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WW Top 25 Stories: #25
WW Top 25 Stories: #25
Russia-Switzerland a dandy display in 2011
Russian players Alexandra Vafina, Olga Permyakova and Alexandra Kapustina celebrate a goal in their comeback attempt against Switzerland during the 2011 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Zurich. Photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
The scene was the Hallenstadion in Zurich at the 2011 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.
Russia had finished in third place in Group A and the Swiss finished in second in Group B. The crossover quarter-finals would decide which team advanced to the semi-finals to face the United States while the loser would go on to play Sweden in the 5th/6th place game.
Darcia Leimgruber opened the scoring after just 35 seconds for the Swiss, and two goals from speedy teammate Sara Benz in the second made it 3-0 after two periods. All signs pointed to an historic win for the home side looking to make the top four for only the second time.
It wasn’t until 7:49 of the final period that Russia got on the board, thanks to a nice deke by Yekaterina Smolentseva on Swiss goalie Florence Schelling. Just three minutes later, Olga Permyakova made it a 3-2 game on a power play, and just like that a sure victory was now a nailbiter.
Swiss coach Rene Kammerer called a timeout, but the 30-second break wasn’t enough. The Swiss, unnerved, couldn’t hold the lead, and Alexandra Kapustina tied the game at 12:01.
"When we got down 3-0, it was a tough moment," Iya Gavrilova conceded. "In the third period, we came together as a team. When we got that first goal, we knew we had a chance. Our manager talked to us at the intermission and said that our guys were down 3-0 to the Canadians in the third period in Buffalo and came back and won [the U20 gold just a few weeks earlier], 5-3. We talked about the Russian character and how strong we are as a nation."
Continue readingJust 2:20 later, Olga Sosina gave the Russians a 4-3 lead on a nice deflection on another power play, and the 4,123 pro-Swiss fans could only look on in stunned silence.
The Swiss pressed, however, and with 43 seconds left in the game, Stephanie Marty managed to beat Anna Prugova with a shot during a mad scramble in front of the Russian goal, tying the game and forcing overtime.
At 2:58 of the ten-minute OT, however, Tatyana Burina scored the game winner for Russia, sending the team to the semi-finals. The victory, after being down 3-0, tied an IIHF record for biggest comeback in a WW game, and the Swiss fell to Sweden, 3-2, to end the tournament in sixth place when the chance for a medal seemed so close against Russia.
The loss was a shocker for the Swiss, but from the perspective of women’s hockey, it was a thrilling and entertaining game with a dramatic finish.
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