Nandu News Reporter Wu Chunyi won all four games, returning to the top group of the Women's Ice Ice Championship after 14 years! On the evening of August 24, the Chinese women's ice hockey team sat in Longgang Universiade Center to face Austria, and finally won 2:0 after three hard games, while winning four consecutive victories, it also locked the top two positions in the standings in advance, becoming the first team to advance to the top group of next year's Women's Ice Skating World Championship.
Locking in the promotion quota, China's women's ice hockey returned to the top group of the World Championships after 14 years.
At the beginning of the game, the Chinese team engaged in a battle of speed with their opponents. In the opening stage, the Austrian team used the tactic of grabbing in front of the attack area to suppress the Chinese team's attack and seize the initiative. In the first quarter alone, Austria was far ahead of China with 15 shots on target. Under pressure, China also relied on counter-attacks to get several great chances, including Kong Minghui's shot hitting the opponent's crossbar, and the Chinese team missed the lead.
In the second quarter, the Chinese team adjusted its offensive strategy, taking advantage of the space for the opponent's defense to move back, and instigating the offensive with a combination of passing in the middle of the side. In the 34th minute, defender Lin Qiqi inserted a foul on the wing. The Chinese team got the only five-on-four chance of the match. After relying on an outside pass to tear open the opponent's defense, striker Linney's powerful shot caused confusion in front of the Austrian goal, and Lin Qiqi quickly followed up and shot into the net. China took a 1-0 lead.
In the final quarter of the game, Austria was in a physical dilemma and could not break through the defensive line in midfield. The Chinese team, on the other hand, insisted on four groups of players rotating to play and control the ball with aggressive runs and interceptions. In this quarter, the Chinese team had 14 shots on target, twice as many as their opponents. Twelve seconds before the game, defender Wang Yuting fired a long-range shot into the empty net to seal the victory for China. It is worth mentioning that Chen Tiya, a goalkeeper who played well in the last game, made 30 successful saves in this game, winning the second clean sheet for the Chinese team.
In the standings, the Chinese team, which won all four games, won 12 points and ranked first, and has locked in the top two of this year's Women's Ice Championships, and qualified for promotion to the top group of next year's World Championships one round in advance. On the evening of the 26th, the Chinese team will face the last opponent, the Netherlands, and since the Dutch team is only in second place by 3 points, the winner of both sides will win the championship of this tournament (Group A of the first division).
The Chinese women's ice hockey team celebrates its victory.
The opponent of the Chinese team's first game, Slovakia, has accumulated 0 points in four games and four losses in this tournament, and will participate in the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship Group B competition next year.