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Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 11:49 pm
by Per
Refereeing scandal in the final of Women's World Championship in hockey.

For the first time ever Canada missed the final, after losing 4-2 to Finland in the semifinal.

In the final the US had more of the play, but Finland defended themselves ferociously, and their goaltender, Noora Räty (who also made 43 saves against Canada), was phenomenal. The game ended 1-1 in regulation, and then some 9 minutes into ot Petra Nieminen scored on a rebound, the referee signaled for goal and the Finns started celebrating.

Ten minutes later the goal was disallowed for goalie interference and the game resumed. But the whole call was very fishy.

Jenny Hiirikoski had skated around a US defender and fired a shot at US goalie Alex Rigsby who deflected the puck to the side. Both Hiirikoski and Rigsby scrambled for the puck and Hiirikoski tripped over Rigsby, the puck remained loose and was shot into the empty net by Nieminen.

Now, the on ice official, standing slightly to the side behind the goal, on the very side where Hiirikoski and Rigsby were, first signaled for a delayed penalty, then goal. Then the ref had a ten minute phone conversation with the video ref. After this they disqualified the goal but gave Rigsby two minutes for tripping.

The whole thing does not make sense at all. If it was goalie interference, Hiirikoski should serve time.
If the refs thought that Rigsby tripped Hiirikoski, the goal should stand.

In my ever so humble opinion, if the ref had considered it goalie interference, there should have been a whistle on the game immediately, so the delayed penalty signal makes sense, and confirms the ref thought Rigsby was the one to blame for the collission, which was definitely outside of the blue area.

To call off the goal while giving Rigsby two minutes just does not make any sense at all. It basically says the on line officials thought Finland won, but were forced to disqualify the goal, yet in defiance of the video ref, they still went ahead with the tripping call (which would otherwise have been voided by the goal) and refused to punish Hiirikoski.


I agree with Hayley Wickenheiser's tweet: "That. Was. A. Goal."


Eventually the US won the penalty shootout.

:(

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:20 am
by Per
An article attempting to explain what I can not: https://www.theicegarden.com/2019/4/14/ ... terference

Possible explanation: the video ref can overturn goal decisions, but not penalty decisions. Thus the penalty called by the on ice official (but which would have been voided by the goal) stands, and the implied penalty on Hiirikoski for goalie interference does not happen, as it was not witnessed by the on ice officials.

But it still makes no effing sense.

The ref ruled that Rigsby initiated contact that was not incidental. The video ref suggests that Hiirikoski initiated contact that was not incidental.

I really cannot see how the video evidence can be seen as conclusive on this (they both scramble for the puck, neither is in control of it, and Hiirikoski trips over Rigsby) and then, according to the rules, the on ice decision should stand. :evil:

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:35 am
by Per
And video:

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 3:25 pm
by Topper
No goal

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:17 pm
by Per
I think it is basically a 50-50 call, if the ref had waved it at once, it would still be controversial, but not that big a deal.
But the on ice officials called a tripping on the goalie, and then declared the goal good.

At that point the war office intervenes. It is not the refs that ask to have it reviewed, it's the video ref.
And in order to reverse the on ice call you should have conclusive evidence that that call was wrong.

I've seen the footage, and I'm not convinced the contact isn't incidental. The goalie throws herself into the path of the player, who really has no way else to go, with a US defender on one side and the goal cage on the other. It's incidental, imho, and the goalie never has possession of the puck, and even if she had not collided with Riihikoski, there is no way she could get back to the crease in time to save the shot on the rebound.

Since the on line refs called a penalty on Rigsby and not on Riihikoski, it is clear that they did not consider it goalie interference. I don't think the video gives sufficient evidence to overturn their call.

Pretty much every hockey expert I have heard or read commenting on this thinks the goal was good. Even goalies.
Just listen to the announcers during the review... and these are North Americans.


Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:14 am
by Puck
Shitty. Finland in OT is a much better story than US in the inevitable shootout.

The take I heard on this issue was that it explains why they let Brett Hull's Cup winning "skate in the crease" goal stand. Overturning an OT winner after the team has all jumped on to the ice to celebrate is an unwatchable way to end a championship. And ten minutes to decide?? Yuck. It's almost better to get rid of video review and accept that some decisions will be controversial.

Something similar will happen in the NHL playoffs, probably sooner than later.

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 11:50 am
by Mickey107
Doesn't matter what, where or when the circumstances. if the goaltender is taken out of his, or her, area by an offensive player, thus hindering
the capability to play his or her position in net resulting in a goal, it is no goal.

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 1:41 pm
by Per
micky107 wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2019 11:50 am Doesn't matter what, where or when the circumstances. if the goaltender is taken out of his, or her, area by an offensive player, thus hindering
the capability to play his or her position in net resulting in a goal, it is no goal.
Well.... there is also this rule:
Rule 185, Section III:

iii. An attacking skater who makes incidental contact with a goaltender out of his goal crease while both try to gain possession of the puck will not be penalized. If a goal is scored at this time, the goal will count.
This is most likely the rule the on ice officials focused on.

It basically boils down to if the contact was incidental or not incidental.
And that in turn hinges on whether the attacking player "made a reasonable effort" to avoid contact.
Imho a judgement call that should best be left to the on ice officials.

Having one team celebrate and then almost ten minutes later the goal is waved off and the game resumed is just horrible.

As I said before, I think it's a 50-50 call, and if the ref had disallowed it at once, no big deal.
But the refs on the ice, just like most people who watched the game, thought it was a good goal.
Then the video ref intervened. And that shit just destroys the game.

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 7:59 am
by 2Fingers
This is stupid, the goalie has their crease, as soon as they venture out they should be considered the same as a player. Interference is interference, that goal being called back was stupid because now a goalie can just dive out and be "interfered" with.

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2019 1:31 pm
by Per
The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation has decided to give the Finnish women the full gold bonus (EUR 7000) rather than a silver bonus (EUR 5000). Meanwhile, a Finnish businessman has pledged to order gold medals for the team.

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:33 pm
by Cousin Strawberry
Participant trophies?

Re: Scandal at the 2019 Women's World Championship

Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:10 pm
by Per
Uncle dans leg wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:33 pm Participant trophies?
Nah, I think they think their women won fair and square, as called on the ice, and then politics went into it, the ref got a phone call and they got robbed.