The Women’s World Hockey Championship started in Canada yesterday, the Czech Republic will enter the tournament tonight with a match against Japan. For the first time, they play in the regular season in the better of two groups and for the first time in history they go into action as the defending champions. They also have “women’s NHL” champions in their squad and want to follow up on last year’s euphoria.
In September 2022, Czech women’s hockey players won the first medal for adult women’s hockey at the World Cup in Denmark. They defeated Finland in the quarter-finals and Switzerland in the match for third place and took home the bronze prize.
As a result, they have moved into elite company in the format of the tournament, which traditionally begins with a division into two groups based on performance. All five teams from group A advance to the quarterfinals, they will be joined by the best three from “B” and the WC ends for the other two teams. Last descends.
The Czechs will face Japan, Canada, the United States and Switzerland in turn in Brampton, Ontario. And according to the tournament’s official website, they should not be underestimated.
“Probably the greatest credit for last year’s bronze was not due to any of the players, but coach Carla MacLeodová. She infected the players with the belief that they can succeed and prescribed a style of play corresponding to the Czech skills and ambitions,” says the website of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF.
The Canadian coach, who previously won the World Cup and the Olympics twice as a player, took over the Czechs after the surprising resignation of coach Tomáš Pacina, who left after the Olympic tournament in Beijing. And she immediately achieved historic success with them.
“Eight players from last year’s selection did not get nominated this time,” the IIHF website notes. The most significant loss is the absence of goalkeeper Klára Peslarová, who has been sidelined since the end of October due to injury. Even former speed skater Karolína Erbanová did not travel to Canada.
On the other hand, against the last tournament in Denmark, forward Tereza Vanišová, who recently scored the winning goal in the final of the PHF (Premier Hockey Federation), which is the female equivalent of the NHL, and won the Isobel Cup for the champion of the overseas competition for the third time in a row, will now appear at the World Cup.
In 2021 and 2022, she won the league with Boston, this year she succeeded with the Toronto Six team, where her teammate was another member of the Czech national team, Dominika Lásková.
Czech participation in the PHF finals was also taken into account by the IIHF website when presenting the teams for the WC and renamed the national team to “Czechia Team PHF (Prague Hockey Fever)”, translated as “Prague hockey fever”.
In the finals of the overseas league, Czech hockey had exactly three representatives, Denisa Křížová was on the side of the defeated Minnesota.
Daniela Pejšová won the Swedish league as the first Czech in history with Lulea, who was the best defender of the tournament last year at the championship in Denmark.
“It’s a big challenge, I can’t wait. It will be another amazing experience,” Pejšová said at the end of March about the upcoming WC in an interview with the online daily Aktuálně.cz, in which she mainly talked about the season with the golden dot in Sweden and the unpleasant injury teammates.
A few days later, she stated for Sport.cz and Hokej.cz: “We would like to follow up on last year’s result in Canada, our goal is at least bronze.”
“By playing in a better group, we don’t have to worry about being relegated. We will play against fast teams and it’s about the mental side, about awakening the lionesses in us, because we have what it takes to get far,” added the 20-year-old Peišová.
Czech women’s matches in the group will be broadcast live by ČT sport. The opening duel with the Japanese women is on the program today from 9 p.m.
👥🇨🇿 This is what the final nomination looks like #nationalitymzen to the world championship in Canada ➡️🛫. The Lionesses, led by coach Carly MacLeod, will enter the tournament on April 6, competing in the elite A pool for the first time ever. #inspirethenext pic.twitter.com/OCNtst8TZc
— Women’s Hockey Handbook (@narodnitymzen) March 21, 2023
