2021 World Championships

[Timothy A]

So happy to see Canada win. Overtime, again. Poulin, again. Incredible.

I really enjoyed the style of your commentary and your enthusiasm. So are you a fan of any particular college team?

[Lindsay]

I really enjoyed the style of your commentary and your enthusiasm. So are you a fan of any particular college team?

Thanks Timothy! I love Mercyhurst! Played there many years ago; it’s a very special program and I’m always cheering for them.

I appreciate everyone who posts here, including you! Everyone definitely Has their own style. As you can tell I enjoy it, and I always hope more join the fray. :-)

[Lindsay]

Not a fan of 'gimmick' overtimes....

Obviously I’m here for the gold medal but there was a sense of “and now we are watching a completely different sport.”

The young players in college would have experience with 3 on 3. The older players would not have grown up playing it all and so a 20 minute period of it was undoubtedly going to result in a goal. Interesting.

[Lindsay]

So they just blow the horn during live play to end the game when no goal was indicated by the ref's on the ice? Seriously? These people are worse than the wwcha refs.

Poulin is so good she scores goals while sitting on the bench.

Im glad someone blew a buzzer. Wish the refs would have got it right in real time (v. Women’s hockey to need a buzzer to just sound to end it hahaha) but the buzzer was needed. Can’t imagine the scene if the US scored while Canada was still trying to get to a whistle to review the Canadian goal that came first.

[ARM]

Another slap in the face for Women's hockey.

A little perspective -- they didn't allow fans at the Tokyo Olympics. While I agree that women's hockey has gotten the short end many times over the years, I don't see this as being a gender issue. When society is struggling with whether or not it is safe to have kids go to school or workers go into the office, how important is it that folks can watch a 3-on-3 OT in person?

Obviously I’m here for the gold medal but there was a sense of “and now we are watching a completely different sport.”

The international rules are just plain sad. Wait over two years to play this tournament, and then we have to conduct the championship like we’re double parked.

Poulin is so good she scores goals while sitting on the bench.

I had more respect for her in her earlier days before she became captain and decided she needed to win at any cost. The gritty player who battles Decker all over the ice looks different when she suddenly starts flopping every time she’s touched. Oh well, she’ll be beloved in Canada, and I’m sure that is most important to her. And it’s not like she is committing Bobby Clarke level offenses.

I’m glad someone blew a buzzer. Wish the refs would have got it right in real time …

It was reminiscent of the U-18 championship when Coyne scored on a breakaway, but the ref who was two zones behind the play eventually waved it off. I think that they owe it to the sport and the players to have competent officials, if such a thing exists. Gold medal games aren’t the time to be calling penalties for some obscure faceoff violation that had no impact on the play and wasn’t called at any other point in the tournament.

All that said, Canada was the better team. Canada had Fillier, while the USA didn’t add anyone close to that ability, at least at this point of her career. Jenner is a player in the tradition of Piper and Apps, who is far more effective in the international game than she ever was in college. To a certain extent, that is true of Poulin as well, although she definitely had her moments as an NCAA player. The frequency of special-teams play helped Canada, because its best players were better than USA’s best.

The US had a number of problems. The “coverage” on the second Canadian goal was horrific; three people moving to cover the same player off the faceoff. I have no idea where Barnes was going. USA Hockey always falls in love with offensive D, but USA/Canada games aren’t won by puck-rushing D. More often, they come down to tiny mistakes. I love Bozek, but she was slow to get back into position on the goal on the PK and wasn’t able to contest the shot after Poulin blew by a tired Cameranesi on the winner. I realize that the final play was a lot to ask. But some D just have a presence, and it is harder to score when they’re on the ice, because they constantly get a stick in a shooting lane or otherwise disrupt the play. Keller has the potential to be that kind of player, but someone needs to impress upon her that is what her team needs. We don’t need fourth forwards. Play D, then defend, and when you get bored with that, then play defense. After Stecklein, I really didn’t trust anyone else on the blue line to do that.

Brandt was missed more than I expected, especially after Decker blocked that shot on the PK in the second period and didn’t seem like her right hand was fully functional thereafter. They seemed to be short a center. I’d have tried Roque, but I do understand that she may just not have the wheels to keep up with Canada. It felt like Coyne was on her own much of the time after Decker got dinged. Knight can go awfully silent for a player of her stature. Kessel has never rediscovered her pre-concussion game. Carpenter is effective around the paint, but isn’t able to create much elsewhere.

Hensley gave them a chance. It is hard to win a game when you get shut out after the 12:35 mark of the first period. Overall, I thought she had to make tougher saves than ARD, as the best American opportunities never really materialized.

Congrats to the champs; clearly, the best team in the world.

[slapshot willy]

3 on 3 is not hockey. Yuck.

3 monkeys could have coached the US team to a silver medal. Shoulda started Rigsby LOL.

So they just blow the horn during live play to end the game when no goal was indicated by the ref's on the ice? Seriously? These people are worse than the wwcha refs. How is that possible? 3 monkeys could have made a better decision than that.

Nice shot on the game winner though it was never called a goal.

I too, was surprised at the 3v3 in OT. Thought it would be 5v5 plus goalie. I think the 3v3 is exciting, and last night it was. Even NHL overtime is 3v3 and it’s fun to watch. I personally think seeing a game won in something other than a shootout is good. But everyone’s different.

As for the buzzer going off during play after Poulins’ goal, I think it was quickly being reviewed upstairs as the play went on. The decision was made to end the game ASAP as one can imagine the chaos and confusion that would have ensued if the USA scored before a whistle happened.

[chickod]

The young players in college would have experience with 3 on 3. The older players would not have grown up playing it all and so a 20 minute period of it was undoubtedly going to result in a goal. Interesting.

Correct...except that it was OBVIOUS that the US never practiced the 3 on 3. The idea is to play "keep away" until you get an odd man break. The US was trying to force the puck into the zone and would often end up with a 1 on 2 and just lose the puck. That was shocking to me...anyone who has watched ANY NHL hockey should know how to play this. I don't think I'm "spoiled" when I say just from watching the Bruins' "Perfection Line" (Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak) dangle with the puck and move it to open ice AWAY from any defenders should be enough of a lesson. Sometimes they would maintain possession for an entire minute, and when there were no opportunities, they would just pass it back and start the play over, unlike the US which just kept forcing the puck in. It's as if they didn't realize it was 3 on 3 and all kinds of open space. So while I agree that Canada was CLEARLY the better team, it was disappointing that the US seemed so woefully unprepared, considering the history of the games between these two teams would point to an excellent chance of an overtime situation.

[chickod]

[FONT=Calibri]

The US had a number of problems. The “coverage” on the second Canadian goal was horrific; three people moving to cover the same player off the faceoff. I have no idea where Barnes was going. USA Hockey always falls in love with offensive D, but USA/Canada games aren’t won by puck-rushing D. More often, they come down to tiny mistakes. I love Bozek, but she was slow to get back into position on the goal on the PK and wasn’t able to contest the shot after Poulin blew by a tired Cameranesi on the winner. I realize that the final play was a lot to ask. But some D just have a presence, and it is harder to score when they’re on the ice, because they constantly get a stick in a shooting lane or otherwise disrupt the play. Keller has the potential to be that kind of player, but someone needs to impress upon her that is what her team needs. We don’t need fourth forwards. Play D, then defend, and when you get bored with that, then play defense. After Stecklein, I really didn’t trust anyone else on the blue line to do that.

Hensley gave them a chance. It is hard to win a game when you get shut out after the 12:35 mark of the first period. Overall, I thought she had to make tougher saves than ARD, as the best American opportunities never really materialized.

Congrats to the champs; clearly, the best team in the world.

I felt as though the US was sloppy the entire tournament...especially in their own end and it was pretty easy to predict how last night's game would end up. It was only close because of two "soft" early goals, but the reality is that the game could have easily been 5-1. As a BU grad, however, it was nice to see Marie score the game winner.

[Lindsay]

I too, was surprised at the 3v3 in OT. Thought it would be 5v5 plus goalie. I think the 3v3 is exciting, and last night it was. Even NHL overtime is 3v3 and it’s fun to watch. I personally think seeing a game won in something other than a shootout is good. But everyone’s different.

I think 3 on 3 can be fun to watch, don’t know how I feel about it vs a shootout in terms of which is more fair way to determine a game..another question might be why not just 5 on 5 for as long as needed like NHL playoffs? What does IIHF do on men’s side?

[Lindsay]

What I have felt about Knight is that in 2014 she could still truck all over the ice and dominate everywhere. By 2018 I felt she goes as her line goes a bit because while she can score and crank the puck she needs someone to get it to her or get it to the net. She’s still an amazing player (stating the obvious),lord knows there are other players who also need someone feeding them pucks but also can’t finish. She’s a good enough finisher and there are enough play makers on USA it can still work, imo. Brandt and Cameranesi seemed to work well with Knight, I was a bit surprised that Knight didn’t go back and forth in between 2 lines game to game so that Canada, and in the semis Finland, had to defend against 2 threatening lines, and the Americans could load up a top line only as necessary. While she does go silent if anyone was going to score for the US in 5 on 5 OT I would have picked her. Haven’t thought about US’ best people for 3 on 3.

Kessel showing up in the top six at the beginning of the tourney was surprising. On their old power play and in shootouts, definitely want her on your team. But if the new power play is going to be Zumwinkle cranking pucks, don’t see where Kessel fits in there. Kessel and Carpenter did seem to settle in later in the tourney. The Olympics will have these players coming off a centralization will result in a different look than what we saw this tourney. Still, it will be interesting to see what happens with the US roster. There centralization roster seemed to have an empty spot, maybe they will add someone.

Canada really did beat the US at their own game it feels like, by splitting up Daoust and Poulin, and also having a veteran contributing 3rd and 4th lines. Almost can’t help but wonder what 2018 would have looked like if Daoust and Jenner had swapped lines in 2018. Although, lots of the Canadians just look like they got better at hockey since 2018.

The loss also gives a sense of what players like Pankowski (2019 worlds) , and the Lams, Bellamy, Duggan, Marvin, Pfalzer meant to this program for the last decade.

[Timothy A]

What I have felt about Knight is that in 2014 she could still truck all over the ice and dominate everywhere. By 2018 I felt she goes as her line goes a bit because while she can score and crank the puck she needs someone to get it to her or get it to the net. She’s still an amazing player (stating the obvious),lord knows there are other players who also need someone feeding them pucks but also can’t finish. She’s a good enough finisher and there are enough play makers on USA it can still work, imo. Brandt and Cameranesi seemed to work well with Knight, I was a bit surprised that Knight didn’t go back and forth in between 2 lines game to game so that Canada, and in the semis Finland, had to defend against 2 threatening lines, and the Americans could load up a top line only as necessary. While she does go silent if anyone was going to score for the US in 5 on 5 OT I would have picked her. Haven’t thought about US’ best people for 3 on 3.

Roque is a feeder.

[Lindsay]

Roque is a feeder.

Yep. Reporters asked why she didn’t play, couldn’t get an answer. Lol women’s hockey. Like even if the answer is she doesn’t have the wheels or something, maybe engage in coverage of the sport

[ARM]

The loss also gives a sense of what players like Pankowski (2019 worlds) , and the Lams, Bellamy, Duggan, Marvin, Pfalzer meant to this program for the last decade.

I think that Bellamy was the biggest loss overall, because they haven't been able to replace her. The Lams, obviously, skated a ton of shifts and took a lot of shots, and were the source of most of the Canadian bruises, so they leave a hole as well. They would have known how to play keep away during three on three, because they started their college careers passing back and forth and ignoring the third member of their own line. But Bellamy has been a fixture on the roster for a decade, and the USA's D corps isn't all that deep.

It seems that USA was also hurt by the combination of 1.5 years of Covid and players boycotting the NWHL. The result is that they haven't played decent competition in a long time. I would bet that it is easier to get hooked up with decent hockey in Canada, even if it is just a pickup game on a Tuesday night.

[Timothy A]

Yep. Reporters asked why she didn’t play, couldn’t get an answer. Lol women’s hockey. Like even if the answer is she doesn’t have the wheels or something, maybe engage in coverage of the sport

And if you want someone who can be a "little" physical to replace the Lami twins she also has that. Curl also has an edge as well.

[Blackbeard]

The Lams would have known how to play keep away during three on three, because they started their college careers passing back and forth and ignoring the third member of their own line.

Hahahahaha!! Can't stop laughing at this. Remember it well (I used to wonder ''what the hell are they doing...don't they understand what this makes them look like"?) because you are absolutely right.