07.03.2014 | Radoslav Vavřina, Martin Voltr
Přerov champion to face Japan in elite division qualifier
This season marks the first time the Division I of World Women´s Hockey Championships takes place in the same year the Winter Olympics do. That is allowed by the fact that all eight Olympic participants are also elite-division teams. The winner of the Přerov tournament, however, will have to get past one big obstacle en route to the elite division and beat eighth-placed Team Japan in a best-of-three series.
The qualifying series will be hosted by the country that is higher in the 2014 IIHF women´s hockey rankings and in comparison with ninth-placed Japan, Team Czech Republic is, at number eight, the only Division I participant that is ranked higher. In case any other team wins the Přerov tournament – Slovakia (10th), Norway (11th), Denmark (12th), Austria (13th) or France (16th) – the qualifier will be hosted by Team Japan.
The Japanese national team ended the Sochi Olympics without a victory, but played effectively and, in almost every game, was close to cashing in some points before failing in the closing minutes. Three times the Japanese lost by a one-goal margin, including the seventh-place game against Team Germany.
Team Czech Republic, in case it wins in Přerov, is ready for Japan as it´s got loads of experience with the team from the past couple of years. The teams faced-off twice each season in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and three times in this 2013-14 season. The only win by the Czech team was recorded at the November 2013 tournament in Yokohama, Japan.
Photo courtesy of Karel Švec, Czech Ice Hockey Association.
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