Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Qualification Round 2 - Group J Preview

The tournament was almost over before it started, as Japan and Ukraine never gave up a goal until they faced each other in the final day. The host would win out in that matchup, as Japan got by Ukraine The other end of the table saw the goalless Croatia go up against goalless Romania for third place. Both teams would get their first of the tournament, but Croatia added their second, third, and fourth, en route to the win and a third place finish. Romania ends up in last place.

Note: Most information from the IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OTW/SOW	OTL/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Japan	3	0	0	0	9	+11
Ukraine	2	0	0	1	6	+8
Croatia	1	0	0	2	3	-6
Romania	0	0	0	3	0	-13

Results

February 11
Ukraine 3 - Romania 0
Croatia 0 - Japan  3

February 13
Ukraine 6 - Croatia 0
Japan 7 - Romania 0

February 14
Romania 1 - Croatia 4
Japan 2 - Ukraine 1

Notes

• Goals Leader: Artem Gnidenko (Ukraine), Yuri Petrangovsky (Ukraine), Shuhei Kuji (Japan), Daisuke Obara (Japan), Yuto Osawa (Japan) - 2
• Points Leader: Daisuke Obara (Japan) - 5
• GAA Leader: Yutaka Fukufuji (Japan) - 0.50
• Save % Leader: Eduard Zakharchenko (Ukraine) - 97.59
• The "No Surprise" Game: What happened the first two days
• The "Upset" Game: None

What Now?

Japan: The win puts Japan in a group with Latvia, Germany, and Austria in the final qualifying round come September. But before that, Japan will travel to Poland to play in the World Championship Division IA tournament.

Ukraine: Ukraine's Olympic dreams are now over, as they now look forward to the World Championship. Being relegated last year, they will partake in the Division IB tournament that will be held in Croatia.

Croatia: A young group gained some experience from this tournament. They will now look to build on it in April, when they host the World Championship Division IB tournament.

Romania: Another young team gained some experience, but ended the tournament with only one goal. The bright side is that a promotion last year puts them in the World Championship Division IB tournament, where they can try to take the rematch against Croatia.

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Qualification Round 2 - Group H Review

It went down to the wire, as the last day saw Poland and Hungary battle it out for the top spot and the chance to move on to the next round. Poland managed to withstand Hungary during 65 minutes of play, and scored the lone goal in the shootout, as they get to advance. The host Hungarians finish second after their heartbreaking loss. Estonia provide to be better than their ranking, as they finish third. Lithuania leave the tournament in last place, finishing without a point.

Note: Most information from the IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OTW/SOW	OTL/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Poland	2	1	0	0	8	+13
Hungary	2	0	1	0	7	+9
Estonia	1	0	0	2	3	-7
Lithuania	0	0	0	3	0	-15

Results

February 11
Poland 6 - Estonia 2
Lithuania 0 - Hungary 4

February 12
Poland 9 - Lithuania 1
Hungary 7 - Estonia 1

February 14
Estonia 4 - Lithuania 1
Hungary 0 - Poland 1 (SO)

Notes

• Goals Leader: Krzysztof Zapala (Poland) - 3
• Points Leader: Andrew Sarauer (Hungary) - 5
• GAA Leader: Przemyslaw Odrobny (Poland), Miklos Rajna (Hungary) - 0.48
• Save % Leader: Przemyslaw Odrobny (Poland) - 98.70
• The "No Surprise" Game: What happened in the first two days.
• The "Upset" Game: Poland squeezing by Hungary 1-0 in a shootout.

What Now?

Poland: Poland gets to celebrate this victory for a few months, as they don't need to play again until April. When they regroup next time, they will play as host of the World Championship Division IA tournament. As for the Olympic qualifying, they will head to Minsk to face Belarus, Slovenia, and Denmark. The initial look is that Poland will need quite a bit of luck to make it out of that group.

Hungary: The bad news is that Hungary's Olympic hopes are over. The good news is that they can now focus on the World Championship, as they are back in the main tournament for the first time since 2009.

Estonia: Escaping with a win is a decent result for a team that needed to qualify for this tournament. Estonia will now wait until April, as they'll head to Croatia to play in the World Championship Division IB tournament.

Lithuania: It wasn't a good tournament for the Lithuanians, as they only managed to score two goals in three games. They will now focus on the World Championship Division IB tournament, where they can get revenge on Estonia.

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Qualification Round 2 - Group G Review

It wasn't too much of a challenge for the host Italians, as they finish on top of the standings and get to move on to the next qualifying round. Great Britain had a chance on the last day for an upset and a chance to move on, but fell flat. Lightning did not strike twice for the Netherlands, but they did manage to keep it close against the top two teams. Despite not earned a point in this short tournament, Serbia will gain plenty of experience playing against this level of competition.

Note: Most information from the IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OTW/SOW	OTL/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Italy	3	0	0	0	9	+14
Great Britain	2	0	0	1	6	+1
Netherlands	1	0	0	2	3	+1
Serbia	0	0	0	3	0	-16

Results

February 11
Great Britain 6 - Netherlands 5
Italy 8 - Serbia 0

February 13
Great Britain 6 - Serbia 2
Netherlands 2 - Italy 4

February 14
Serbia 3 - Netherlands 7
Italy 6 - Great Britain 2

Notes

• Goals Leader: David Clarke (Great Britain), Mitch Bruijsten (Netherlands) - 3
• Points Leader: Mike Dalhuisen (Netherlands) - 8
• GAA Leader: Andreas Bernard (Italy) - 1.00
• Save % Leader: Andreas Bernard (Italy) - 93.55
• The "No Surprise" Game: Anyone facing Serbia
• The "Upset" Game: None

What Now?

Italy: Finishing in first earns the Italians a spot in the final qualifying round. They have a decent shot in the next round as well, as they face Norway, France, and Kazakhstan. But before then, they will head to Poland in April to take part in the World Championship Division IA tournament.

Great Britain: Great Britain will refocus after this tournament, as they head to Croatia to play in the World Championship Division IB tournament.

Netherlands: The Netherlands kept their losses close, but could not find a way to move on to the next round. Since they were relegated from Division IB last year, they will go to Spain to play in the Division IIA tournament.

Serbia: Serbia takes what they learn here and will apply it in April, when they go to Spain (again) and play in the World Championship Division IIA tournament. They also get to face the Netherlands again, and will try to make the game closer (if not cause an upset).

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Qualification Round 2 - Group G Preview

Italy host Group H, and are the favourite to move on to the next round. The Netherlands look to recapture their magic from four years ago, when they reach the final qualifying round. Great Britain looks to mount a challenge for the top spot as well. Serbia looks to keep their momentum going, as they won a previous round of qualifying to get here.

Note: Most information from the IIHF website.

World Rankings

18. Italy
24. Great Britain
25. Netherlands
30. Serbia

Rosters

Great Britain

Goalies:

Name	Team
Ben Bowns	Cardiff Devils
Steven Lyle	Swindon Wildcats

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Stephan Lee	Nottingham Panthers
Sam Oakford	Nottingham Panthers
Ben O'Connor	Sheffield Steelers
David Phillips	Manchester Storm
Paul Swindlehurst	Nottingham Panthers

Forwards:

Name	Team
Joshua Batch	Cardiff Devils
Jonathan Boxill	Belfast Giants
David Clarke	Nottingham Panthers
Russell Cowley	Coventry Blaze
Benjamin Davies	Braehead Clan
Mathew Davies	Manchester Storm
Mark Garside	Belfast Giants
Robert Lachowicz	Nottingham Panthers
Matthew Myers	Nottingham Panthers
Craig Peacock	Belfast Giants
Jonathan Phillips	Sheffield Steelers
Mark Richardson	Cardiff Devils
Colin Shields	Belfast Giants
Ashley Tait	Coventry Blaze
Ross Venus	Coventry Blaze

Italy

Goalies:

Name	Team
Andreas Bernard	Assat Pori
Thomas Tragust	SHC Fassa
Gianluca Vallini	HC Gherdeina

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Christian Borgatello	Ritten Sport
Alexander Egger	Bolzano Foxes
Alexander Gellert	SG Cortina
Armin Helfer	Pustertal Bruneck
Thomas Larkin	Medvescak Zagreb
Stefano Marchetti	Asiago Hockey
Hannes Oberdorfer	Bolzano Foxes
Nicholas Plastino	Tappara Tempere

Forwards:

Name	Team
Raphael Andergassen	Pustertal Bruneck
Anton Bernard	Bolzano Foxes
Kevin Devergilio	Pustertal Bruneck
Daniel Frank	Bolzano Foxes
Luca Frigo	HC Valpellice
Markus Gander	Bolzano Foxes
Marco Insam	Bolzano Foxes
Diego Kostner	HC Lugano
Simon Kostner	Ritten Sport
Jari Monferone	Alleghe Hockey
Joachim Ramoser	EHC Munchen
Paul Zanette	Asiago Hockey

Netherlands

Goalies:

Name	Team
Sjoerd Idzenga	Heerenveen Flyers
Ruud Leeuwesteijn	Tilburg Trappers
Martijn Oosterwijk	Tilburg Trappers

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Ryan Collier	Tilburg Trappers
Mike Dalhuisen	Esbjerg Energy
Jurryt Smid	Zoetermeer Panthers
Reinier Staats	Tilburg Trappers
Kilian van Gorp	Tilburg Trappers
Jordy van Oorschot	Tilburg Trappers
Giovanni Vogelaar	Tilburg Trappers

Forwards:

Name	Team
Maarten Brekelmans	Tilburg Trappers
Kevin Bruijsten	Amiens Gothiques
Mitch Bruijsten	Tilburg Trappers
Reno de Hondt	Tilburg Trappers
Diederick Hagemeijer	Tilburg Trappers
Marcel Kars	Hijs Hokij Wolves
Tom Marx	Geleen Smoke Eaters
Nardo Nagtzaam	Olimpija Ljubljana
Joey Oosterveld	Amsterdam Tigers
Danny Stempher	Tilburg Trappers
Ivy van den Heuvel	Tilburg Trappers
Mike Verschuren	Eindhoven Kemphanen
Ronald Wurm	Heerenveen Flyers

Serbia

Goalies:

Name	Team
Arsenije Rankovic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Petar Stepanovic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Ivan Anic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Marko Brkusanin	Partizan Belgrade
Stefan Ilic	HC Valpellice
Dragan Komazec	Partizan Belgrade
Aleksa Lukovic	Partizan Belgrade
Ugljesa Novakovic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Pavle Podunavac	MAC Budapest
Robert Sabados	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade

Forwards:

Name	Team
Uros Bjelogrlic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Mirko Djumic	MAC Budapest
Dimitrije Filipovic	Partizan Belgrade
Ivan Glavonjic	HK Stalkers Daugavpils
Nikola Kerezovic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Marko Milovanovic	Partizan Belgrade
Petar Novakovic	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Pavel Popravka	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Nenad Rakovic	Partizan Belgrade
Srdjan Ristic	Partizan Belgrade
Nemanja Vucurevic	Eispiraten Crimmitschau
Andrej Zwick	Crvena Zvezda Belgrade

Schedule

February 11
Great Britain - Netherlands
Italy - Serbia

February 13
Great Britain - Serbia
Netherlands - Italy

February 14
Serbia - Netherlands
Italy - Great Britain

Last 5 International Matches

Great Britain: 3-2 Loss (Lithuania), 3-2 Win (Netherlands), 3-2 Win (South Korea), 2-1 Win (Estonia), 3-2 OT Win (Croatia)

Italy: 5-3 Win (Kazakhstan), 3-2 Loss (France), 2-0 Loss (Poland), 2-1 Loss (Latvia), 3-0 Win (Japan)

Netherlands: 2-1 Win (Romania), 3-1 Loss (Ukraine), 5-0 Win (Romania B), 3-1 Loss (Estonia), 3-2 Loss (Great Britain)

Serbia: 5-3 Win (Spain), 5-1 Win (China), 5-4 SO Win (Iceland), 4-3 SO Win (Spain), 3-2 OT Loss (Belgium)

Predictions

1 (Qualify for Round 3) - Italy
2 - Great Britain
3 - Netherlands
4 - Serbia

Italy is too good for this group, and as the host, should be able to give the home crowd something to cheer about. The real battle will be for second, as Great Britain and the Netherlands are relatively neck-and-neck. I'm guessing Great Britain manages to squeeze out a victory for second place. Netherlands settle for third. Serbia had a good run, but it will end here, as they are poised to finish fourth.