ZORN’S 17 SAVES LEAD GERMANY INTO 5TH PLACE GAME

by Heather McIntyre

Germany will battle for 5th place after a 2-1 win over Russia on Friday in a placement game at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship.

The Germans will face either Finland or Switzerland in Saturday’s 5th place game (1:30 p.m. MT).

The first period was a see-saw affair, with both teams managing eight shots, but it was Russia who got on the scoreboard first when Ekaterina Solovyeva, her team’s Player of the Game, gathered in a beautiful pass from Julia Vasyukova and beat German goaltender Julia Zorn.

That would be the only to beat Zorn, however, as she made 17 saves in helping her team register the victory.

Down 1-0 coming out of the intermission, Jessica Geml, Germany’s Player of the Game, took just 3:52 to pull her team even, deflecting a point shot over the shoulder of Russian goaltender Anna Vinogradova.

Germany dominated the second period, holding an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal, and was rewarded when captain Jenny Tamas’ shot from the point handcuffed Vinogradova, giving the Germans the 2-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.

The Russians tried to mount a comeback in the third period, but ran into penalty trouble late and will play either the Finns or Swiss in Saturday morning’s 7th place game (9:30 a.m. MT).