The Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s tournaments are already heading for a fever pitch as the Semifinals are set for the women\u2019s game, and the Men are set for a qualifer clash!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s get after it!<\/p>\n
Semifinal Game 1: Sweden vs. USA \u2013 A Game of Tests<\/p>\n
The Swedes got here out of the kind of rock solid game they\u2019ve been bringing all tournament meeting the Czechs, and through 60 minutes of solid hockey from bell-to-bell-to-bell, they managed to get a shutout from Ebba Svensson-Traff and two excellent goals off of Hilda Svensson and Hanna Olsson; a major feather in the cap of the Damen League, the fruits it\u2019s born, and the rise of the Swedish program from the relative obscurity it\u2019s been cursed with for years. The Damen are finally back to make some noise.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the US got here by doing a series of Mortal Kombat fatalities to Italy.<\/a> Italy managed exactly six shots on goal against Aerin Frankel.<\/p>\n Million different pathways and all that.<\/p>\n Really, this is two teams who could use a good test; The Swedes haven\u2019t done this well in women\u2019s competition in years and are now in position to potentially medal for the first time since 2006, and they need to see where they really are in the grand scheme of things if they want to continue to build as a program against the shining star of the Women\u2019s game. Meanwhile, the United States\u2019 needs to see how they handle the unknown; neither side has seen each other yet this Olympics, and so a rising team that\u2019s also a relative unknown to them ought to be the perfect look at where their effort level should be to get into the Gold Medal game.<\/p>\n Semifinal Game 2: Canada vs. Switzerland \u2013 Round 2, Fight!<\/p>\n So last time these two teams met, MPP was out of the lineup and Switzerland kept it close for a comically long time\u2026right up until they started taking penalties. Switzerland seems to have the idea that if they can keep the events in the game as low as possible, they can exploit the issues that Canada has been bringing to the table in terms of speed and cohesiveness (something exacerbated by coaches getting a little too cute). This was not a bad strategy to be frank, it was one that however required the Swiss offense, which lives and dies through Boston Fleet forward Alina Muller, to find anyone that was open at all, something she frequently could not do. <\/p>\n Now, MPP, Canada\u2019s ace in the hole forward, is in the lineup. Canada is still piecing themselves together after the asskicking they took from the States, and they have been routinely dropping 5 goals on teams who dare to not be on their level. They may be a bit long in the tooth, but having Poulin back still gives them a stinging edge that makes them much, much scarier than you might expect.<\/p>\n Unless the Swiss manage to get double digit shots, I sincerely don\u2019t expect them to come out of this alive for anything but a shot at Bronze.<\/p>\n The Prelims are over, and those teams who have made their way to the Quarterfinal bye are as follows:<\/p>\n USA<\/p>\n The US is definitely what we expected; extremely talented and their stars are coming in to meet the moment. But DON\u2019T THINK I DIDN\u2019T SEE THAT DENMARK GAME. THAT S#!T WASN\u2019T ALL SWAYMAN GETTING CAUGHT, THEY SHOWED YOU THEY\u2019RE CAPABLE OF A STINKER IF NOT PROPERLY PRESSED. YOU ARE ON NOTICE UNTIL YOU GET TO THE GOLD MEDAL GAME, YOU HEAR ME!? YOU ARE TOO TALENTED TO DO THAT.<\/p>\n Canada<\/p>\n