Defeats from unexpected source

The French national team turned out to be the troublemakers in an otherwise peaceful hockey tournament
By Yegor Glebov

The French national team turned out to be the troublemakers in an otherwise peaceful hockey tournament


Canadians were first to be defeated

When a team like France beats a main contender like the Canadians, 3:2, what should the reaction be? Some Canadian fans panicked, while others were confused.


French national team celebrates victory over Canadians

It is possible to understand all of these reactions, taking into account the fact that the forefathers of hockey are still high from their Olympic triumph in Sochi. It’s inconceivable how the French, occupying 12th place in the world IIHF ratings, could surpass the ‘Maple Leaves’.

However, similar things sometimes happen because of the alignment of level in international hockey. Besides, one failure in the group stage does not mean a catastrophic end result. And the Canadians proved this in their following games.

Then the Slovaks…

Thanks to four pucks in the third period, and also doubles of Roussel and Amar, the French made a second surprise, defeating the national team of Slovakia, 5:3.

Looking at the statistics before, the result seemed inevitable: The teams played five times, and in each meeting the Slovaks have grown in strength. But on the ice of Chizhovka-Arena, the Frenchmen broke this system. Down after two periods, with the score at 1:3, they did not lose heart, upsetting the Slovak goalkeeper four times in the third period, while they themselves did not miss at all. It is necessary to note this defeat was helped by a considerable quantity of expulsion on both sides, but on this day, luck was on the side of the surprising French team.
Заметили ошибку? Пожалуйста, выделите её и нажмите Ctrl+Enter