2007 IIHF Women's World Championship

Matchup: Canada 8 vs. Germany 0, 7:30 p.m., MTS Centre | IIHF Summary

HAT TRICK FOR HAYLEY: CANADA BLANKS GERMANY

By Lucas Aykroyd

Canadian fans went home happy Thursday night after the host team’s resounding 8-0 victory over Germany to close out the Preliminary Round. For the second straight game, “O Canada” was played at the MTS Centre.

The win earned Canada top spot in Group B. Its next game comes in the Playoff Round on April 7 against the Americans, whose lopsided victory over China made them tops in Group A.

“I think we almost get into a new tournament now, with the US coming up on Saturday,” said captain Hayley Wickenheiser. “And what’s coming up will be a lot tougher out on the ice.”

Wickenheiser paced Canada with three goals and an assist, and Jennifer Botterill had two goals. Danielle Goyette notched a goal and two assists. Gina Kingsbury and Katie Weatherston added singles, while Meghan Agosta chipped in two helpers.

It was no wonder that Viona Harrer, the 20-year-old German goalie, was chosen as her team’s Player of the Game, even though she was pulled late in the proceedings. Canada fired a whopping 70 shots on goal, just shy of the National Team record of 73 in international competition (April 21, 1992 versus Denmark and March 8, 1999 versus Switzerland). Harrer got a long standing ovation from the fans.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Harrer. “I was crying. I think it was one of my best games. There was no pressure because you know you can’t do anything wrong, because they will score, so you just play.”

“I give her a lot of credit,” said Wickenheiser of Harrer. “She hung in there. She played a very brave game. They were outshot badly, but I think the crowd said it all.”

Delaney Collins, meanwhile, earned the honours as Canada’s Player of the Game.

Kim St-Pierre, making her first tournament start in goal for Canada, had to make just five saves for her 12th career shutout in IIHF World Championship and Olympic play.

The most notable downside for Canada was its inability to convert on the power play even though the Germans took seven minors.

“We were a little up and down,” Wickenheiser admitted. “They play the trap style, so they clog it up, and it’s really frustrating for you. I think all in all, for a game like that, we played pretty well.”

To the delight of the crowd, Canada opened the scoring at 2:27 when Winnipeg’s Jennifer Botterill walked in front of the net and slid a backhander through Harrer’s legs.

“It’s amazing the crowd had so much energy,” said Botterill. “It makes it so enjoyable for everyone on our team.”

Wickenheiser made it 2-0 just 36 seconds later when she took a pass from Meghan Agosta in the faceoff circle to Harrer’s right and beat the lunging goalie on the stick side.

Germany then successfully killed off a Canadian 5-on-3 man advantage, and got a little sustained pressure on a power play of its own after Sarah Vaillancourt went off for hooking at 12:20. Still, the territorial advantage overwhelmingly belonged to Canada, which outshot Germany 21-3 in the first 20 minutes.

At 2:40, Gina Kingsbury worked a give-and-go with Vicky Sunohara to perfection, as Sunohara dished the puck from behind on the line on to the stick of Kingsbury, who scored through the German goalie’s pads for a 3-0 Canadian lead.

Fifteen seconds later, Gillian Apps thought she’d given her team a four-goal goal on a clearcut break, but the play was called back on the offside.

Canada kept Germany’s Harrer incredibly busy as the period approached its midpoint, with Delaney Collins hammering a slapper high off the post. Then Jayna Hefford was hauled down from behind at 13:38 and awarded a penalty shot. She tried a leg kick followed by a backhand deke, but the German goalie didn’t bite on the move. Less than a minute later, Harrer blocked Agosta’s close-in attempt to convert a centering pass.

At 16:20, Wickenheiser finally made it 4-0 after a shooting gallery in the German end, getting wide-open near the high slot and zinging the puck over Harrer. A minute later, Goyette could have extended the Canadian lead, but Harrer’s outstretched arm blocked the backhander along the ice. When the siren sounded to end the second period, shots were 51-4 for Canada.

Unassisted, Wickenheiser completed her hat trick 54 seconds into the final stanza, cruising into the slot and powering a slapshot high past Harrer’s blocker.

At 14:04, Botterill made it 6-0 Canada when she got a 2-on-0 break with Sarah Vaillancourt and converted the give-and-go.

At 14:52, it was 7-0 when Katie Weatherston knifed a backhand through Harrer’s legs. That was it for Harrer, who earned a much-deserved rest, and was replaced between the pipes by Jennifer Harss. Just under a minute later, Agosta fed Goyette right in front for the 8-0 goal.

The atmosphere was noisy and upbeat, with the crowd decked out in a mix of red Canadian jerseys and “Whiteout” gear and equipped with noisemaker sticks.

During a pre-game ceremony, the 10,715 in attendance cheered when Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, and Danielle Goyette were presented with special commemorative silver sticks for being the only Canadian women ever to score 100 career international goals. A video tribute to all three stars with memories and reflections from their teammates was also well-received.

“It was really nice,” said Wickenheiser. “A hundred goals may not seem like a lot by NHL standards, but when you only play 10 games or so in a year with the national team, it’s a pretty good accomplishment.”

Canada has never lost to Germany at the IIHF World Women’s Championships, previously winning 17-0 in 1990, 13-0 in 1999, and 13-0 in 2004.

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Canada: Want to get a sense of how big a mismatch this game is likely to be? The host team has eight players with two points or more so far, while no German player has even registered a single point. Historically, Canada has established a 43-0 goal differential against the Germans in World Championship play (17-0 in 1990, 13-0 in 1999, and 13-0 in 2004). But complacency is not in the vocabulary of Team Canada Head Coach Melody Davidson or her players, and you can expect them to come after the Germans with the same relentlessness they showed in (especially) the first period of their 9-0 victory over Switzerland on April 3. Tallying four points apiece, veterans Danielle Goyette and Hayley Wickenheiser showed why they remain among the world’s elite female talents, and Jayna Hefford also impressed with her goal and assist. All three will deservedly be honoured by Hockey Canada in a pre-game ceremony tonight for scoring more than 100 career goals apiece while wearing the Maple Leaf, and will likely augment their totals versus Germany. But Canada’s youth is coming through too, as Meghan Agosta, Gillian Apps, and Katie Weatherston showed with their two-point outings. The defence corps will need to replicate its solid, stable performance against the Swiss. When you look at Delaney Collins with Gillian Ferrari, Colleen Sostorics with Carla MacLeod, and Cheryl Pounder with Tessa Bonhomme, there wasn’t a bad pairing out there. The 21-year-old Bonhomme, making her World Championship debut, impressed with her ability to skate and read the play. The only tendencies Canada may need to guard against are sitting back too much once a lead has been established and overpassing the puck. Canada’s goaltending is unlikely to be seriously tested in this game: again, the key will be to stay mentally sharp over the course of 60 minutes. A Canadian victory is about as certain as the sub-freezing temperatures outside the arena.

Germany: Upon losing 1-0 to Switzerland, the Germans were as heartbroken as their Swiss counterparts were elated. After finishing fifth at the 2005 IIHF World Women’s Championship and the 2006 Olympics, the German program appears to have taken a step backwards in Winnipeg. It will be a test of character to see how they respond 24 hours later against Canada, an opponent they have virtually no chance of beating. Do they just roll over and look cute like Knut (the baby polar bear who recently made headlines at the Berlin Zoo)? Or do they bare their teeth and go after Canada, playing gritty defense to minimize quality scoring opportunities for the Olympic champions? Thirty-three-year-old veteran Christina Fellner, who’s been part of the German team since the inaugural World Championship in 1990 in Ottawa, will need to show leadership for the sake of her younger teammates. They’ll need to avoid getting too physical, as they took a bodychecking penalty in each period against the Swiss, and the Canadian power play will make them pay if that pattern persists. Goalie Jennifer Harss was excellent versus the Swiss, even though she came up short in her duel with Florence Schelling at the other end. Yet Head Coach Peter Kathan could decide to give Viona Harrer her first World Championship start since 2005 and rest Harss for the must-win Relegation Round games. Kathan has said he’d like to get three or four goals against Canada, even in a losing cause, but that may be too much to hope for, unless forwards like Maritta Becker and Michaela Lanzl really step up their games.

Lucas Aykroyd