Japanese goalie Miyuu Masuhara is beaten by Paula Bergstrom's shot as Sweden opens the scoring.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Sweden secured first place in Group B with victory over Japan. Sunday’s 2-0 success at Arena Ceske Budejovice keeps the Swedes perfect. It also ensures that even in a worst-case scenario they would enter a tie with a team they defeated head-to-head.
Topping Group B matters. More than just securing a playoff spot, the team that leads the way is likely to escape a daunting quarter-final pairing with the USA or Canada. Facing the third team in Group A is not an easy passage to the semi-final, but Finnish, Czech or Swiss opposition might open the door a little wider.
So it was a very satisfied Sara Hjalmarsson who summed up Sweden’s unbeaten tournament so far. “Obviously, it’s great,” she said. “I think that was our goal going into this tournament and into this group, that we want to win every game.
“We’ve managed to get away with three wins so far, and they’ve looked pretty different, I think, with the way we’ve played. I’m really proud of the team.”
Sunday’s battle between Japan and Sweden, both unbeaten after two games and boasting identical 7-2 goal differentials, had plenty riding on it in terms of future opponents as well as maintaining momentum.
Those stakes translated into a cautious game, with the teams sharing just 10 shots on goal in the first period. Sweden was more willing to test Miyuu Masuhara, but apart from a fierce drive from Mira Jungaker there was little to alarm the Japanese goalie early on.
Japan created fewer openings, but Emma Soderberg had to be alert in the 16th minute when Rui Uchida got into a central position and set up Akane Shiga on the doorstep. The Japanese forward, who plays her club hockey in Sweden with Lulea, was frustrated that she could not find a way through on that occasion.
“We had to spend a lot of time on defence, but there I also had chances to score,” she said. “That’s something I have to work on before the next game.”
And, moments later, the Swedes had the lead. Another spell of possession in the Japanese zone ended with Paula Bergstrom stepping off the blue line, skating around Mei Miura and sending a wrister past Masuhara from the left-hand dot.
“I just kind of tried to go around my forward,” Bergstrom said. “And then I had a good screen by Lina, so she helped me out there.”
The pattern of play didn’t change much in the second period, with Japan again limited to just three more shots on Soderberg’s net. The best of them came early on, when a breakdown in communication enabled Shiga to jump on Soderberg’s misplaced pass and get to the doorstep before finding the goalie’s pads.
A similar misjudgement at the other end released Linnea Johansson but she was unable to beat Masuhara. In general, the Swedes looked more threatening, but the closest we came to a second goal was a Sara Hjalmarsson effort against the crossbar.
Although Sweden seemed to have the game under control, the insurance of a second goal is always welcome. And the Damkronorna got it early in the third when Hanna Thuvik was left all alone in front of Masuhara’s net to convert Hjalmarsson’s feed at the second attempt. The Japanese netminder might have wished for some protection from her colleagues.
A minute later, Japan got the first power play of the game after Jungaker was assessed a tripping minor. Captain Shiore Koike came closest to converting that with a shot that Soderberg saw late and pushed up and over her net.
And the finale got more complicated when Anna Kjellbin sat for delay of game with 1:57 left on the clock. Japan called a time-out and went six-on-four in searc of a way back. Immediately, Ayaka Hitosato saw her shot deflected onto the crossbar and Akane Shiga's attempt from the rebound flashed across the open net to safety. Soderberg slammed the door shut on Ukita. In the midst of it all, Sweden narrowly missed an empty net goal before closing out the win.
Sweden’s commitment to the cause secured a second successive shut-out for Soderberg.
“I think it just shows the effort we want to put in, blocking shots and helping Emma out in the net,” Hjalmarsson said. “We knew they were going to try and score and get back into the game but we handled it really well.”
And solid goaltending is helping the team here in Czechia. “We have a lot of confidence with Emma in the net,” the alternate captain added. “She’s a big-game player and always manages to step up for us in games and tournaments like these. It’s great to have her back there.”
Despite the defeat, it was a special occasion for Shiga, who spent last season playing in Sweden with Lulea and had 31 (9+22) points in 34 games. Today the 24-year-old Hokkaido native faced Linnea Johansson, her clubmate in the SDHL, as well as many familiar opponents from that competition.
“It’s not often I get to play against some of my team-mates and it was an honour to play against someone I’ve been with all year. It was fun and I enjoyed today’s game apart from the score.”
Meanwhile, after three wins from three games there are now murmurs about Swedish medal potential. Bergstrom did not want to get ahead of herself, but is excited by how the team is coming together.
“A medal would be awesome,” she said. “We're definitely taking steps every year. I think our confidence is building, so we have a good feeling in the group. Let's see how far it takes us.”
Topping Group B matters. More than just securing a playoff spot, the team that leads the way is likely to escape a daunting quarter-final pairing with the USA or Canada. Facing the third team in Group A is not an easy passage to the semi-final, but Finnish, Czech or Swiss opposition might open the door a little wider.
So it was a very satisfied Sara Hjalmarsson who summed up Sweden’s unbeaten tournament so far. “Obviously, it’s great,” she said. “I think that was our goal going into this tournament and into this group, that we want to win every game.
“We’ve managed to get away with three wins so far, and they’ve looked pretty different, I think, with the way we’ve played. I’m really proud of the team.”
Sunday’s battle between Japan and Sweden, both unbeaten after two games and boasting identical 7-2 goal differentials, had plenty riding on it in terms of future opponents as well as maintaining momentum.
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Those stakes translated into a cautious game, with the teams sharing just 10 shots on goal in the first period. Sweden was more willing to test Miyuu Masuhara, but apart from a fierce drive from Mira Jungaker there was little to alarm the Japanese goalie early on.
Japan created fewer openings, but Emma Soderberg had to be alert in the 16th minute when Rui Uchida got into a central position and set up Akane Shiga on the doorstep. The Japanese forward, who plays her club hockey in Sweden with Lulea, was frustrated that she could not find a way through on that occasion.
“We had to spend a lot of time on defence, but there I also had chances to score,” she said. “That’s something I have to work on before the next game.”
And, moments later, the Swedes had the lead. Another spell of possession in the Japanese zone ended with Paula Bergstrom stepping off the blue line, skating around Mei Miura and sending a wrister past Masuhara from the left-hand dot.
“I just kind of tried to go around my forward,” Bergstrom said. “And then I had a good screen by Lina, so she helped me out there.”
The pattern of play didn’t change much in the second period, with Japan again limited to just three more shots on Soderberg’s net. The best of them came early on, when a breakdown in communication enabled Shiga to jump on Soderberg’s misplaced pass and get to the doorstep before finding the goalie’s pads.
A similar misjudgement at the other end released Linnea Johansson but she was unable to beat Masuhara. In general, the Swedes looked more threatening, but the closest we came to a second goal was a Sara Hjalmarsson effort against the crossbar.
Although Sweden seemed to have the game under control, the insurance of a second goal is always welcome. And the Damkronorna got it early in the third when Hanna Thuvik was left all alone in front of Masuhara’s net to convert Hjalmarsson’s feed at the second attempt. The Japanese netminder might have wished for some protection from her colleagues.
A minute later, Japan got the first power play of the game after Jungaker was assessed a tripping minor. Captain Shiore Koike came closest to converting that with a shot that Soderberg saw late and pushed up and over her net.
And the finale got more complicated when Anna Kjellbin sat for delay of game with 1:57 left on the clock. Japan called a time-out and went six-on-four in searc of a way back. Immediately, Ayaka Hitosato saw her shot deflected onto the crossbar and Akane Shiga's attempt from the rebound flashed across the open net to safety. Soderberg slammed the door shut on Ukita. In the midst of it all, Sweden narrowly missed an empty net goal before closing out the win.
Sweden’s commitment to the cause secured a second successive shut-out for Soderberg.
“I think it just shows the effort we want to put in, blocking shots and helping Emma out in the net,” Hjalmarsson said. “We knew they were going to try and score and get back into the game but we handled it really well.”
And solid goaltending is helping the team here in Czechia. “We have a lot of confidence with Emma in the net,” the alternate captain added. “She’s a big-game player and always manages to step up for us in games and tournaments like these. It’s great to have her back there.”
Despite the defeat, it was a special occasion for Shiga, who spent last season playing in Sweden with Lulea and had 31 (9+22) points in 34 games. Today the 24-year-old Hokkaido native faced Linnea Johansson, her clubmate in the SDHL, as well as many familiar opponents from that competition.
“It’s not often I get to play against some of my team-mates and it was an honour to play against someone I’ve been with all year. It was fun and I enjoyed today’s game apart from the score.”
Meanwhile, after three wins from three games there are now murmurs about Swedish medal potential. Bergstrom did not want to get ahead of herself, but is excited by how the team is coming together.
“A medal would be awesome,” she said. “We're definitely taking steps every year. I think our confidence is building, so we have a good feeling in the group. Let's see how far it takes us.”
Japan vs Sweden - 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship
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