Hot Ice: NHL Thread

[Muukalainen]

Anyone else watching the men's U18 World Championships? USA beat Canada earlier for the bronze, and the final's on now. A more than decent game between the hosts Sweden and Russia. A cracking opening goal by the Swedes, a lead they doubled but the Russians have pegged them back. Two apiece with about 15 minutes to go. The PA's overdosing on the Quo.

[Muukalainen]

Two more quick goals, 3-3.

[Muukalainen]

Tough decision for the referee coming up...

[Muukalainen]

It was close, nay very close, to 4-3 to the Russians, but I reckon the ref got it right. At full time it's still 3-3.

[Muukalainen]

Sweden win 4-3 in extra time. In contrast to the previous 60 minutes where the Russians were more dominant, the Swedes were pretty much rampant in the extra period.

[Hot Pepsi]

Good for Sweden.

The US has at least medaled in that event something like 15 times in a row. That’s pretty good compared to how it used to be.

[ursus arctos]

This man is genuinely pathological

[URL]https://twitter.com/theflintor/status/1123406557411024898?s=21[/URL]

[ad hoc]

Slightly odd aspect of the current World Championship 1B group. We're 3 games in and the Netherlands are rock bottom. However, as of today they are joined by their players from Tilburg (who play in the German league, and who are therefore a cut above the rest of the Dutch squad, and it also means their season only just ended, hence the late arrival). This means that the two teams they have left to play are at a decided disadvantage from the 3 who they've already played. Romania being one of those teams, who will win the division if they win both their remaining games in normal time.

[ad hoc]

And indeed the Netherlands did win their first game with the Tilburg lot, beating Japan who had been in the frame for the promotion spot

[Muukalainen]

The Finnish ice hockey season is going down to the wire, and will be decided tomorrow, here in Oulu, in the seventh and final game in the final. Kerho forced the series to a decider by defeating us 1-0 in Hämeenlinna last night.

[ursus arctos]

Frölunda won the Swedish championship, adding the domestic title to the Champions Hockey League crown they won earlier this season.

[ad hoc]

Since we're wrapping the seasons up now, it was a sort of bittersweet end to the year for Csikszereda. Reached the final of the Erste Liga losing to Ferencvaros 4-1 in said final. Then got knocked out of the Romanian league play off semi stage (to Brasov who we had swept in the Erste League play offs), and finished 3rd in that competition. We did win the Romanian cup earlier in the season though. Finishing second in the Erste is a big achievement though.

[ursus arctos]

That is an excellent result, though it is rather confusing that there are two multi-national Central European leagues with such similar names (the other being the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, which Klagenfurter AC won over Vienna Capitals).

[ad hoc]

And just to confuse matters further Vienna Capitals II played in the Erste Liga (the Hungary /Romania one)

[ursus arctos]

I was going to mention that . . .

It isn't unusual for foreign wire services to get results from the two leagues mixed up.

[ursus arctos]

Major Hurricanes Warning in the Eastern Conference.

I can't think of anyone who saw anything like this coming.

[ad hoc]

Nice piece on Romania in the worlds and a couple of local lads https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2019/...0X5K0dwUAPkLEY

Currently 2-1 up at the start of the 3rd period against the Netherlands btw

[ad hoc]

3-1 final potentially replacing Hungary in 1A for next year

[ursus arctos]

Bravo!

[Muukalainen]

Congratulations to Kerho on winning their second Championship. One of the league's smaller clubs, they fought their way to victory the hard way. Qualifying in fifth place in the league, they had to win despite all of their opponents having the supposed home advantage. TPS were disposed of in the quarter-finals, the champions from 2016 and 2017, Tappara, were toppled in the semi-finals, and the reigning champions and runaway league winners, Kärpät, were beaten in the final. Nice to see them punching above their weight again.

Silver for us this year, we weren't quite able to scale the same heights as a year ago.

[Snake Plissken]

I suspect a run on heart pills and stress medication after tonight in St Louis.

[ad hoc]

Blimey, against all precedent Csikszereda have started to plan for next season already and hired a new head coach (Jason Morgan, Canadian, as a player played mostly in the EHL, but also a few games for multiple clubs in the NHL, last year coach in Denmark at Aalborg)

[ad hoc]

In more thread correct news, i am very much hoping for a Sharks win tonight, though the play offs so far suggest that it seems inevitable that it will go to overtime

[ursus arctos]

Is this an (absolutely justified) anti-Kroenke thing or something else?

[ad hoc]

Nah unusually for me it's a pro team A thing rather than an anti team B thing. I have friends in the Bay Area who are big Sharks fans (indeed a couple of season ticket holders). As a result they've always been "my team" even before I even really liked hockey.