MILAN – Japan fell 5-2 to Germany in women’s ice hockey at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, staying on three points with one win and one defeat in Group B.
Smile Japan never recovered from a disastrous first period at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena in which the team fell 3-0 behind the lower-ranked, though physically superior, Germany.
“Giving up three goals in succession led to the defeat,” captain Shiori Koike said. “They were switching their positions and we couldn’t close the gaps enough, allowing them to play freely.”
Japan went behind just 44 seconds into the game when goalkeeper Miyuu Masuhara spilled a shot to let Daria Gleissnner tap in the opener.
After wasting several chances, slack defending let Emily Nix slalom her way toward goal and plant the puck into the net in the ninth minute, and Nicola Hadraschek was also allowed too much time as she scored Germany’s third about five minutes later.
After a dismal opening period marked by mistakes at both ends, some under little pressure, Japan went 4-0 down in the sixth minute of the second as substitute goalkeeper Riko Kawaguchi was unable to keep out a powerful Hadraschek shot from distance.
Kohane Sato, who had a hard slapshot saved early in the game, failed to finish off a one-on-one and Laura Kluge got Germany’s fifth on a counter.
Japan finally broke through when Mei Miura diverted in a shot in the 37th minute and Yumeka Wajima swept in a loose puck less than a minute later to finish the scoring at the close of the second period.
Japan is aiming to make the top three teams in the five-nation Group B, with those teams to join the five teams from Group A in the quarterfinals.
“We’ve beaten (Germany) before in a training game and I don’t think there was a big gap in ability, but getting this sort of result on a big stage like this means we lacked some preparation,” Wajima said.
“We had chances to score three or four more ourselves. We’ll shift our focus and do the best possible in the next two games.”
