Wednesday’s program at the Ostravar Arena kicked off with a match between the USA and Australia, which, despite initially appearing to be a one-sided affair, ended up being very evenly matched. This was followed by a match between Japan and Singapore, where, despite an unexpected comeback by the Singaporeans in the final stages, it was the Japanese who came out on top.
USA – Australia 7:8 (2:4, 3:3, 2:1)
Australia got into the game right from the first minutes and had a huge chance to open the score in the 35th second. Although they failed to do so after an inaccurate finish, they did not have to be sad for long, because in less than three minutes they actually scored the goal. Their dominance in the first period was so high that the USA took a time-out already in the 7th minute. This definitely helped, because just a minute later, American captain Marie Haggstrom made a breakthrough, with a freestyle from behind the goal. America then gradually started to catch up with its opponent, and during the start of the third period it was a fairly even score of 5:7. At the very end of the match, the score could have been tied at 8:8, but at 18:30, the Australian goalkeeper made a brilliant save, catching a clear goal by America with a monster save, and her team won 8:7 in a dramatic ending.
Japan – Singapore 5:3 (4:0, 1:0, 0:3)
Wednesday ended with a match between two Asian teams still waiting for their first win. Japan managed to draw with Australia, while Singapore conceded goals from all of its opponents so far, with Japan being only slightly more merciful. Despite a slow start without any dangerous action, the Japanese scored four goals in the first period, with Abe Yu scoring three times. In the second period, it took the players from the Land of the Rising Sun only a few seconds to score, but that was the only dangerous action of the second period. Although the score was 5-0 in the final period and it looked like the game was already decided, the Singaporeans unexpectedly came to life and caused nervousness on the Japanese side with three quick goals. However, they were unable to equalize. The Japanese celebrate their first win and will face Australia, whom they have already met in the tournament, in the battle for 13th place.
