U.S.A. roars to fourth straight 4 Nations Cup title

Wheels fall off for Canada in 5-2 loss

The United States celebrates a fourth straight 4 Nations Cup title.

    The United States senior national women’s hockey team were too much for Canada to handle in this round of their storied rivalry.

    On Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, the U.S. romped to a 5-2 victory in finesse type fashion over Canada in the gold medal final of the 4 Nations Cup hockey tournament. The win marked the fourth consecutive year the United States has won the 4 Nations Cup.

    “Any time you can represent your country on a world stage, it is an amazing feeling,” said U.S. right-winger Hilary Knight, who scored twice in the gold medal final. “It is a great rivalry.

    “When you are in Canada, there is a lot more pressure. It is good to gain that experience. It is good to gain that momentum going into the next tournament and the next game.

U.S. RW Dani Cameranesi (#24) is stopped by Canada G Shannon Szabados.

    “There is lots to work on, but I am extremely happy with our squad.”

    The U.S. has been dominate in recent years on the women’s stage. They have taken the last four world championship tournaments and captured gold over Canada at the last Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, held this past February.

    Canada’s last win at a major tournament final against the U.S. was at the 4 Nations Cup in 2014 held in Kamloops, B.C.

    At this year’s 4 Nations Cup, the U.S. finished at 4-0. Canada had a 2-2 record with both losses coming to the U.S.

    The United States took the preliminary round encounter 2-1 on Wednesday with a late third period goal.

Hilary Knight celebrates her second of two goals for the U.S.

    Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin said it feels like it has been a long time since Canada beat the U.S. in a major tournament final. She believes that will be something that keeps getting the players on her squad motivated during training.

    Following the loss on Saturday, Poulin said the players on the Canadian team need to do more self-reflection.

    “I think we just have to take a look in the mirror,” said Poulin. “I think for us we all go back to our individual teams now, and I think for us we have to move forward.

    “Obviously, it is disappointing. You never want to lose on home soil. We are going to have a hard look in the mirror and really look at what we have to do to move forward and take more pride in wearing that jersey.”

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin breaks into the offensive zone for Canada.

    The United States went ahead 1-0 just 88 seconds into Saturday’s game, when Knight wrapped home a goal on Canadian star netminder Shannon Szabados.

    Canada responded just over two minutes later, when defender Laura Fortino drove home a point shot to tie things up at 1-1.

    With 3:29 remaining in the first, the U.S. went ahead 2-1 on a perfectly executed 2-on-1 rush. States centre Kelly Pannek drove down the right wing and fed a perfect pass across the front of the Canadian goal to linemate Melissa Samoskevich, who fired home the go-ahead tally.

    “I thought we played really well,” said U.S. left-winger Dani Cameranesi, who had two assists in Saturday’s win. “We came at them hard and fast, which is what we wanted to do.

    “We made a few adjustments to our game from the previous games and especially the last game against Canada. I thought it turned out in our favour.”

Sidney Morin starts a rush up ice for the U.S.

    The U.S. continued to take it to Canada going ahead 4-1 in the second frame scoring a pair of goals in a span of 24 seconds coming off the sticks of captain Brianna Decker and the second of the night from Knight.

    Decker scored her goal off a beauty setup pass from right-winger Sydney Brodt and Knight tipped home a point shot taken by defender Sydney Morin.

    “Once you get behind 4-1 and you’ve been struggling to score goals, it is a big mountain to climb,” said Canadian head coach Perry Pearn. “I didn’t think that we gave up.

    “What happens is now you think you have to make the perfect shot. You pass up the things that I think you have to do to beat the U.S.

    “You have to take shots, create rebounds, beat them to the loose pucks and get second and third chances. We didn’t do enough of that.”

Jaime Bourbonnais scored for Canada in the third period.

    The U.S. surge didn’t stop there. Just 41 seconds into the third, Kendall Coyne Schofield scored for the States to increase their edge to 5-1.

    Canada pulled Szabados after that tally. She stopped 18 of 23 shots fired her way. Emerance Maschmeyer turned away two shots playing the rest of the way for Canada in relief.

    The SaskTel Centre crowd that has been relatively quiet since the first period did come to life one more time, when 20-year-old Canadian defender Jaime Bourbonnais blasted home a power-play goal just past the midway point of the third period.
    The goal wasn’t enough to spark a miracle comeback.

Alex Rigsby makes one of her 23 saves in goal for the U.S.

    Alex Rigsby stopped 23 shots in the United States net.

    Bourbonnais, who was playing her first games ever with Canada’s senior national women’s team over the past week, admitted Saturday’s final wasn’t the ending her side envisioned for the tournament.

    “I learned that hockey is a very tough game,” said Bourbonnais. “Obviously, the Americans are a very good team.

    “You can’t take a shift off at all. I think (it is about) just moving forward and learning from this and excelling in the future. It is definitely frustrating.

    “I don’t think we had a bad game at all. I thought we put a lot of pressure on them. We just have to learn from our experiences and keep going.”

    For the moment, the U.S. gets to enjoy the distinction of being the dominant side in the rivalry.

Members of the U.S. team get pictured with the 4 Nations Cup trophy.

    While Knight said her team always has to be mindful that they need to keep improving, she will never turn away from a positive result on the scoreboard.

    “It is nice to win,” said Knight. “I won’t complain about that.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Finland beats flu, guts out fourth consecutive 4 Nations Cup bronze

Jenni Hiirikoski, left, and Noora Raty enjoy their bronze medals.

    With all Finland has gone through this week on the flu bug front, and a bronze medal win feels like gold.

    On Saturday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre, A third period goal gusher allowed Finland to claim the bronze medal at the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament for a fourth straight year. Trailing Sweden 2-1, the Finns exploded for three straight goals in the third to post a 4-2 victory.

    After falling to Canada 6-0 in a pre-tournament game last Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, Sask., Finland’s team was dogged by persistent flu bug throughout the 4 Nations Cup. From game to game, the Finns never knew how many players would be in their lineup or who would be able to suit up.

    In Saturday’s bronze medal win, they had their biggest turnout of the week dressing 18 skaters and two goalies, which would mark a full game day roster in North America. International Ice Hockey Federation rules allow teams to dress 20 skaters and three goalies.

Noora Raty makes one of her 31 stops in goal for Finland.

    “It has been different for sure with the illness and not being able to practice and people having low energy and pretty much eating junk food before games to be able to get through the games,” said Finnish goalie Noora Raty. “I thought we played really good (Friday) night against Canada.

    “We didn’t really know what to expect today. We were able to fight there and comeback.”

    Sweden struck first at the 10:31 mark of the opening frame when right-winger Pernilla Winberg tipped home a point shot from defender Maja Nylen-Persson for her first goal of the game.

    Finland evened the score at 1-1, when captain Jenni Hiirikoski’s midrange off-speed shot found its way past Swedish netminder Maria Omberg at the 10:08 mark of the second.

Swede LW Lina Ljungblom is checked by Finnish D Rosa Lindstedt.

    Just 36 seconds later, Sweden restored its one-goal edge, when Winberg knocked home a gritty goal from the front of the Finnish net for her second tally of the contest to make the score 2-1.

    Finland evened the score up at 2-2 tallying on the power-play at the 5:01 mark of the third. During a net scramble, the puck came out to Finnish left-winger Sanni Hakala at the right side of the Sweden goal, and she knocked home the equalizer.

    Finland went ahead at the 8:36 mark of the third on a tally that was scored to the dislike of the Swedish supporters. Finnish centre Tanja Niskanen drove hard to the Sweden’s net and was hacked down by a Swedish defender and slid into Omberg.

Pernilla Winberg scored twice for Sweden on Saturday.

    Omberg managed to keep the puck out of the goal with her glove hand, but it sat loose in the crease of the net. Finnish left-winger Annina Rajahuhta pounced on the loose puck knocking it into the goal to put Finland in front.

    There was a short protest by Sweden due to the fact Omberg couldn’t react to the rebound, because she had Niskanen sitting on top of her. The winning tally stood up.

    Rajahuhta was pleased to score the winner for her side.

    “I’m not the typical goal scorer, so it is always nice to succeed in that area,” said Rajahuhta. “I was just pushing all my powers to get it in.

Finland celebrates Annina Rajahuhta’s game winner.

    “I saw it went there, but I wasn’t sure if the refs saw that. That is why I was like confused for a while. Then they said it was a goal, so it is nice.”

    With Sweden still stunned by that turn of events, Finland scored again 29 seconds later on a shot from Petra Nieminen.

    Raty stopped 31 shots in goal for Finland, who were 2-2 at the 4 Nations Cup. Maria Omberg turned away 30 shots in goal for Sweden, who finished the tournament at 0-4.

    “We knew the first two periods were not very good,” said Raty. “The speed is our key, and we were not moving our feet.

    “I thought we started skating more there in the third and just putting more pucks to the net too, more screens and more tips. That is how you score goals on big goalies.”

Petra Nieminen scored a key insurance goal for Finland.

    Going into the third trailing 2-1, Rajahuhta said her side decided they weren’t going to fold.

    “I think we just decided as a group that we have to give everything we still have and leave it out there,” said Rajahuhta. “It was only a mental decision to be better, and we succeeded in that.”

    The Finnish national team veteran, who has played at the last three Winter Olympics, said the bronze medal win was a great cap to a challenging week for her squad.

    “It was a crazy week,” said Rajahuhta. “I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this during my national career.

    “It was nice. We survive it, and now you know that we are mentally really strong that we get past this week.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Team Canada colours fit young Bourbonnais just fine

Jaime Bourbonnais has made a head turning debut with Canada’s senior national women’s team.

    Jaime Bourbonnais still has moments when she wonders if her time playing for Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team has been real this past week.

    The Mississauga, Ont., product has been part of Canada’s national team system since 2014 going to camps and having played for the under-18 women’s team and the national women’s development team. Due to turning just 20-years-old in September, Bourbonnais thought she might still be too young to be placed on the senior national team.

Defender Jaime Bourbonnais plays in all situations for Canada.

    When she received an email from Hockey Canada saying she was going to be on the senior national team for the 4 Nations Cup, the skilled offensive defender believed the email might have been sent to her by mistake at first.

    The moment things really became surreal was when veteran offensive defender Laura Fortino presented Bourbonnais with her Team Canada jersey and said a glowing speech about her before the start of the 4 Nations Cup.

    “I think the biggest moment was having (Laura) Fortino present my jersey to me,” said Bourbonnais. “I’ve played with Team Canada before, but this moment was super special.

    “She was kind of my favourite player growing up, so having her present my jersey to me was very surreal.”

Jaime Bourbonnais stars with Cornell University.

    On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, Bourbonnais, who stands 5-foot-7, played in all situations for Canada in a 3-0 victory over Finland to conclude preliminary round play. 
    Bourbonnais started on the ice for Canada, took a regular spot on the power play and was on the ice defending her own zone in the final minute of the third period, when Finland pulled goalie Noora Raty for an extra attacker looking to chip at Canada’s 2-0 edge.

    Bourbonnais, who plays for the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks, picked up her first point of the tournament drawing an assist on Laura Stacey’s empty-net goal to seal victory for Canada with 34.5 seconds to play in the third.

    With the win, Canada improves to 2-1 and qualifies for Saturday’s gold medal final against the United States (3-0). That contest is slated for 8 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Finland falls to 1-2 at the tournament with the setback and will play Sweden (0-3) in the bronze medal game. That contest is set for 3 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Defender Jaime Bourbonnais is sound in the defensive zone.

    In all three of Canada’s games at the 4 Nations Cup, Bourbonnais has played extensively for Canada and has looked like a poised veteran player in doing so. She credited Team Canada assistant coach Doug Derraugh, who is her head coach at Cornell, and her teammates for helping her get to this point.

    “Having such great players on the ice with me gives me a lot of confidence,” said Bourbonnais, whose grandfather, Roger, played for Canada’s senior national men’s hockey team in the 1960s. “I know that if I make a mistake they are going to be there to have my back.

    “Having my coach from Cornell back there has also really helped me. He believes in me so much, and I know that he trusts me out there. Having his belief and his support back there has really helped me gain some confidence.”

    Team Canada head coach Perry Pearn said Bourbonnais earned the chance to play extensively with the senior national women’s team, and the bench boss was confident the young rearguard would perform well.

Jaime Bourbonnais controls the point in the offensive zone.

    “I think you watch players, and you see what they do in practice,” said Pearn. “We’re not blind to what these players have done on their own club teams before we get here.

    “We’ve done fairly extensive scouting. From that, we have a pretty good idea what the player is. If Jaime (Bourbonnais) is going to be successful at this level, we’ve got to use her as an offensive player.

    “We’ve got to be able to play her in key situations. What better time than at a tournament like this is there to give her that opportunity and to show that kind of faith in her.”

    Pearn said Bourbonnais has graded out very high with her performance along with a number of other young players, who are playing on Canada’s senior national team for the first time.

    “I think she (Bourbonnais) has been very, very good,” said Pearn. “I think we’re really happy, and not just with Jaime (Bourbonnais), but I think with a lot of our young players who are experiencing the international game for the first time.

Team Canada celebrates an empty-net goal from Laura Stacey (#7)

    “One of the things we’ll come away from this irregardless of the result tomorrow is that we’ve found out that we’ve got more depth than we knew going into the tournament. I think that is a really important find.”

    For Bourbonnais, she hopes her time with the senior national team extends far into the future.

    “It is a huge honour to be selected to this team,” said Bourbonnais, who had three goals and 21 assists in 31 games with Cornell last season. “Growing up watching these players your whole life, you idolize them.

    “You want to be like them, and then you play alongside of them. It is like a dream, honestly. They are all super nice.

    “They all took me under their wing right away, so it has been a lot of fun.”

    In Friday’s game, Canada got the jump early on Finland scoring 85 seconds into the contest on a goal from Melodie Daoust.

Laura Stacey scored an empty-net goal for Canada.

    At the 4:55 mark of the opening frame, left-winger Rebecca Johnston made the score 2-0 in Canada’s favour scoring off a rebound chance.

    “We wanted to have a really good first five minutes,” said Pearn. “Getting in the early goal I think made a big difference that way and for the most part I think led to us controlling the game from there on.”

    For the rest of the contest, Canada had a number of big chances to increase its lead. Raty kept her side in the game turning away 45-of-47 shots sent her way.

    Emerance Maschmeyer turned away 14 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for Canada.

Stacey’s empty-net tally inside of the final minute of the third erased any lingering doubts about what the final outcome may have been.

Melodie Daoust scored Canada’s first goal on Friday.

    Now, Bourbonnais will suit up for Canada’s senior national women’s team in a tournament final against the United States, which will be shown live on TSN. The U.S. downed Canada 2-1 in a preliminary round game on Wednesday thanks to a late third period goal.

    Bourbonnais said that first encounter with the U.S. was everything she expected it to be. She gets chills thinking about what it will be like to take part in one of the greatest rivalries in sports in a gold medal game.

    “I’m nervous I will be honest,” said Bourbonnais. “Playing the U.S., they are the best team I have ever played against.

    “They are fast and strong. They are all good. There is not a single weakness in their game I don’t think.

The Team Canada players salute the SaskTel Centre crowd.

    “I think just going out there with confidence and trusting my teammates and believing in our team, (and) I think playing our game we will be able to do some fun stuff tomorrow.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Decker finds groove in Calgary and leading U.S.A.

Brianna Decker leads the U.S. and stars for the Inferno.

    Brianna Decker went into her great Canadian adventure with an open mind.

    The veteran 27-year-old centre with the United States senior women’s national hockey team along with defender Kacey Bellamy decided over summer they wanted to try living in Canada, which is U.S.’s has a storied rivalry with on the international stage. On July 24, the pair signed on to play for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

    Decker said there has been no looking back since that day.

    “It is a big move,” said Decker, who has four goals and three assists in six games with the Inferno. “Like any move, you are a little bit nervous at times.

    “All the girls on the Inferno, they did a great job of welcoming us in. I had a couple of team dinners, and that kind of loosens things up. You get to know people outside of hockey.

    “The Canadian girls were really welcoming as well like (Brianne) Jenner and (Rebecca) Johnston. I’m glad I moved up there.”

The U.S. celebrates Brianna Decker’s goal on Friday night.

    On Friday afternoon, Decker had a goal as the U.S. downed Sweden 5-1 at the 4 Nations Cup tournament being held at the SaskTel Centre.

    Decker, Bellamy and Alex Rigsby make up the three members of the U.S. squad at the 4 Nations Cup who are members of the Inferno. All three helped the States win gold at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea last February.

    The Inferno, who are a professional women’s team, are well represented at the 4 Nations Cup. Inferno members Blayre Turnbull, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Katelyn Gosling and Halli Krzyzaniak are playing for Canada, and Venla Hovi is skating for Finland.

    “Obviously, a pro league is a bit different from international, but it is fun to be able to play with some of the Canadian girls on the Inferno along with obviously Kacey (Bellamy) and Alex (Rigsby),” said Decker, who is the U.S. captain at 4 Nations Cup. “It is a good turnout.

Brianna Decker sets to fire a shot on goal for the U.S.

    “I am glad I made the move and went to Calgary and were having a lot of fun up there. Then you come here and it is all business. It is all about U.S., and if you are on Canada, it is all about them.”

Decker, who is from Dousman, Wisconsin, is living full time in Calgary during the Inferno’s season. She said life is busy, but it isn’t too strenuous.

    “We have practice in the mornings and lift after usually,” said Decker. “I do take advantage of the afternoons and have a little bit of a nap sometimes.

    “Honestly, I don’t really work right now. I’m taking some time off in the afternoons and focusing on some other things and doing some online stuff. I am not too busy, but also it gets busy as the year goes on.”

Brianna Decker, left, battles for a draw for the U.S.

    She said a number of her teammates don’t have the same pace of life that she does. A number of Inferno players are involved in post-secondary school studies on top of playing, while others have full-time jobs on top of playing hockey.

     “I think it is insane,” said Decker. “I give those girls a lot of credit.

     “Whether they are doing school on top of the pro league or if they are working outside of the pro league, I give them a lot of credit. It is a lot of dedication obviously working throughout the day and practising at night or in the morning.

    “It is hard to do, but I appreciate those teammates a lot.”

U.S.A. defender Kacey Bellamy joined the Inferno over the summer.

     Decker has enjoyed reuniting with the U.S. national team for the 4 Nations Cup. For the most part, she was pleased with her team’s performance on Friday.

    “I think today was about just kind of creating good habits,” said Decker. “Obviously, we are getting prepared for tomorrow now.

    “When we went into this game, it was about create good habits and do the little things right and focus on things we wanted to get better at learning from things on Wednesday and Tuesday.”

    The States stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. At the 4:25 mark, right-winger Sydney Brodt potted the rebound of a shot taken by linemate Kendall Coyne Schofield for the first U.S. goal.

    Left-winger Melissa Samoskevich tallied a short-handed goal and Hannah Brandt scored with 39.6 seconds to play in the opening frame to give the States their three-goal edge.

Sweden goalie Emma Soderberg pounces on a loose puck.

    Decker wired home a power-play goal to give the U.S. a 4-0 edge.

    Sweden got on the board at the 6:49 mark of the second, when centre Sabina Kuller fired home a mid-range shot to cut the U.S. lead to 4-1.

    Dani Cameranesi rounded out the scoring for the U.S. in the third.

    Emma Polusny turned away 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the States. Emma Soderberg stopped 35 shots to take the setback in goal for Sweden.

    Decker is centring a line with Coyne Schofield, who is a U.S. team veteran, at left wing and Brodt, who is playing her first games with the U.S. senior team at 4 Nations Cup, at right wing. 

Sydney Brodt scored the U.S.’s first goal on Friday.

    The U.S. side has some younger player like Brodt, who is a 20-year-old that plays for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks, on its roster.
    Decker has enjoyed playing on a line with Brodt and said it was important to help the newcomers out.

    “I think Coyner and I look back on us coming on the national team a while ago, (and) you just have to make those people feel comfortable,” said Decker. “We had players make us feel comfortable, when we joined the team.

    “That is what we are doing this week with Syd. We are just bringing her under our wing. She is doing great, stepping up in the right spots.”

    The 4 Nations Cup wraps up at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday. The States (3-0) will play in the gold medal game at 8 p.m. Sweden (0-3) hits the ice for the bronze medal game at 3 p.m.

Brianna Decker leads the U.S. team in a post-game cheer.

    Guided by new head coach in Bob Corkum, Decker believes her side is ready for the title game.

    “We are just worrying about ourselves and focusing in on our game,” said Decker. “We’ve learned a lot in the last couple of weeks here.

    “We have obviously a different coaching staff and a new team. It is just continue to grow every game, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow’s game and being able to bring our best yet.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Finland’s Hovi will always cherish Winnipeg and Bisons

Finland star Venla Hovi will always have a hockey home in Winnipeg.

    Venla Hovi isn’t quite sure why hockey players from Finland and the city of Winnipeg make a great mix, but she appreciates that intangible is there.

    The star left-winger from Finland’s senior national women’s hockey team admitted she was at a point in her life a year after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where she thought her playing days were done. She expected to move on to whatever the next stage of her life would be.

    Hovi talked to a couple of teams and chatted with some different coaches and schools where she wanted to pursue post-secondary studies.

    At that moment, the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team came calling. All of a sudden, Hovi was recharged to be back playing the sport once again.

Venla Hovi starred for three seasons with the Manitoba Bisons.

    “It is such a nice team,” said Hovi, who stands 5-foot-7. “I’ve never honestly played on team like that before, where everybody just gets along so well and supports each other.

    “It was really a blessing for me to experience that too.”

    The 31-year-old is in Saskatoon this week playing with Finland at the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament currently running at the SaskTel Centre. 
    Finland takes part in Friday’s feature game at 7:30 p.m. against Canada, which will be shown live on TSN. The winner qualifies for Saturday’s gold medal game against the United States. 

    Besides playing for Finland’s senior national women’s team, Hovi is currently an assistant coach with the Bisons and a forward with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

    When she arrived in the Manitoba capital back in 2015, Hovi said she grew fond of the city quickly.

Venla Hovi helped Finland win two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics.

    “I actually lived in Kitchener (Ontario) when I was 16 for 10 months, so I kind of knew Canada,” said Hovi, who has a goal in two games at the 4 Nations Cup. “I’m an outgoing personality, so it is easy to come here.

    “People are friendly, and it is really not bad. I like different types of people, and it wasn’t that big of a change for me.”

    Little did Hovi know, the first good vibes she felt foreshadowed some special experiences that were to come.

    Hovi starred with the Bisons for three seasons appearing 51 regular season games collecting 21 goals and 29 assists.

    During her rookie season, Hovi had a memorable moment at the ancient Rutherford Rink at the University of Saskatchewan back in February of 2016, when the Bisons faced the host Huskies in a best-of-three first round Canada West playoff series. 

Venla Hovi celebrates a playoff series OT winning goal in 2016.

    In a series deciding Game 3, Hovi scored the winner at the 9:02 mark of a fifth overtime period to deliver the Bisons to a 2-1 victory.

    That contest, which started on Feb. 21, 2016 at 7 p.m. and ended at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 22, 2016, is still the longest game ever played in Canada West women’s hockey lasting 139 minutes and two seconds.

    The Bisons advanced to the Canada West championship series falling to the University of British Columbia 2-1 in series deciding Game 3.

    After posting career highs with 10 goals and 15 assists playing 22 regular season games with the Bisons in 2016-17, Hovi had a campaign that came out of a dream last season.

Venla Hovi focuses for overtime action last season.

    She helped Finland win a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics held last February in PyeongChang, South Korea.

    Following the Winter Olympics, Hovi rejoined the Bisons in time for their playoff run that ended with a U Sports national championship win last March.

    On the way to winning the national crown, Hovi and the Bisons swept the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 2-0 in the best-of-three Canada West championship series.

    In the elite-eight style U Sports national championship tournament held in London, Ont., the Bisons blanked the host University of Western Ontario Mustangs 2-0 in the tournament’s final game.

    “Any kind of thoughts whenever I look back, it was just amazing,” said Hovi. “Especially the last year how I ended it there, it was just a dream come true with the Olympics and the Bisons. I was really happy to experience that.”

    During the playoff run, the Wayne Fleming Arena on the University of Manitoba campus was packed with big crowds. Often, Hovi would take to the ice for a shift, and the crowd would chant her name.

Venla Hovi, right, drives a shot on goal in the Canada West final in March.

    When the Bisons won the national title, they were honoured before a Winnipeg Jets NHL game, visited City Hall and were given Outstanding Achievement Award Medals from the City of Winnipeg and were on the cover of various local publications.

    “It was really fun to see the support,” said Hovi, who helped Finland win bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. “Obviously, hockey is really big there and people are crazy about it.

    “The support for the Jets and the (AHL’s Manitoba) Moose and now they join the women’s team too, so it was obviously fun to have that. Going to the NHL game and getting to be on the ice, just having that recognition was huge for us for sure.”

Venla Hovi (#9) enjoys the spoils of a Canada West title win by the Bisons.

    In the process, Hovi became another hockey player from Finland that became entrenched into the fabric of the community in Winnipeg like Teemu Selanne of the original Jets in the 1990s and Patrik Laine of the current Jets.

    Hovi appreciates the special bond that seems to be created between hockey players from Finland and Winnipeg. She said she still can’t totally put her finger on why that magic is there.

    “I don’t know what it is,” said Hovi. “I feel like there is something Finnish there.

    “People are humble, ready to work hard and it is easy to play there. Everybody loves hockey, so it is kind of like the atmosphere is positive and very supportive. Going there and having that support, it is really easy to get better too.”

Venla Hovi had 50 points in 51 regular season games with the Bisons.

    Following the Bisons playoff run, Hovi was again looking to ride into the sunset as far as her playing career was concerned.
    When the opportunity to play for the Inferno unfolded, Hovi jumped at it.

    Playing in a women’s professional league that is filled with top players from around the world, Hovi has two goals and four assists in her first six games with the Inferno. 
    She has enjoyed the chance to play alongside United States senior national team members in Brianna Decker, Kacey Bellamy and Alex Rigsby along with Canadian senior national team members in Blayre Turnbull, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Katelyn Gosling and Halli Krzyzaniak.

    “I actually think the chance of me not playing might have been even greater than playing,” said Hovi. “I started thinking about it that I’ve never played in a league where you play that hard and play with other U.S. and Team Canada players.

Venla Hovi, left, and Kacey Bellamy are Calgary Inferno teammates.

    “I thought I still have a chance to get better. I feel like that motivated me to still try it out and see how I was going to do there and maybe get a little bit better and help this team out when we play at the worlds in Finland.

    “It is exactly the type of hockey that I love playing. It is very similar to here, where the pace is fast and just going forth and back 100 miles an hour.”

    The next women’s world hockey championship tournament is slated to run April 4 to 14, 2019 in Espoo, Finland. 
    When that event concludes, Hovi isn’t sure what her future will be playing the game at that point.

    She could potentially play for Finland again at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, but she admits she has definitely not looked that far ahead.

    “I’m going day by day,” said Hovi. “This season I basically just thought about enjoying every single day and not worrying about what is going to happen.

Venla Hovi plans on enjoying everything about her current hockey season.

    “I’m definitely at the end of my career, which everybody can, you know, tell. All I am going to do is just enjoy and have fun playing and challenge myself.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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U.S.A. stuns Canada on Brodt’s tally at 4 Nations Cup

Sydney Brodt celebrates scoring the winning goal for the United States against Canada.

    The glow radiating from the smile on Sydney Brodt’s face gave away how much it means to players on the United States senior women’s hockey team to win rivalry games against Canada.

    One of the greatest rivalries in sports took centre stage at the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament on Wednesday night as Canada battled the U.S.A. in a compelling encounter at the SaskTel Centre. 

    With 1:48 remaining in the third period and the two sides locked in a 1-1 draw, Brodt drove hard down the left wing towards the Canadian net and the rebound from a shot taken by linemate Brianna Decker deflected off her chest into the Canadian goal.

Shannon Szabados makes one of her 31 saves in goal for Canada.

    That tally gave the States a 2-1 victory. For the 20-year-old Brodt, who is making her debut with the U.S. senior national women’s hockey during the 4 Nations Cup, the goal provided a big highlight moment.

    “It was awesome,” said Brodt. “I was just in the right place at the right time.

    “My linemate Kendall Coyne (Schofield) kind of retrieved the puck high in the zone and gave it to Decker, who got a nice shot. I was just there on the backdoor.

    “It went right off me and went into the net, so it was fun to get it.”

    Brodt’s goal helped the U.S. improve to 2-0 at the tournament and clinch a berth in Saturday’s gold medal game. The U.S. closes preliminary round play with a 3 p.m. match on Friday against Sweden (0-2).

Hannah Brandt scored the first goal for the U.S. on Wednesday night.

    Canada concludes preliminary round play on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Finland in a battle of 1-1 teams, where the winner advances to play the U.S. for gold. All games at the 4 Nations Cup are behind held at the SaskTel Centre.

    Canada head coach Perry Pearn said Brodt’s third period goal was a tough one to take, but it didn’t make the difference in the game.

    “It is frustrating,” said Pearn. “I just told the group in the dressing room I didn’t think we lost the game on the last goal.

    “We lost the game on the first goal. We knew we had to have a good start. We talked about having a good first five minutes, and we didn’t.

Loren Gabel scored for Canada in the third period on Wednesday.

    “We kind of gave the U.S. the momentum. When they have the momentum, they play really well. We were on our heels for the first 20 minutes.”

    The States drew first blood just 78 seconds into the contest. During a flurry of action around the Canadian net, U.S. centre Hannah Brandt banged home a rebound to give her side a 1-0 edge.

    Canada was outshot 16-4 over the first 20 minutes and could have been down by a greater margin, but thanks to the stellar work of star netminder Shannon Szabados, the States lead stayed at one goal.

    “They came out early and threw a few pucks on net,” said Szabados. “As the game went on, we looked a lot more comfortable especially in their end.

    “I think we generated quite a bit in the second and a lot in the third there. We just kind of learn from it and carry that moving forward.”

    After an evenly played second period, Canada tied things up at 1-1 at the 3:30 mark of the third, when winger Loren Gabel buried a shot from the front of the U.S. net after receiving a nice centring pass from linemate Kristin O’Neill.

Hilary Knight breaks into the offensive zone for the U.S.

    That set the stage for Brodt’s winner near the end of the frame. U.S. head coach Bob Corkum was pleased to see Brodt get the deciding goal for his side.

   “It was great,” said Corkum. “She has been playing fantastic.

    “She brings a nice speed element along with skill. She is very courageous and competes well on the puck. She is going to be a nice player for us.”

    Szabados made 31 stops in goal for Canada. Alex Rigsby turned away 23 shots in goal for the States.

    Brodt said she enjoyed taking part in Wednesday’s rivalry clash with Canada and is looking forward to the U.S.’s final two games at the 4 Nations Cup.

    “I think we learned a lot of things playing against them just kind of the way they play their systems,” said Brodt. “It was the first time for me playing senior national team, so it was nice to get a feel for the pace and everything and just get better every day as the week goes on.”

    If the highly predicted showdown between Canada and the U.S. materializes in Saturday’s gold medal match, Pearn would like to see his side do a better job at getting pucks deep in the U.S. zone.

The Canadian players contemplate their setback to the U.S. on Wednesday.

    “Against a good defence, I don’t care what level of hockey you are playing you have to put pucks behind them,” said Pearn. “I thought early on we tried to make plays, and now you turn the puck over.

    “Now, you are back on your heels again. The first five minutes, assuming we get a chance to play them again, we have to get pucks behind them and give ourselves a chance to get on the forecheck a little bit and make them go back and find some pucks. I think, when we did that, they looked vulnerable too.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Crippled by illness, Finland holds on to miracle victory

Finland celebrates their victory on Wednesday at the SaskTel Centre.

     Finland head coach Pasi Mustonen was still processing all that has happened to his team at the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament on the health front.

     Playing with 15 skaters - three short of the full complement of 20 - Finland jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead against Sweden and withstood a furious late third period comeback attempt to pull out a 3-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre. The win at the 4 Nations Cup allowed Finland to even its record at 1-1, while Sweden fell to 0-2.

    Finland pulled out victory despite the fact a flu bug has been dogging the team since falling 6-0 in a pre-tournament game against Canada on Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.
    The Finns had 15 skaters and two goaltenders dressed, and if they were at full health, they could dress 20 skaters and three goalies under International Ice Hockey Federation rules.

    “We got a virus in Prince Albert together with the Canadian team,” said Mustonen. “We had 14 players that could play today. Eight of them were healthy.

Sweden goalie Maria Omberg stops Finnish winger Emma Nuutinen.

    “The rest of them have been vomiting yesterday or the night before.”

    Mustonen said four players in the team’s management group are ill, six players ill to an average degree and two are ill to an extreme degree. The bench boss bluntly spelled out how grave the situation is for his squad.

    “It was a surprise we could win,” said Mustonen. “We should have not won.

Netminder Jenna Silvonen makes a stop in goal for Finland.

    “Sweden should have beaten us easily. They didn’t. I’m satisfied with that.”

    None of the players from Finland came out for post-game interviews due to the illness situation on the team.

    Finland struck first at the 6:30 mark of the third period on a goal from star left-winger Venla Hovi. The Finns closed the opening frame scoring twice in the final 3:50 with goals coming from the sticks of Riikka Valila and Emma Nuutinen.

     After being outshot 19-8 in the opening frame by Finland, Sweden made a push back in the third period holding a 12-5 edge in shots on goal for that stanza. Finnish netminder Jenna Silvonen held the fort to ensure her side still had a three-goal edge heading into the second intermission.

Emma Nuutinen had the eventual winning goal for Finland.

    That set the stage for a frantic final three minutes of the third period. With 2:44 remaining in the frame, Swedish left-winger Lisa Johansson roofed home a shot to cut Finland’s lead to 3-1. Just 15 seconds after that tally, left-winger Hanna Olsson scored for Sweden to cut Finland’s lead to 3-2.

    Finland appeared to gain some breathing room, when centre Viivi Vainikka scored with 72 seconds to play in the third. Her goal was call off as the officials assessed a too many players on the ice penalty to Finland.

    Frantically, the Finns protected their one-goal edge until the clock expired.

Silvonen made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for Finland. Maria Omberg turned away 28 shots to take the setback in Sweden’s net.

Sweden celebrates their second goal in their comeback attempt.

    “We do our very best,” said Mustonen. “Their spirit is there. I am glad.

    “Their spirit is there. The ladies showed great spirit. They keep on fighting, but there is no energy in their body.”

    Mustonen said he hadn’t seen anything like the flu bug his team is battling over the past 25 years he has been involved in the game of hockey. He said Finland assistant coach Kari Eloranta, who played in the 1980s for the NHL’s Calgary Flames, mentioned he hadn’t see anything like the illness epidemic plaguing Finland’s women’s team in the last 40 years he has been involved in the game.

    Mustonen said he team can play better than they have, if they were healthy, and noted this week might be a write off for his team.

Finland battles to keep the puck in the corner to preserve victory.

    “It is a pity to fly over here full of expectations to play good hockey against the North Americans,” said Mustonen. “All the time, somebody is falling out.”

    Sweden returns to action on Friday taking on the United States at 3 p.m. Finland faces Canada later on that same day at 7:30 p.m. Both games are at the SaskTel Centre.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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