JPN 4 HUN 1
Japan too much for Hungary
By Lucas Aykroyd | 24 AUG 2021
The Land of the Rising Sun is on the rise. Japan edged Hungary 4-1 in Tuesday’s third game at the 2021 Women's Worlds at Calgary’s WinSport Arena.
Akane Shiga, Rui Ukita, Haruna Yoneyama, and Hanae Kubo scored for Japan. Haruka Toko sparkled with two assists.
Captain Fanni Gasparics replied for the newly promoted Hungarians, who remain winless in three tries.
It was a true battle of power plays as Japan capitalized three times and Hungary once. The Japanese bounced back in style after getting shut out 4-0 by the Czech Republic in their last game. They outshot Hungary 29-25.
In goal, two-time Japanese Olympian Nana Fujimoto got her third consecutive start. Aniko Nemeth got into her second game after making 23 saves in Hungary’s 3-0 opening loss to Germany.
Both teams came out with a palpable sense of urgency. The Hungarians were eager to build on a strong two-way effort in their 4-2 loss to the Group B-leading Czechs. The Japanese aimed to generate more offence after entering this game with just one goal – Hikaru Yamashita’s 1-0 winner versus Denmark – on 52 shots through two games.
The Hungarians put more pressure on Fujimoto’s net in the early going, but Nemeth had to be sharp as well to get her blocker on Aoi Shiga’s drive through traffic.
With under five minutes to play in the first, Akane Shiga – Aoi’s younger sister – pounced on Hungarian blueliner Lotti Odnoga’s defensive-zone giveaway and forced Nemeth to make her best save of the stanza with a glove grab.
The Japanese had another fabulous chance on a 3-on-1 rush that fizzled and hit the cross bar. At 19:18, Hungary’s Petra Szamosfalvi was sent off for hooking, and Akane Shiga banged in a power-play rebound to open the scoring just 17 seconds later as the Japanese swarmed the net.
At 3:16 of the second period, Hungary struck back on an early power play. Japan’s Chika Otaki was sent off after dumping Odnoga into the boards on the forecheck. Gasparics took a pass from Sarah Knee, waltzed into the left faceoff circle, and fired the puck high past Fujimoto on the short side.
A 5-on-3 power play enabled Japan to retake the lead at 7:30, as Haruka Toko found Rui Ukita in the low slot and she confidently roofed it home.
The Hungarians fell short with two more power play opportunities to close out the middle frame and another two in the first half of the third period.
Nearing the seven-minute mark of the third, Nemeth gave her team a chance when she stoned Suzuka Taka on a clearcut breakaway, denying the five-hole attempt.
Akane Hosoyamada's power-play howitzer was deflected in by Yoneyama for a 3-1 lead.
After Mei Miura centered the puck from a nice right-wing rush, Hanae Kubo, Japan's 38-year-old national team legend, poked it in at the side of the net at 11:34 to make it 4-1. It was her first goal and point here in Calgary. That killed Hungary's comeback hopes.
Japan also topped Hungary 4-2 in a pre-tournament exhibition game on 18 August on the strength of two goals by Rui Ukita.
Hungary closes out its round-robin slate versus fellow top-division newcomer Denmark on Wednesday. Japan does the same versus Germany on Thursday.
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