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2019 Worlds

Behind the Glass: Recap of the 2019 Worlds

Our second installment of Behind the Glass for the 2019 Worlds

It’s time for another installment of Behind the Glass — the Ice Garden’s weekly column collecting stories, stats, trends, and observations from the world of professional women’s hockey the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last week we took a look at the numbers and trends of the group stage. This time around, we’re looking at the big picture, now that the medals have been handed out.

If you’d like to see more stats from this year’s tournament in Espoo, I recently made my Google Sheet collecting many of the stats you’ll see cited below (and more) available to the public.

Team USA

  • Defender Cayla Barnes had assists on four of Team USA’s seven power play goals in the tournament. She was one of seven defenders with more than five points in Espoo. She was also named to the IIHF’s All-Star team along with Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hilary Knight.
  • Captain Kendall Coyne Schofield was named the Best Forward of the tournament. She finished tied in fourth place in points (nine). Coyne Schofield picked up eight of her nine points at even strength.
  • Hilary Knight finished the tournament as the highest-scoring skater with 11 points — all primary — in seven games. She scored a goal in every game for Team USA except the gold medal game. Knight also finished second in primary points per 60 minutes (P1/60)./
  • Goaltender Alex Rigsby won a record-setting five games at the 2019 Worlds. Her .953 save percentage was the best in the tournament. She made 26 saves and earned an unforgettable tripping minor in the gold medal game against Finland./

2019 Worlds: The Call

Team Finland

  • Captain Jenni Hiirikoski was named the tournament’s MVP and best defender. Her 26:03 TOI/GP led all skaters in Espoo and she finished the tournament second in points. Hiirikoski also played seven games without taking a single minor penalty.
  • Noora Räty, who was named the Best Goaltender of the tournament, made 50 saves in the gold medal game against Team USA. She finished the 2019 Worlds with the second-highest save percentage (behind only Alex Rigsby) and a tournament-leading 4.487 goals saved above average (GSAA)./
  • Michelle Karvinen was Finland’s highest-scoring forward with nine points in seven games. She averaged 19:44 TOI/GP and was the only non-American forward named to the IIHF’s All-Star team./

Team Canada

  • Veteran forward Brianne Jenner wore the “C” for Team Canada after its first three games of the group stage./
  • Canada outshot Finland 45-19 in their semifinal defeat on April 13. Star forwards Rebecca Johnston and Natalie Spooner both put seven shots on goal in that game without scoring.
  • Goaltender Geneviève Lacasse faced an average of seven shots against per 60 minutes (SA60) — that was the lowest SA60 in the tournament. Lacasse earned two wins for Canada and stopped 13 of the 14 shots she faced.
  • Forward Jamie Lee Rattray’s 5.50 P1/60 was the highest in the tournament. She scored one of Canada’s two goals in their semifinal loss against Finland but averaged only 9:21 TOI/GP./

Team Russia

  • Tornado star Anna Shokhina, who missed two games of the 2019 Worlds due to a suspension, finished in the Top-30 in the tournament in P1/60. She was one of just three Russian skaters who had more than two primary points in Espoo.
  • Captain Olga Sosina was responsible for 15.49 percent of Russia’s shots in the 2019 Worlds. She put five shots on net and logged 23:48 TOI in Russia’s quarterfinal showdown against the Czech Republic.
  • Russia finished the tournament with the worst team save percentage (.854). The Russians were one of two teams that played exclusively against Group A teams, which definitely played a part in their -27 even strength goal differential. /

Team Switzerland

  • The Swiss finished the tournament with 54 shots in five games; Team Canada averaged 47.53 shots per game over seven games in Espoo.
  • Alina Müller ranked second among all forwards in Espoo in average ice time. In her five games for Switzerland, she averaged 22:27 TOI/GP. Müller led her team in TOI/GP She was also responsible for 21.56 percent of the team’s shots.
  • Forward Phoebe Stänz was the only other Swiss forward to register more than eight shots on goal in Espoo. She averaged 1.8 SOG/GP, but failed to pick up a point in five games. Stänz had three goals and an assist in six games at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang./

Team Czech Republic

  • Lest we forget: the Czechs held a one-goal lead over the eventual silver medal-winning Team Finland for 6:11 on April 11.
  • Klára Peslarová was one of three goaltenders to finish the 2019 Worlds with three or more wins. She made 40 saves in the Czech’s 3-1 loss to Finland and finished the tournament with three of the Czech Republic’s four wins.
  • Connecticut Whale star Kateřina Mrázová led her national team with 23:21 TOI/GP. Mrázová finished the tournament with a 55.86 percent success rate on the faceoff dot, three points, and 15 SOG./

Team Germany

  • Defender Anna Fiegert led Germany with an average of 23:08 TOI/GP, but skated less than 20 minutes against Team Canada in the quarterfinals. She averaged over 30 shifts per game through Germany’s five games in the tournament and picked up a goal and an assist.
  • Captain Julia Zorn was the only skater on Germany with more than two primary points; she finished the tournament with three. Zorn averaged 17:18 TOI/GP and was finished third among German skaters in shots on goal with nine in five games.
  • Goaltender Jennifer Harß finished the tournament with a .935 save percentage while facing an average of 41.34 shots against per 60 minutes (SA60). She had the best save percentage of any Group B goaltender who played at least 62 minutes of hockey./

Team Japan

  • Goaltender Nana Fujimoto held Team USA’s relentless offense to just four goals in the quarterfinals on April 11. Fujimoto stopped 49 of the 53 shots she faced in that game and finished her tournament with five starts, two wins, and a .928 save percentage.
  • Thanks to their sound defensive system and great goaltending, Japan finished the 2019 Worlds with a -3 even strength goal differential. They allowed three even strength goals in their quarterfinal game against Team USA.
  • Defender Akane Hosoyamada led Japan with an average of 24:13 TOI/GP. Hosoyamada, an alternate captain, had the lowest plus/minus on Japan’s blue line (-4) and failed to pick up a point, but she averaged 2.2 SOG/GP./

Team Sweden

  • Sweden narrowly defeated France in the relegation game by a score of 3-2. Star forward Emma Nordin scored a goal, notched a primary assist, and was credited with four shots on goal in that crucial game.
  • Sweden’s 11.11 percent success rate on the power play was the worst in the tournament by a significant margin. The Swedes, coached by Ylva Martinsen, also finished with the second-worst penalty kill — a meek 68.42 percent.
  • MODO defender Johanna Olofsson led Sweden with an average of 25:37 TOI/GP. She was second only to Finland’s Hiirikoski in in TOI/GP in Espoo. Despite all of that ice time and putting nine shots on net, she finished the tournament without a point. /

Team France

  • France’s top two defenders, Gwendoline Gendarme and Athena Locatelli, finished the tournament third and fourth in average TOI/GP, respectively. Gendarme averaged 25:09 TOI/GP and Locatelli averaged 24:21 TOI/GP.
  • Northeastern star Chloé Aurard was one of two skaters on France with two goals in Espoo. Aurard scored her second goal in France’s relegation game defeat against Sweden. She finished that game with six shots and an average of 23:07 TOI/GP.
  • Veteran forward Lore Baudrit led France with 24 SOG in five games and averaged 22:09 TOI/GP. She was also the only player on France who picked up a primary point at even strength and on the power play./

Behind the Glass of the 2019 Worlds in Espoo

All data courtesy of IIHF.com and the author’s own tracking.

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