Category Archives: Women’s Hockey
KRS Vanke Rays!
The season is done, and the Women’s Hockey League has a new champion! KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen, who joined the league just last summer after a couple of campaigns in the CWHL, finished off a three-game Final sweep of defending champions Agidel Ufa earlier today with a 4-2 victory in the decider. Read on, for a look back at, and some thoughts on, the Final series!
Read the rest of this entryHockey and the Coronavirus: Updates
Below the jump, an attempt to put together a running list of hockey competitions that have been cancelled, suspended, or otherwise disrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19. The list will be updated, and heads-up notes etc. will be much appreciated! Read on, and do check back for further updates…
LATEST UPDATE: March 26th (international hockey update)
Read the rest of this entrySad News
KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen down Agidel Ufa 3-1 earlier today to take a 1-0 lead in the ZhHL Cup Final, but sadly that was not the biggest women’s hockey news of the day. The tweet above lays it out in start terms; the 2020 senior Women’s World Championship of the top division, scheduled for next month in Halifax and Truro, Canada, has been cancelled due to the situation with the COVID-19 outbreak.
That means, among other things, that the international women’s hockey calendar for the season is finished, at least in terms of World Championships (h/t to @nicktheiihffan). The senior Women’s Worlds for Divisions 1A, 1B, and 2A havey been cancelled for the same reason, while the Div. 2B and Div. 3 tournament have already taken place. The Men’s U18 Worlds in Divisions 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B have also been cancelled, as has the senior men’s Division 4 competition, and the entirety of the Asian Challenge Cup. There are likely more cancellations to come, too, and the IIHF will meet at a later date to decide what to do about the promotion and relegation between the different groups in the cases where that is an issue. A very sad state of affairs for international hockey fans, although under the circumstances it is difficult to be too critical of the IIHF’s decisions (especially because those decisions were made in consultation with public health officials and with the host cities).
It has been reported that the Halifax and Truro will now host the 2021 edition of the senior Women’s Worlds, and that will have a trickle-down effect as well. That tournament, in keeping with the IIHF’s tradition of alternating the tournament between Europe and North America, was expected to be awarded to Ufa, Russia. Now, however, it looks like Ufa’s opportunity to host will be pushed back to 2023 (the 2022 tournament will be superseded by the Olympic Games in China). Nothing 100% confirmed about that yet, and we wait for further developments.
Preview: The Women’s Hockey League Final!
In the wee hours of Saturday morning, North American time, the 2019-20 Women’s Hockey League championship Final will get underway in the Bashkir city of Ufa. Agidel Ufa, our two-time defending champions, are back for a shot at a third straight title, but they will face very stiff competition in the league’s newcomers, Chinese club KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen. Read on, for a look at both rosters!
Read the rest of this entry2019-20 ZhHL Playoff Preview, Round 1, Part 2!
Agidel Ufa opened their first-round series against Biryusa Krasnoyarsk earlier today with a 4-1 victory, and can advance to the Final by winning again on Sunday. You can see our preview of the Agidel-Biryusa series here, but now it’s time to look at the other Round 1 pairing. That one has second-seeded KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen, newcomers to the ZhHL this season, taking on former champions Tornado Moscow Oblast — read on, for some thoughts on what to expect from that one!
Read the rest of this entry2019-20 ZhHL Playoff Preview, Round 1, Part 1!
In just a few hours, the opening faceoff of the Women’s Hockey League‘s 2019-20 playoffs will take place, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Home team Biryusa will be facing the two-time defending champions, and 2019-20 regular-season winners, Agidel Ufa in that semi-final; the other, between KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen and Tornado Moscow Oblast, will begin on Friday. With that in mind, we’ll give each series its own post for previewing purposes, so read on for a look at what we might expect between Biryusa and Agidel!
Read the rest of this entryHome Stretches: the ZhHL
The 2019-20 regular season of the Women’s Hockey League, the ZhHL, wraps up this week, with all teams having two more games to play. And two of the league’s four playoff spots remain up for grabs, with three teams in contention for those, so it could well be a nail-biting run-in. Read on, as we consider the various playoff scenarios!
Read the rest of this entryYouth Must Be Served, Part 1
The Russian women’s senior national team is off to a six-nations tournament in Sweden next week — the full field will be: Czechia, Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden, and Switerland). The tournament runs from next Wednesday to next Saturday, and he have the Russian roster for it! Read on…
Read the rest of this entryThe KHL & Other Leagues Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak (Updated)
Much news this week about the outbreak of a coronavirus in China, particularly in the central province of Hubei. It is unclear yet how serious the outbreak is, and how worried we should all be, but the Chinese government has restricted travel to, from, and within the worst-hit areas. And the four Russian-based hockey leagues that include at least one Chinese team have also taken note of the situation, with one eye on the possible necessity of relocating some games. Read on, for a quick run-down of what steps the various the KHL, ZhHL, VHL, and MHL have taken so far, and what they might do if the coronavirus situation does not improve.
Most recent updates on January 29th.
Read the rest of this entryPlayoff Pictures
The various All-Star Festivities are out of the way (a very good time seems to have been had by all), and for the various Russian hockey leagues, it’s a straight drive from here to the end of the regular season, and thence the playoffs. So time now to set the various playoff scenarios, and see how the races are shaping up in the KHL, Women’s Hockey League, VHL, and MHL. Read on!
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CONWAY'S RUSSIAN HOCKEY BLOG 