Round Robin Standings
|
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Difference
|
|
Switzerland
|
6
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
20
|
+19
|
|
Canada
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
18
|
+15
|
|
Sweden
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
15
|
+6
|
|
Czech Republic
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
11
|
+7
|
|
Norway
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
9
|
-14
|
|
Denmark
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
-7
|
|
Belarus
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
3
|
-11
|
|
Slovenia
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
2
|
-15
|
Quarter Finals
Switzerland - 2
Czech Republic - 1
Canada - 2
Sweden - 3 (SO)
The Story For Each Team
Belarus
Once again, Belarus avoids a last place finish. They started off goalless, getting shutout 2-0 bu the Czech Republic. Belarus' lone win was against Slovenia, beating them 4-3. Belarus did have a lead against Sweden for a bit, but end up losing the game 2-1. The losing continued, as Canada (4-1), Norway (3-1), and Denmark (3-2) all got points against Belarus. The Belorussians finished their tournament getting beat by Switzerland 4-1. Belarus finished 7th in Group S, with their 1 win (along with hosting next year's tournament) keeping them up in the main tournament.
Canada
Canada started the tournament kind of roughly. They allowed Denmark to score first, but did end up winning the game 3-1. The same thing happened against Switzerland, but this time Canada gave the lead midway though the third and the game went all the way to a shootout, were they end up losing 3-2. Canada finally got on the winning track, demolishing Norway 7-1. The winning continued for the Canadians, as they shutout Sweden 3-0 and beat Belarus 4-1 and Czech Republic 2-1. In their last group game, Canada got a scare early as Slovenia went up 2-0 in the first. Eventually, Canada caught up and forced overtime, were a Steven Stamkos breakaway goal ended the game. Canada ended up 2nd in the group, and would face Sweden in the Quarter Finals. Against Sweden, Canada lost Eric Staal on a knee-on-knee collision. It took Canada most of the ensuring powerplay to finally open the scoring. Two bad penalties cost Canada the lead and put them down 2-1. Claude Giroux shortly tied the game back up. After overtime, a shootout was needed, and Canada was only able to get a goal while Sweden got 2. Canada lost the game 3-2 and are, once again, done in the Quarter Finals.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic started out nicely with a 2-0 win against Belarus. A losing streak soon followed, as the Czechs suffered losses to Sweden (2-1) and Switzerland (5-2). The Czech Republic did struggle against Denmark, but they did manage to win the game 2-1 in a shootout. The Czechs lost against Canada set up a win-and-get-in match against Norway, which the Czechs had no problem with. A 7-0 drubbing of Norway was enough for the Czechs to finish 4th and a matchup against Switzerland in the Quarter Finals. Against Switzerland, the Czech Republic tried to mount a comeback from being down 2-0, but only managed to get 1 goal. The 2-1 loss ended the Czechs tournament.
Denmark
Denmark made a few noises in this group. They were able to jump to a 1-0 lead against Canada, but gave up 3 goals afterwards for the lost. Denmark managed to come back against Norway, but gave up a late goal in the third to get the loss. The Danes did managed to find the win column, tying their game against Slovenia in the third and scoring in overtime. Denmark added to their point total against the Czechs, forcing the game to go all the way to a shootout, but they couldn't win in the end. Denmark lost against Switzerland 4-1. The Danes finally got a regulation win, beating Belarus. Denmark ended the tournament losing 4-2 to the host Swedes. Denmark finished 6th in the group, clear from both relegation and a spot in the Quarter Finals.
Norway
Norway, in the end, became NO-way. They got off to a hot start, beating Slovenia (3-1) and Denmark (3-2). Norway was brought back down by Canada and Sweden, getting crushed 7-1 and 5-1 respectively. Norway did rebound against Belarus, winning 3-1. They ended up on the other side of a 3-1 score against Switzerland. In their final group game, they faced off against Czech Republic, with the winner qualifying for the Quarter Finals. Norway ended up being shutout by the Czechs 7-0. That lost out Norway 5th in the group, ending their tournament.
Slovenia
For Slovenia, it was the closest they have been to staying up in a long time. Slovenia started the tournament losing to Norway (3-1) and Belarus (4-3). They were close against Denmark, leading the game heading into the third before giving up the tying goal and losing in overtime. That was the closest Slovenia got to a win for a while, as Switzerland pounded them 7-1 in their next game. Games against the Czech Republic (4-2) and Sweden (2-0) only added to Slovenia's woes. Slovenia tried to end the tournament with a bang, going up 2-0 against Canada. But the Canadians fought back and brought the game to overtime, were Slovenia lost 4-3. Slovenia ended up last in the group with 2 points, and will once again head back down to Division I Group A for next year.
Sweden
The host of this group didn't start off well, losing to Switzerland 3-2. Sweden was able to get back on track with a pair on 2-1 wins against the Czech Republic and Belarus. The Swede's largest win was against Norway, beating them 5-1. The last loss Sweden suffered was against Canada getting shut out 3-0. Sweden came back with a shutout of their own, stoning Slovenia in a 2-0 win. In their last game, Sweden needed a 3-goal third period to get by Denmark and win 4-2. Sweden finished the group in 3rd, setting up a match against Canada in the Quarter Finals. Against Canada, an Alexander Edler kneeing penalty eventually hurt the Swedes, putting them down 1-0. They did get some powerplay redemption though, as Nicklas Danielsson and Loui Eriksson scored on two consecutive powerplays to take the lead. Canada answered back, tying the game. Overtime solved nothing. In the shootout, after both teams swapped goals (and both Sedins getting stopped), Fredrik Pettersson rocketed a slapshot past Mike Smith that stood as the winning goal. Sweden won the game 3-2, and are off to the Semi-Finals to face the other host country (Finland).
Switzerland
This tournament was a great one for Switzerland. The Swiss started off with a pair of 3-2 wins (against Sweden and Canada in a shootout). Switzerland needed a 3-goal third period to beat the Czech Republic 5-2. That was the toughest part for the Swiss, as they rolled though the rest of the tournament. They easily beat Slovenia (7-1), Denmark (4-1), Norway (3-1), and finished off the group stage by beating Belarus 4-1. Switzerland was the only undefeated team in this tournament, earning the top spot in Group S. In the Quarter Finals they faced the Czech Republic. The Swiss were able to hang on against the Czechs for the 2-1 win. The win finally gets Switzerland past the Quarter Finals and into the Semi-Finals, were they will face the US.
Power Rankings Fun
It's hard to deny that the IIHF Power Rankings are one of the best things about this tournament. Here are the best comments for each team.
Belarus - Getting goal scoring tips from Scott Gomez (May 12)
Canada - OMG...we got beaten buy Tom Cruise's daughter! (May 5)
Czech Republic - Could a non-NHLer please get a point? (May 5)
Denmark - Norway, we do not love your Viking-on-Viking action (May 5)
Norway - Just wait till Don Cherry hears you ran up the score (May 7)
Slovenia - Why are we here? What is the meaning of it all? (May 9)
Sweden - Daniel and Henrik are taking us to the ABBA Museum! (May 14)
Switzerland - Two words: "Big Eight" (May 7)
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