GERMANY UPSETS FINLAND 4-2 IN OPENING GAME THRILLER

by Heather McIntyre

Manuela Anwander scored two goals for Germany, who out shot and outworked Finland in a hard fought 4-2 win on Monday night in the opener for both at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.

Germany opened the scoring with Isabel Bruckl’s powerplay marker 7:21 into the first period, but Linda Valimaki tied the game up for the Finns late in the frame, shoveling a rebound into an empty net with two minutes left until intermission

Valimaki’s goal, paired with her strong game, resulted in a Player of the Game award for the Finn.

Action was end-to-end for much of the first, with German goaltender Julia Zorn, who picked up Player of the Game honours for her team, standing on her head during a 39-second two-man advantage.

Pia Lund put Finland ahead early in the second, but Germany’s powerplay clicked just past the midway point of the period, as Anwander’s backhand found the back of the net and tied the game 11:44 in.

The German momentum continued after Anwander’s equalizer, and captain Jenny Tamas connected on the powerplay just shy of the 16-minute mark to give the Germans the lead.

Anwander, who was an offensive threat all night, scored her second goal of the game off a face-off win midway through the final 20 minutes, giving the Germans some breathing room.

With goaltender Piia Raty on the bench for an extra attacker and the Germans killing a penalty late, the Finns had a glorious opportunity to cut the lead to one, but the German penalty kill persevered, keeping the Finnish attack at bay and clinching the win.

Finland will regroup for a game against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. MT at Norma Bush Arena, while the Germans will take on Canada at 7:45 p.m. MT at Father David Bauer Arena, looking for their second upset in as many days.