PGT: Game 4: Finland 1 - Sweden 2

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You have more gold than us in junior hockey so i don't see what your problem is obviously you're coaching is doing something right.

those earlier absolutely, problem is the current one. look how last two years has gone, broken teams similar we saw today.
 
Just another reminder to myself that never trust Finland in NA ice.

What garbage again.
 
Let them play a bit more before we give up on them yeah?

I didn't give up on the entire tourney.

But they just kept building on their garbage NA reputation with another horrible game.
 
It seems to me that it’s often blamed on the coaching if Finnish teams/players don’t perform as desired. Are there ANY good coaches in the country?

I think we have as good coaches as any country, but not for NA hockey.

And it's somewhat crazy, because Finnish hockey identity is probably most North American from European countries. Teams play in smaller rink etc. not NA small but the hybrid.

How can't they get everything on same paper?

It could be something with the talent in defence, because for last years NA hasn't been any kind of problem for Sweden. Sweden seems to have 4 "Heiskanens" on every tournament, when Finland has probably one. Forward talent hasn't been problem for years, but transition game from defence could be it.
 
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I think we have as good coaches as any country, but not for NA hockey.

And it's somewhat crazy, because Finnish hockey identity is probably most North American from European countries. Teams play in smaller rink etc. not NA small but the hybrid.

How can't they get everything on same paper?

It has to be something with the talent in defence, because for last years NA hasn't been any kind of problem for Sweden. Sweden seems to have 4 "Heiskanens" on every tournament, when Finland has probbaly one. Forward talent hasn't been problem for years, but transition game from defence could be it.
This NA curse is little bit of an myth. Last year for example we were better then an QF loss shows. We played 4-2 against the gold medalist, and 5-4 against USA. Both were losses but imagine this year UPL in last year team. Then we would won on of those two games. The forwards wasn't the best last year either.

2017 team wasn't so good, combine that with Rautakorpi and you understand why we played relagation games.
 
I didn't give up on the entire tourney.

But they just kept building on their garbage NA reputation with another horrible game.

Awful game from Finland but I don't think it was so much about NA ice than it was about coaching.
Yes I know Ahokas has U18 gold from NA ice but he is simply not a very good coach and was simply outcoached today....again. When his game plan does not work (and I guestion if it was good enought to begin with) he is not able to adapt.

Sweden played solid team game and clearly deserved to win. Finland was too much about individual efforts.
Also the most impactfull forward was Kakko who I believed played like 12 minutes and this is also on the coach.. though I understand that penalties play a part in distributing ice time.

Besides not being a very good coach Ahokas made a couple of odd player choices when building the team favoring role players instead of skilled players. To a certain extent that's fine but in a short tournament I would take more the skilled players and ask them to play into certain roles... like Canada does in Olympics, etc.

If Finland would be coached by somebody like Kivi, Westerdlund or Jalonen I would have very high hopes for this team.
With Ahokas in charge I'm fully expecting them being out of the medals. I don't think that even if Ahokas would have had Vesalainen-Kotkaniemi-Nordgren (which would be a valid first line in this competition) that would have helped enough when he is coaching...and Heiskanen was never a possibility to begin with.

I hope that Ahokas will prove me wrong.... but I really doubt it.
 
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I had a somewhat questionable strategy with this game.. staying awake all night and then see it, I manage to see 10 minutes before I fell to sleep hah.
Those 10 minutes were pretty good though hehe..

Someone with the breakdown for me?
 
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Awful game from Finland but I don't think it was so much about NA ice than it was about coaching.
Yes I know Ahokas has U18 gold from NA ice but he is simply not a very good coach and was simply outcoached today....again. When his game plan does not work (and I guestion if it was good enought to begin with) he is not able to adapt.

Sweden played solid team game and clearly deserved to win. Finland was too much about individual efforts.
Also the most impactfull forward was Kakko who I believed played like 12 minutes and this is also on the coach.. though I understand that penalties play a part in distributing ice time.

Besides not being a very good coach Ahokas made a couple of odd player choices when building the team favoring role players instead of skilled players. To a certain extent that's fine but in a short tournament I would take more the skilled players and ask them to play into certain roles... like Canada does in Olympics, etc.

If Finland would be coached by somebody like Kivi, Westerdlund or Jalonen I would have very high hopes for this team.
With Ahokas in charge I'm fully expecting them being out of the medals. I don't think that even if Ahokas would have had Vesalainen-Kotkaniemi-Nordgren (which would be a valid first line in this competition) that would have helped enough when he is coaching...and Heiskanen was never a possibility to begin with.

I hope that Ahokas will prove me wrong.... but I really doubt it.
Favouring role players instead of skilled players? This i don't understand. Which skilled players did he sacrifice? The rest i agree for the most part.
 
Actually i´m pretty relieved that they lost against Sweden... I´ts hard to imagine that we will win all games... If we had to take that one... well this was best place to take it... Even if Usa. There is still chance that we even manage win this group stage. I don´t care about first game loss... just win the freaking last game.
 
First two periods looked like those times when Finland fluked the gold.
Outplayed the whole game with their boring brand of hockey. Always outplayed, outskated, outthinked usually the eye test say we are facing Italy. Only thing they can do is play trap.
 
Favouring role players instead of skilled players? This i don't understand. Which skilled players did he sacrifice? The rest i agree for the most part.
Kokkonen for Latvala and Pajuniemi for Engberg. Hard to transition with Plug giving first passes.
 
First two periods looked like those times when Finland fluked the gold.
Outplayed the whole game with their boring brand of hockey. Always outplayed, outskated, outthinked usually the eye test say we are facing Italy. Only thing they can do is play trap.

5/5 troll attempt :clap:
 
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Woke up for this during end of 1st period. Watching actively and continuously to mid 2nd period until I just smoothly concentrated more on readings about Arthur C. Clark.

I was in sleep again just before Finns 3rd period goal.

A lot needs to change to team being able to really make it. Young Tre Knonor was convincingly better in this game. Overall.
 
Well that was a pathetic start for the tournament for us. The first two periods Swedes were everywhere. Congrats for teaching us a lesson.
 
So do you guys think those two guys from the 2016 Finn team top line will fluke into combined $17M+ AAV on their first post-ELC contracts?
 
First two periods looked like those times when Finland fluked the gold.
Outplayed the whole game with their boring brand of hockey. Always outplayed, outskated, outthinked usually the eye test say we are facing Italy. Only thing they can do is play trap.
So which silver medal team did you support when Finland won?
 

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