Tougher women's hockey competition looming despite North American dominance
Finland 1st to feel effect of increased depth from teams like Japan, Czech Republic
In women's hockey, there's Canada and the U.S. — and then there's everyone else.
Slowly, but surely, everyone else is catching up.
At the 2022 world championships, Finland, ranked No. 3, missed out on the medal games for the first time ever. Worse yet, it lost the fifth-place game to Japan and was relegated to Group B for the current tournament in Brampton, Ont.
The relegation matters a great deal. All five Group A teams automatically qualify for the quarterfinals, but only the top three from Group B advance.
It also moves Finland into the same tier as rival Sweden. The two faced off on Sunday at the CAA Centre, with Finland erasing a 2-0 deficit after two periods to win 4-2.
Petra Nieminen, the 23-year-old two-time Olympic bronze medallist who scored the winning marker in the third, said she was just happy to escape the rivalry game against Sweden.
"It's always good [to beat Sweden]," she said with a smirk. "It's really nice."
The win puts Finland in control of Group B at 3-0, while the Swedes fall to 1-2. Germany improved to 2-1 later on Sunday with a 3-0 win over France (0-3).
At the moment, it's near impossible to imagine the North American teams being threatened like Finland. But the fall came swiftly for the Nordic country — it was only 2019 when the Finns stunned Canada in the world semifinals and came within a disallowed OT goal of beating the U.S. for gold.
'We're always playing for medals'
Months prior to the 2022 collapse at worlds, Finland won Olympic bronze. No one would be surprised if Finland returned to the podium in Brampton, but the team is certainly on its toes.
Nieminen said getting out of Group B provides plenty of motivation.
"That's our first thing that we want to do is go back in Group A so I think every girl just wants to win those games and battle hard out there," she said. "I think we're always playing for medals. That's our first thing. So now you just keep going."
In the background, countries like Japan and the Czech Republic loiter as potential medal competition.
Slovakia, which didn't qualify for the tournament and ranks 15th worldwide, lurks as a future threat.
At Vancouver 2010, Slovakia lost 18-0 to Canada, the most lopsided defeat in Olympic history. It remains Slovakia's lone Olympic women's hockey appearance.
Today, Slovakia claims the most exciting young player in the sport: Nela Lopušanová. At 14 in January, Lopušanová won MVP of the women's U-18 championship, collecting 12 points in five games.
The phenom also scored the first-ever lacrosse goal in women's international hockey history.
"I don't remember any Slovakian girl this talented at her age," Ľubomíra Kožanová, the manager of the Slovak women's national teams, told The Athletic in January. "She is our biggest asset for our U-18 team and also for the future of the Slovak national women's team."
Slovakia fell to Sweden in the quarterfinals of that tournament. The Swedes went on to beat the U.S. in the semis before losing 10-0 to Canada in the gold-medal game.
With Finland's fall and with Russia banned for the invasion of Ukraine at the 2022 worlds, the Czechs seized opportunity, winning bronze for the first medal in team history, and doing it the hard way out of Group B.
The Czechs are coached by Carla MacLeod, a Canadian defender who was part of the gold-medal team in Vancouver.
'One proud coach'
Promoted to Group A for this tournament, they got to measure themselves against Canada for the first time ever, fighting hard in a 5-1 loss.
After, MacLeod said she was "one proud coach."
"I thought we came into a big moment, a new moment for all of us, and we just came in with the confidence and the desire to compete and play," she said. "Without the puck we're a tough team to play against and I thought we made some strides in that department.
"It's not easy to do against a team like that."
The Czechs previously beat Japan 2-1 in overtime.
On Sunday, the Czechs fell to 1-2 in the tournament with a 6-2 loss to the U.S.
Japan is ranked seventh in the world, one spot behind the Czech Republic. But while the Czechs only made their Olympic debut in 2022, the Japanese have played at each of the last three Games, finishing either sixth or seventh.
The longer history of success means Japan entered the 2023 worlds having played Canada seven times in its history. The aggregate tally: Canada 91, Japan 0.
On Saturday, Canada continued its shutout streak with a 5-0 win.
WATCH | Canada blanks Japan at women's worlds:
Still, Japan head coach Yuji Iizuka said he saw improvement from a 9-0 defeat at 2022 worlds.
"We're just building up. Getting much better every year, we're just hoping for, aiming for medals. That's the goal," Iizuka said through a translator.
Iizuka said further progress would come from more players playing overseas, such as leagues in Sweden.
But he said he doesn't allow himself to dream about a win over Canada or the U.S. just yet.
"Step by step."
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