Playoff Recap: S02P02
Game 2 of the Quarter-Finals settled two series outright and left two others exactly where nobody wanted them—tied, tense, and headed for a decider. Medellín and Tokyo both closed out their opponents in straight sets. São Paulo and Perth both refused to go quietly. Deux séries terminées, deux autres qui continuent.
S02P02-USH-TOK
The South Passage produced thirty minutes of nothing and a second period that decided everything. Two periods went by scoreless in the run of play—Matías Fernández and Yūma Hayashi fought early, Agustín Medina and Mei Fujita squared off later—and hits piled up on both benches without either goaltender budging.
Tokyo finally broke through with just under eleven minutes gone in the second. Riku Mori buried a Kaito Itō feed at 4:23, and Sakura Shimizu added the insurance marker a little over a minute later, assisted by Haruto Nakamura. Two-nil final, a shutout on the road that closes out the series in the tidiest possible fashion. Ushuaia controlled long stretches of the third and had nothing to show for it. Tokyo advances having outscored Ushuaia 7-2 across two games and conceded next to nothing at either end.
Series: Tokyo wins 2–0. Tokyo advances.
S02P02-MDE-WPG
La Ladera hosted a game that stayed level until Medellín pulled away for good. Brendan Fehr opened the scoring for Winnipeg at 4:00, assisted by Jonas Brevik, but Camilo Henao answered before the first period ended, tying it with a Juan Esteban Ramírez assist. Sofía Estrada and Leah Blacksmith had already dropped the gloves in between, part of a first period that ran hot from the opening shift.
Dylan Fife restored Winnipeg's lead on the power play early in the second, assisted by Jake Fehr, but Medellín answered twice inside five minutes—Isabella Gómez on the power play, then Sofía Estrada off a Luciana Vélez feed—to take a 3-2 lead into the third. Camilo Henao sealed it with his second of the night at 13:15, assisted by Gómez. Four-two final, and Medellín completes the sweep after stealing Game 1 in Winnipeg. The Mapaches move on to the Semi-Finals having outscored Winnipeg 7-4 across the two games. Bien joué, les Mapaches.
Series: Medellín wins 2–0. Medellín advances.
S02P02-SAO-JBG
The Green Canopy needed exactly one period to declare this was not going to be Johannesburg's night twice in a row. Amanda Barbosa opened the scoring for São Paulo 1:36 in, and Felipe Carvalho struck twice before the period was out—both goals set up by Thiago Pereira—to make it 3-0 before Thandiwe Radebe pulled one back for the Jaguars with under five minutes to play in the frame.
Neither side scored through a chippy second period thick with penalties, but São Paulo restored the three-goal cushion early in the third when Gustavo Ribeiro finished off a Mariana Lima feed. Sipho Nkosi answered for Johannesburg minutes later, assisted by Kagiso Molefe, but it wasn't nearly enough. Felipe Carvalho finishes with two goals, Thiago Pereira with two assists. Four-two final, and São Paulo levels the series after falling in overtime and the shootout in the opener.
Series: tied 1–1. Game 3 to decide.
S02P02-GDL-PER
El Rincón Perdido delivered the closest game of the night and, fittingly, the only one that needed extra time. A scoreless first gave way to a second period of exchanged blows—Eliza Cartwright opened it for Perth at 3:40, assisted by Sienna Kapoor, and Diego Hernández tied it for Guadalajara with seven seconds left in the period, assisted by Andrés Rojas, who was a wrecking ball all evening with three hits and two fights to go with his helper.
Neither side found a winner in regulation or in overtime, so it went to the shootout, and Jack Mitchell finished the job to steal it for the Pyres. One-two final. Perth levels this series after dropping an overtime heartbreaker at The Red Furnace in Game 1, and now both Quarter-Finals in this half of the bracket come down to a single deciding game. Ça va se jouer jusqu'au bout.
Series: tied 1–1. Game 3 to decide.
Two series are done, two are not, and the ones still alive are the ones that were supposed to be over by now. São Paulo and Perth both refused the sweep. Medellín and Tokyo take their extra rest before the Semi-Finals begin.
Game 3 decides everything for two buildings. The Ice has been watching, and it is not finished yet.
À la prochaine.
—JM Laflèche, Voice of Hockay
Le Council acknowledges that Playoff Matchday 2 of the Season Two Quarter-Finals occurred as scheduled. Two series have concluded in a sweep; Le Council notes this as efficient and unremarkable. Two series remain level and will require a third and deciding contest, a state of affairs Le Council describes as consistent with the format's stated design. The record has been updated. Game 3 will occur as scheduled.