizer. Adonis Reyes and Bruno Nascimento traded punches late to close it out. At 2.35 odds, São Paulo's balanced scoring—four different goalscorers—outlasted a Havana side that couldn't sustain its answers.
RIM 4 — CAI 2
The Coastal Pavilion opened fast—Omar Hassan scored at 0:20 for Cairo, Nour El-Sayed assisting, before Alessandro Conti replied thirty-five seconds later for Rimini, Chiara Ricci assisting. Luca Ferretti made it 2-1 at 9:00, Giulia Bianchi feeding him, and Rimini took the edge into the second, favored at home and building on it.
Francesca Serra extended the lead at 5:21 of the second, Nico De Luca assisting, before Mostafa Rashad and Ferretti fought at 6:52—Rashad's frustration boiling over as Cairo searched for answers that weren't coming. The Puck paused the game at 11:44 for a Sixth visit that Le Permanent Council declined to comment on, as is custom. Elena Moretti made it 4-1 in the third at 1:53, Valentina Colombo assisting, before Khaled Naguib and Sofia Barbieri fought at 3:48. Ahmed Zaki got one back for Cairo at 6:45, Mostafa Rashad assisting, but it was academic by then. Twenty-five hits and two fights made this a physical night at The Coastal Pavilion, and Rimini's four different scorers did what the odds said they would.
MDE 2 — JBG 3
Mariana Zapata was the best player on the ice at La Ladera and it still wasn't enough. Medellín were 1.66 favorites at home, and Zapata opened the scoring at 7:26, Camilo Henao assisting, then doubled the lead at 5:30 of the second, Santiago Restrepo feeding her. Two goals, three hits on the night—Zapata was everywhere. But Lerato Dlamini pulled Johannesburg within one at 8:01, Pieter Botha assisting, right before The Puck paused the game at 9:43 for a Sixth visit that left the building unusually quiet on return.
The third period undid Medellín completely. Thandiwe Radebe tied it at 10:10, Botha collecting his second assist of the night, and Lindiwe Sithole put Johannesburg ahead for good at 11:24, Kagiso Molefe assisting. Two goals in eighty-four seconds, and La Ladera went silent watching a two-goal cushion disappear. Pieter Botha's two assists quietly built the comeback from behind Johannesburg's forwards. At 2.23 odds, this is the kind of result that will sting Medellín for a while—Zapata did her job. Nobody behind her held the line.
MUM 3 — MCM 1
Mumbai were the clear favorites at The Salt Pavilion and controlled the game's rhythm even when the scoreboard didn't move. Rahul Nair opened it on the power play at 9:17, Sanjay Pawar assisting, and that 1-0 lead held all the way through a scoreless second period—punctuated only by a Sixth visit at 5:25 that came and went without incident.
The third period is where Mumbai pulled away, but not before McMurdo found their answer. Amira Hassan beat the Mumbai goaltender at 3:16, Tobias Frey assisting, tying an otherwise one-sided game for a few minutes. Sanjay Pawar restored the lead at 8:53, Kavya Iyer assisting, and Priya Sharma buried a power-play chance at 12:19, Divya Mehta feeding her, to make it 3-1 final. Pawar finished with a goal and an assist, the engine of a Mumbai win that was comfortable in outcome if not always in feel—McMurdo's road side made them work for the final stretch. At 1.60 odds, this was the form chalk holding.
USH 3 — BUS 2
Quel match. Busan were the favorites at 1.76, Ushuaia the home underdogs at 2.07, and for fifty-nine minutes The South Passage looked headed for the expected result. Valentina Giménez opened the scoring at 2:09, Agustín Medina assisting, and Facundo Álvarez made it 2-0 on the power play at 1:59 of the second, Luciana Romero assisting. Florencia Ramos and Tae-hyun Lim fought moments after a Sixth visit at 4:31, and Ushuaia carried a two-goal cushion into the third looking comfortable.
Then the final period happened. Dong-wook Yoon scored for Busan at 13:49, Sang-hoon Bae assisting, cutting the lead to one with barely a minute left. Twenty-seven seconds later, Valentina Giménez answered right back at 14:16, Florencia Ramos assisting—her second of the night—restoring the two-goal cushion. Forty-three seconds after that, Hye-jin Choi scored for Busan at 14:59, Yuna Kang assisting, making the final score 3-2 and the final ninety seconds an absolute sprint. Three goals in the last minute and change, and Ushuaia held on. Giménez's two goals decided it. At 2.07 odds, this was the most dramatic finish of the matchday, full stop.
MTL 2 — HEL 5
Saku Järvinen scored a hat-trick at The Oldest Rink, and Helsinki—favored, if barely, at 1.85—made it count from the opening whistle. Saara Virtanen opened the scoring at 3:57, Aleksi Korhonen assisting, before Dmitri Volkov and Petteri Salonen fought at 6:05. Järvinen himself struck at 8:04 off Virtanen's return assist, and Niko Mäkelä made it 0-3 at 9:48, Elina Heikkinen assisting, before a Sixth visit at 3:32 briefly halted a second period that had already gotten away from Montréal.
The third period turned physical and chaotic in equal measure. Alexandre Paquette got Montréal on the board at 5:25, Amélie Bouchard assisting, but Järvinen answered twice more—at 6:52, Mikko Hämäläinen assisting, and again at 9:59, Noora Koskinen assisting—to complete his hat-trick. Philippe Dubois scored a second consolation goal for Montréal at 12:17, Catherine Lavoie assisting, but by then the game had descended into fights: Volkov and Koskinen, Chloé Moreau and Hämäläinen, Jean-René Bergeron and Anniina Tuominen, four total on the night. Järvinen's three goals were the story. The Oldest Rink had no answer for him.
WEL 1 — TOK 3
Tokyo were the modest road favorites at The Howling Harbour and needed a strong second period to prove it. Charlotte Hemi opened the scoring for Wellington at 8:25, Mereana Brooke assisting, after Liam Tomoana and Kaito Itō traded fists early in the first. Wellington led 1-0 after twenty minutes, holding a lead they were not expected to hold.
It didn't last. Haruto Nakamura tied it twenty-six seconds into the second, Shūta Tanaka assisting, and Mio Kobayashi and Manaia Walker fought shortly after. A Sixth visit at 6:05 paused the action, and on the restart Tokyo pulled away: Aoi Yamamoto scored at 12:23, Riku Mori assisting, and Kaito Itō added his own at 12:59, Yūma Hayashi assisting, making it 1-3. The third period was quieter on the scoreboard but not on the ice—Manaia Walker and Hina Takahashi fought at 4:03, the game's third fight of the night. Charlotte Hemi's goal and two hits were the highlight for a Wellington side that couldn't sustain its first-period jump. Tokyo's depth, as expected, told in the middle frame.
WPG 5 — PRA 2
The Cold Lodge saw eight penalties and seven goals, and Winnipeg's favorites' tag held up comfortably by the end. Jakub Černý opened it for Prague at 6:20, Markéta Polák assisting, before Marissa Spence answered thirty-seven seconds later, Curtis Favel assisting. Tara Ridsdale made it 2-1 at 7:27, Anna Flett assisting, and Polák tied it right back at 12:52, Černý returning the favor—four goals inside seven minutes to end the first at 2-2.
Winnipeg took control in the second. Brody Flett scored at 1:31, Tyler Chicken assisting, and Curtis Favel added another at 6:52, Marissa Spence assisting, making it 4-2 after a Sixth visit at 10:18 briefly interrupted the run. Martin Procházka and Anna Flett fought in between. Jonas Brevik closed the scoring in the third at 6:41, Favel picking up his second assist of the night, before Anna Flett and Tomáš Novák dropped the gloves in the game's second fight. Favel finished with a goal and two assists, the clear engine behind a comfortable Winnipeg win that was tighter than the final score suggests.
VLA 2 — GND 1
A tight, mostly quiet night at The Last Terminal that Vladivostok controlled from the opening goal. Darya Kuznetsova opened the scoring at 13:18 of the first, Artyom Volkov assisting, and that lead held through a scoreless second period that featured little beyond hits and a Sixth visit at 3:34 that came and went without update.
The third period brought Vladivostok's insurance and Gander's answer in quick succession. Nikita Sorokin extended the lead at 8:23, Vera Orlova assisting, before Liam Coish pulled Gander within one at 10:14, Brian Mercer assisting. Vera Orlova and Mercer fought at 12:38, coincidental majors closing out the game's only real flashpoint. Vladivostok held on for the 2-1 win as the expected home favorites, a clean, professional performance built on Kuznetsova's opener and Sorokin's response to Gander's push. Nothing flashy. Exactly what the odds called for.
STO 5 — ANC 3
Maja Forsberg had the night of the matchday at The Still Strait—two goals, an assist—and Stockholm made good on their home-favorite odds against Anchorage. Filip Nyström opened the scoring at 1:25, Forsberg assisting, before Kira Naluktaq tied it on the power play at 8:42, Mason Kluane assisting. Forsberg answered herself at 10:00, Klara Åström assisting, and Stockholm led 2-1 after one.
Forsberg struck again at 2:55 of the second, Axel Lindqvist assisting, after Tara Alexie and Saga Ekström fought early in the frame. A Sixth visit at 7:30 paused play before Elin Sjöberg made it 4-1 at 14:16, Albin Nordlund assisting, and Molly Kavairlook answered for Anchorage seconds later, Heather Braund assisting, at 14:44. Kira Naluktaq scored her second of the night thirty-eight seconds into the third, Tara Alexie assisting, before Molly Kavairlook and Astrid Engström fought. Viktor Hallberg sealed it for Stockholm at 11:24, Freja Sandström assisting, for the 5-3 final. Forsberg's two goals and an assist made the difference in a game that never let either side settle.
DKR 0 — NRB 3
A quiet shutout at The Sandy Parlor, with Nairobi's road-favorite odds holding up against a Dakar side that couldn't find the net. Cheikh Fall and Dennis Wafula fought early in the first, and Nyambura Kamau broke the deadlock unassisted at 13:16, giving Nairobi a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes.
The second period settled it. James Odhiambo and Aminata Sow fought at 2:25, and a Sixth visit at 6:19 paused play before Amara Osei scored on the restart at 8:07, Dennis Wafula assisting, and Akinyi Ochieng added a third at 10:14, Osei assisting back. Dakar managed fourteen hits across the game but never seriously threatened the scoreline, and the third period passed without a goal from either side despite three more penalties. Osei's goal and assist paced Nairobi's offense, while Khady Bâ's three hits were the lone bright spot for a Dakar side shut out at home. The Sandy Parlor stayed quiet all night, in every sense.
Three upsets, a hat-trick from Saku Järvinen, and a finish in Ushuaia that will be replayed for weeks—Matchday 33 had its share of chalk, but the moments that mattered came from the sides that weren't supposed to win. C'est Hockay. À la prochaine.
—JM Laflèche, Voice of Hockay
Le Council acknowledges that Matchday 33 occurred. Three goals were recorded in the final ninety seconds of the game at The South Passage, a frequency Le Permanent Council notes without further comment. The record has been updated accordingly.